What this permit is and why you need it
As a Macedonian citizen you may enter Slovenia and the Schengen area without a visa, but only for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Studying for a full academic year is longer than that, so you need a temporary residence permit for study (dovoljenje za začasno prebivanje zaradi študija). This permit is what makes your stay legal for the whole year. It is issued for the duration of your studies but normally for no more than one year at a time, so you renew it every year while you are enrolled.
When to start
Because Macedonian students enter Slovenia without a visa, apply for the permit before your lawful 90-day stay runs out. Start collecting documents while you are still in Macedonia. The practical MSOS approach is to prepare everything at home, book an administrative-unit appointment through eSamonarocanje already in September, and submit the application as soon as you arrive in Slovenia. If you were ever required to obtain a visa first, you would apply three to six months before travelling.
The documents you need for a first permit
Signed application form
Fill in and sign the official application form for a temporary residence permit. Write your email address clearly at the top, because the administrative unit uses it for notifications. The form is available in .doc and .pdf, and MSOS keeps a filled-in example.
Valid passport and a certified copy
Your passport must stay valid at least three months longer than your planned stay in Slovenia. The photocopy of the passport must be certified by a notary or at the counter of the administrative unit, and you bring the passport itself to the appointment. If it applies to your case, also add a copy of the entry date and stamp into Slovenia or the Schengen area, and any valid visa or residence permit from another EU country.
Biometric photograph
One photograph, 33 by 45 millimetres, suitable for biometric documents, with the face fully and clearly visible. Do not print it on a home printer; have it taken in a photo studio. One photograph is enough.
Certificate of enrolment
Proof of the purpose of your stay is the certificate of enrolment (potrdilo o vpisu). You obtain it electronically from the student office (referat) or your faculty e-portal after you have paid the enrolment costs for the new study year. You need a fresh one for every renewal.
Health insurance
For Macedonian students this is usually based on the bilateral agreement: you submit the two-language RM/SI 3 form from the health fund of North Macedonia (FZO) and receive from the Slovenian health institute (ZZZS) a certificate of the right to healthcare services for a foreign insured person. Alternatively you can arrange private health insurance. See the RM/SI 3 page for the full procedure.
Criminal-record certificate
For a first permit you provide a criminal-record certificate from your home country. It must not be older than three months at the time you apply, and it must be translated into Slovenian by a court-certified translator. As a student from a former Yugoslav country, you may submit it in your own language in Latin script, still certified by a court translator. You do not need it for a renewal if the permit is being extended and you submitted one within the last three years. In North Macedonia you obtain it from the Basic Criminal Court (Osnoven kazneni sud).
Proof of sufficient means
You must show you can support yourself. The most common route is a written statement from a parent or guardian, who is legally obliged to support you, declaring that they will support you (name, surname, date of birth) with at least €507,43 per month for the whole academic year. One parent signing is enough. Special notarisation is not required, but the statement must be written in English, Slovenian, or one of the former Yugoslav languages in Latin script. This €507,43 figure is tied to the Slovenian minimum-income basis and can change, so check the current amount. See the means and address page for other accepted proof such as student-work earnings, a scholarship, bank funds, or grants.
Document with your handwritten signature
You also submit a separate document carrying your own handwritten signature. MSOS keeps a .pdf example.
Fees
You can pay by bank transfer or in person at the administrative unit. As checked on 1 September 2024, the costs for a non-EU student were:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Issuing or renewing the residence permit | undefined |
| Application administrative fee | undefined |
| Printing the plastic card | undefined |
| Translation and document costs | Variable |
That is roughly €70 in official fees, plus what you spend on translations, the photograph, and postage. Fees can change, so verify the current tariff before your appointment.
How to submit
You submit at the administrative unit (upravna enota) of the place where you will register your address, that is the town where you study and live. Book an appointment through the eSamonarocanje portal or by phone (see the where-to-apply page for the appointment walkthrough and unit contacts). You can also send the application and documents by post. When you apply for the first time you must appear in person, because two fingerprints are taken at the administrative unit or the Slovenian embassy.
After you submit: the confirmation
If you hand the documents in personally, you receive a confirmation at the counter that you have applied for a residence permit. If you send them by post, that confirmation arrives only after some months, once the case officer receives your documents and opens your case. This confirmation matters: it lets you cross the Slovenian and therefore the EU border while your permit is being decided. Note that while your application is still in process, you are legally not allowed to leave the country until you hold the confirmation. There have been many cases where students never received the confirmation because they wrote their temporary address wrong or the application was incomplete, so state every detail correctly and apply on time.
Register your address within eight days
After you receive the permit you register your temporary address. If you live in a student dormitory, the dormitory registers you. If you are in private accommodation, you must register the temporary address yourself within eight days of receiving the permit, taking the needed documents (for example the rental contract or a statement from the owner). The rental contract should be valid for the whole validity of your permit; if it is not (a one-year contract is common), you register the address again at the administrative unit when the contract ends. You will also receive an informal form to send, together with a copy of the permit, to the administrative unit by post or email.
Renewal: apply by 30 September
Your student permit is usually valid until the end of your student status, that is 30 September. You must submit the renewal before the permit expires, so at the latest by 30 September. Prepare a fresh certificate of enrolment, your passport, health insurance, proof of means, your address, and your previous permit. If you miss the 30 September deadline you cannot renew: you have to apply for a brand new permit and follow the whole first-application process again, including an entry stamp into the country that is not older than three months. This is why renewing on time matters so much.
Stays shorter than 90 days
If you plan to stay in Slovenia for less than 90 days and do not need a visa, you do not need this permit, but you must register your stay, that is your address, at the local police station within three days.
Sources and further information
- Official study residence-permit guidance
- Embassy visa and residence information
- eSamonarocanje appointment portal
- InfoTujci
Last checked: 30 July 2026
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