CONDITIONS FOR OBTAINING A DRIVING LICENCE:

  • Habitual residence

Article 72 of the Drivers Act (ZVoz-1) states that an individual with habitual residence in the Republic of Slovenia (RS) is eligible to take the driving test. Article 2 of this Act states: “Habitual residence is a place where a person resides for at least 185 days in each calendar year due to personal and occupational ties, or in the case of a person without professional ties, due to personal ties showing a close connection between that person and the place where he or she lives.”

Asylum seekers usually meet 185 days residence requirement but are often unable to take driving lessons and the test. The reason is that the administrative unit only has access the central register of population – where temporary and permanent residence is listed – but not asylum seeker residence. The asylum register and the register of permanent and temporary residents are not connected, so the administrative unit cannot access the required data. Only persons granted international protection status are eligible to take driving lessons and the test. However, this is not in accordance with the law.

  1. Age restrictions (based on the category of vehicle)
  2. Medical certificate

Medical examination: all future drivers of motor vehicles must complete a medical examination before the practical part of the training (driving lessons). The medical examination must be carried out by an authorized health organization providing services in the field of occupational, traffic and sports medicine.  The Ministry of Health publishes a list of medical institutions performing medical examinations for candidates: https://www.mz.gov.si/si/delovna_podrocja_in_prioritete/javno_zdravje/zakonodaja_o_voznikih/.

Medical contractor list for year 2019: https://www.mz.gov.si/fileadmin/mz.gov.si/pageuploads/javno_zdravje_2015/vozniki/vozniki_2019/Seznam_izvajalcev_7_3__2019_P.pdf.

The validity of the medical certificate is 3 years, unless the doctor decides otherwise.

Price: 45-60 EUR

OBTAINING A DRIVING LICENCE

Candidates must first submit a request for a driving licence at the administrative unit that verifies whether the conditions for obtaining a driving licence are met. After a positive response, candidates may register for the theoretical and practical part of the training.

  1. FIRST AID

The theoretical part starts with the first aid course. The courses and exams are conducted at the premises of the Slovenian Red Cross. The address is Tržaška 132, Ljubljana. Candidates must the pass first aid exam to proceed with the programme. The validity of the first aid certificate for motor vehicle drivers is unlimited.

The price for the first aid course is 28.72 EUR (order for payment  to the Slovenian Red Cross) while the price for the first aid exam is 55.64 EUR.

Duration: 10 academic hours (45 minutes).

  1. Conditions of enrolment on the traffic regulations course (CPP):
  2. Age restrictions – Candidates are eligible to enrol on the CPP course for specific categories: AM (H) – if they turn 15 years of age in the current calendar year; A1 – after 15.5 years of age; A2, A and B – after16 years of age.
  3. Completed registration form at the driving school
  4. Identification document
  5. Proof of payment for the CPP course

The Driving Act obliges candidates to attend a minimum of lesson hours (the full course consists of 24 lesson hours). Course validity is 3 years. The price varies greatly among driving schools: 50 -70 EUR.

The CPP course is also available in English. The price is 400 EUR or 350 EUR if there is more than 1 candidate attending.

  1. National CPP test at the Public Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Traffic Safety

Candidates with a valid medical certificate, first aid certificate and a completed CPP course at a selected driving school may apply for the National CPP test (the theoretical part of the driving examination). The practical part of the training is accessible only to those who have passed the theoretical part of the driving test. for the charge for the National CPP test is 42 EUR.

Candidates may apply for the National CPP test at an administrative unit and must submit their identification document before starting their exam. If candidates are not fluent enough in Slovenian, they must provide a court interpreter and cover all costs! The court interpreter must be selected from the list below:  https://spvt.mp.gov.si/tolmaci.html.

  1. Driving programme – practical part of the driving test

The practical part of the driving test may start only after the theoretical part has been successfully completed. After a licenced driving instructor has been chosen by the candidate, practical training may begin. The practical part of training shall be carried out in the duration of at least 20 teaching hours. A teaching hour shall last at least 50 minutes and shall not exceed 60 minutes.

WARNING! Always bring the following documents to your driving lessons:

  • driving record sheet
  • valid medical certificate
  • identification document

Should any of above mentioned documents be missing, the training may not start as this would count as a minor offence!

The cost of driving lessons varies among driving schools, the average is 25 EUR per lesson. Driving lessons are available in English, but in this case the cost is higher.

  1. Official driving exam at a driving test centre

The official driving exam may be taken at any driving test centre in Slovenia.

The candidates may apply for the official driving exam only after they have reached legal age limit, successfully passed the theoretical part and completed at least 20 hours of lessons. Candidates may apply for the official driving exam at an administrative unit, where a date and time are given. The driving record sheet, valid medical certificate, identification document and 15 EUR must be submitted upon application.

All that left is left for the candidates at this point is to perform the driving test to the best of their abilities.

  1. Driving licence issue

The administrative unit issues a legal driving licence to candidates who successfully completed the practical part of the driving test. A driving licence shall be issued with validity up to the driver reaching 21 years of age, or for two years after obtaining their first driving licence for vehicles in categories A2 or A and B.

Drivers may submit a request for a driving license at any administrative unit, and must submit:

  • a valid medical certificate
  • a driving record sheet
  • confirmation of successfully completed practical part of driving training
  • a 35 x 45 mm photo that shows your true likeness and is not retouched
  1. Renewal of a driving licence

The driving licence  shall be renewed provided that the driver has completed the additional training programme for novice drivers (Safe Driving Course) in one of categories A2 or A and B. Novice drivers may attend the additional training programme at least 6 months after the issuance of their first driving licence but not later than 2 years after the issuance.

Training comprises of two parts: safe driving training and a group workshop on road traffic safety and psychosocial relations between road users. The price of the additional training programme for novice drivers shall be paid for by the participants. The duration of training is 10 hours and costs 125 EUR.

A list of organisations providing safe driving courses for novice drivers is available at the Slovenian Traffic Safety Agency website: https://www.avp-rs.si/vozniki/voznik-zacetnik/. Drivers may choose any provider from the list below:

https://rpo.avp-rs.si/Register.aspx.

ISSUANCE OF SLOVENIAN DRIVING LICENCE BASED ON THE DRIVING LICENCE ISSUED IN THE COUTRY OF ORIGIN

If you have habitual residence in the Republic of Slovenia and residence registered in the Republic of Slovenia on the basis of a residence permit, you may for one year from the date of registration of residence with a valid driving license issued by the competent authority of your country, as part of reciprocity, drive those vehicles in the Republic of Slovenia for which a driving license has been issued to you.

We advise drivers to verify their foreign driving licence validity with an administrative unit. Validity may vary from country to country, depending on reciprocity agreements between the country of origin and the Republic of Slovenia. Holders of a valid driving licence issued abroad that is not in compliance with the Convention on Road Traffic shall, when driving, in addition to a valid driving licence issued abroad, carry a valid international driving permit issued by the competent authority or organisation of a foreign country.  A person may only possess one driving licence. The holder of a valid foreign driving licence issued abroad shall be issued a Slovenian driving licence or it shall be renewed provided that they hand over the valid foreign driving licence.

Replacement of a valid driving license

If you have habitual residence in the Republic of Slovenia and meet the conditions for driving motor vehicles, you may request the replacement of a valid driving license with a Slovenian driving license. However, practice suggests the problem of registers (previously mentioned) complicates the matter.

A Slovenian driving license is issued to you if you pass the practical part of the test. Again, it is necessary to enquire with the administrative unit whether a practical part is a necessary condition for you – drivers from certain countries are not obliged to take the practical part as their quality of training, theoretical knowledge, practice etc. is similar to the Slovenian system. The practical part is also not mandatory for persons who can prove professional competence to drive motor vehicles.

Prior to replacing a foreign driving license, the administrative unit must verify for which category of vehicles the license issued abroad is valid.  Persons who apply for a replacement may submit a document providing information on the category of motor vehicles they are entitled to drive under a valid driving licence issued abroad.

An international driving permit cannot be replaced with the Slovenian driving licence. Only persons with valid Slovenian driving licence can apply for an international driving permit in Slovenia.

WARNING – Article 67 of the Drivers Act of RS (ZVoz-1) states: “Driving licences issued abroad and exchanged for a Slovenian driving licence, shall be returned to the authority of the country of issuance where the grounds for such return shall be indicated.” In case of persons under international protection or asylum seekers it is absolutely necessary to alert the administrative unit of the obligation of the Republic of Slovenia to protect their personal information from their countries of origin as it may endanger their safety.

* The listed charges were checked on April 2019 and they may change, so please check the up-to-date costs for a specific service.