Author
In order for beneficiaries of international protection to obtain citizenship by naturalisation they need to meet the following criteria:
- Be 18 years old;
- Have the means of subsistence that guarantees them (and those who they are obliged to provide for) material and social security;
- Have passed the Slovenian language test;
- No prison sentence longer than three months or probation longer than one year;
- Residence in the Republic of Slovenia must not have been annulled;
- Do not pose a threat to public order, safety or security of the state;
- Have settled all of their tax obligations; and
- Have pledged to respect the free democratic constitutional order founded by the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia.[1]
Beneficiaries of international protection can apply for citizenship by naturalisation after five years of continued residence in the Republic of Slovenia, which is shorter than the general period of 10 years, and they do not have to meet the additional criterion of obtaining renunciation of their previous citizenship.[2] The request for naturalisation must be lodged with the Administrative Unit of the place of residence.
Between 1995 – when the first international protection statuses were granted – and 31 December 2023, a total of 169 beneficiaries of international protection have obtained Slovenian citizenship. In 2023, 12 persons with refugee status and 1 person with subsidiary protection was granted citizenship. In 2023, 173 travel documents were issued to beneficiaries of international protection.[3]
Under the Citizenship Act, children can obtain Slovenian citizenship if they are born or found in Slovenia and their parents are unknown or their citizenship is unknown or if they are stateless.[4] There is therefore no legal ground for children born in Slovenia to beneficiaries of international protection to obtain Slovenian citizenship even if they are stateless. In June 2022, the PIC filled several citizenship applications for stateless children born in Slovenia to beneficiaries of international protection based directly on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 1954 Convention on Statelessness rather than national legislation. Until the end of January 2023, 24 children were granted Slovenian citizenship on this ground by the Administrative Unit.[5]
[1] Article 10(1) Citizenship of the Republic of Slovenia Act, Official Gazette of RS, 1/1991 and subsequent amendments.
[2] Article 12(7) Citizenship of the Republic of Slovenia Act.
[3] Official statistics provided by the Migration directorate, March 2024.
[4] Article 9 Citizenship of the Republic of Slovenia Act.
[5] Information provided by the PIC, April 2024.