Slovenia is party to the: 

• 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which provides the internationally recognised definition of a refugee and outlines the legal protection, rights, and assistance a refugee is entitled to receive.
• 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, which expands the Convention to apply universally and protect all persons fleeing conflict and persecution.
• 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, which establishes a framework for the international protection of stateless persons. 
• 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, which sets rules for the conferral and non-withdrawal of citizenship to prevent cases of statelessness from arising. Notably, Slovenia has not yet implemented a statelessness determination procedure for asylum seekers in their territory, despite committing to do so at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum. However, the Slovenian Parliament ratified the Convention on 1 January 2025, and legislative changes are expected to follow. 
• 1997 European Convention on Nationality, which established principles and rules on nationality.

In addition to these international protection frameworks, and as part of the European Union (EU), Slovenia is bound by the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), which aims to introduce EU-wide standards for the equal treatment and protection of refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers entering the EU. The system is governed by five legislative instruments and one agency:

• The Asylum Procedures Directive, aiming at establishing common standards for asylum processes across the EU member states;
• The Reception Conditions Directive, providing common standards for reception conditions across the EU;
• The Qualification Directive, clarifying grounds for granting international protection;
• The Dublin Regulation, establishing the State responsible for examining the application;
• The EURODAC Directive, governing the collection and storage of fingerprints of asylum seekers, irregular migrants and other people found to be present in member states, with a view to aid the determination of the state responsible for examining the asylum application, support law enforcement and prevent multiple asylum applications in several member states;
• The European Union Agency for Asylum, providing operational and technical assistance to EU Member States in the assessment of applications for international protection.

The CEAS has been reformed by the New Pact on Migration and Asylum (the Pact), approved in 2024 and is set to take effect in 2026. The Pact presents a complex package of ten legislative files intended to reform the EU’s migration and asylum system by establishing new EU-wide solutions to long-standing migration challenges.

While EU institutions have presented the Pact as delivering the intended results while remaining grounded in European values, human rights organisations and migration experts have long opposed and criticised its reforms. Here you can find a point-by-point analysis of the Pact by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles.

The Temporary Protection Directive provides for immediate, temporary protection within the European Union for individuals displaced outside the Union. The directive was invoked following the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war in February 2021 and is the most commonly applied instrument for displaced Ukrainian citizens within EU territory.

Additionally, Slovenia is obligated to respect the international customary legal principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits States from deporting any person to a country where they face the threat of persecution.

Article 48 of Slovenia’s constitution established the right to asylum for “foreign nationals and stateless persons who are subject to persecution for their commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms.” Articles 21 and 22 protect detainees (including those in administrative detention) from violence and guarantee equal rights in court proceedings, respectively.

The Foreigners Law is the primary legislation governing immigration and regulating the entry, exit, and residence of foreign citizens in Slovenia. More specifically, however, matters relating to asylum seekers are governed by the International Protection Act. This Act establishes the procedures for granting and withdrawing international protection, as well as the duration and content of international protection. It also outlines the rights and obligations of applicants for international protection and persons who have been recognised as having international protection. 

The International Protection Procedures Division of the Ministry of the Interior is responsible for processing asylum and related procedures, including the Refugee Status Determination (RSD) process. Their contact details can be found here. While UNHCR is not directly involved in the process, it is responsible for ensuring that RSD procedures are fair and reflect international legal standards. While the International Protection Act does not require the State to provide asylum seekers with free legal representation, it does mandate that applicants must be connected to asylum NGOs during their application process.

Both the International Protection Act and the Foreigners Law have been amended several times since they were passed into law, despite domestic and international criticisms that some of these amendments violated the UN Refugee Convention and the Slovenian constitution, fell short of EU legal standards, and put asylum seekers at risk. In particular, significant concerns surround an amendment allowing the government to declare a ‘complex migration crisis.’ During a complex migration crisis, police officers are authorised to close border crossings and immediately return irregular migrants to bordering countries, regardless of whether affected migrants intend to request asylum from Slovenian authorities. Furthermore, these amendments require lawyers and guardians of unaccompanied minors to disclose personal information about their clients and wards, including details that may negatively impact a client’s asylum application. The amendments also significantly restrict asylum seekers’ freedom of movement, effectively confining them to the municipality where their accommodation is located. 

Other notable changes include introducing a two-year residency requirement before family reunification sponsorship; allowing the state to retain biometric data collected for residence permits for five years; streamlining residence permit applications and processing; and reintroducing mandatory Slovenian language courses for all foreigners. The Slovenian government also announced that it has extended the temporary reintroduction of internal Schengen border checks with Croatia and Hungary (first introduced on 21 October 2023, it will now continue to have effect until 21 December 2025).

Article 308 of the Slovenian Penal Code was amended in 2021 to redefine aspects of illegal migration and enable the seizure of vehicles used to transport migrants, thereby establishing the act of crossing Slovenia’s border illegally as a criminal offence. 

In 2022, the Slovenian government adopted EU Council Implementing Directive 2022/382, and began establishing temporary protection measures for Ukrainians, activating the 2021 Temporary Protection Directive. Originally set to last only a year (and renewable twice for a further six months per renewal), temporary protection for Ukrainians has been extended several times. In June 2025, the European Council extended temporary protection for Ukrainians within the EU (including Slovenia) until 4 March 2027. As of January 2025, 10,240 migrants from Ukraine are already under temporary protection in Slovenia. Ukrainian citizens may continue to enter  Slovenia legally with a biometric passport. For more information on support available to Ukrainian nationals in Slovenia, please visit the following government webpage, and the Slovenia Information page on the UNHCR’s Ukraine is Home Platform.  

For more information on the state of Slovenian asylum law and policies, please consult the Asylum Information Database (AIDA) for a summary of Slovenia’s asylum-related legislation and policies, the European Union Agency for Asylum’s report on Slovenia, UNHCR’s Help Page for Slovenia, and UNHCR’s submission on Slovenia for the 48th Universal Period Review.