When a foreign licence must be exchanged
The concept of običajno prebivališče means the place where a person actually lives for at least 185 days a year because of personal or professional ties. Personal ties usually include the family living in Slovenia, children's schooling, a spouse holding a permit or permanent residence. Professional ties — employment or running a business in Slovenia.
If this condition is met, a foreign driving licence ceases, legally, to be valid in Slovenia after 1 year from the date of residence registration. After that, driving can be classed as driving without a valid licence: the fine starts from €500, a driving ban is also possible, and in the event of an accident there are serious insurance risks.
If your licence does not meet the requirements of the Vienna Convention, until the exchange you also need to carry an international driving permit when driving.
Where the exchange takes place: the Upravna enota
The exchange is arranged at the Upravna enota (administrative unit), which accepts the exchange application, checks the documents, establishes the right to exchange and issues the Slovenian licence. You can file the documents at any administrative unit in Slovenia, but in practice it is more convenient to choose the one where you are registered, or the one with the shorter queue.
Step 1. Preparing the documents
The exchange usually requires the following package:
- the original and a copy of the foreign driving licence;
- a certificate of the validity of the driving licence from the body that issued it (for example, the traffic police of the RF) — usually valid for 3 months and must be translated into Slovenian by a court-certified translator;
- a medical certificate of fitness to drive by Slovenian standards;
- a biometric photo to the standard for Slovenian documents;
- proof that at the time the licence was issued you lived in the issuing country for at least 6 months, or studied there for at least 6 months (Art. 67(11) ZVoz-1);
- as appropriate — documents proving your centre of interests in Slovenia (a certificate from work, proof of children's schooling, a marriage certificate with a person holding a permit or permanent residence).
As proof of the 6 months of residence, a diploma, study documents, a certificate from a driving school, an employment record book or a work certificate matching the period of the licence issue can be suitable.
A practical nuance for 2025. Previously many administrative units used the date of the first issue of the foreign licence — even if the document was later reissued. From 2025, a number of administrative units (including in the larger cities) have a practice of using the date of the last issue of the licence. This creates a risk of refusal: if by the time of the last issue you were already living in Slovenia on a permit, it becomes harder to prove 6 months of residence or study in the issuing country. If your licence is close to expiring and you already hold a Slovenian permit, it is better to think through the exchange strategy in advance and check with your administrative unit which practice they apply.
Step 2. Filing the application at the Upravna enota
The documents are filed for the service zamenjava tujega vozniškega dovoljenja (exchange of a foreign driving licence). In the larger cities (Ljubljana, Maribor) an appointment is often required. After filing, the administrative unit checks the documents and decides on the right to exchange.
Step 3. The exam part
After the right to exchange is recognised, you usually need to pass a practical driving test. To prepare, people enrol at a driving school and get a candidate driver's record card (evidenčni karton vožnje), choose an instructor and take a few lessons. The law does not set a mandatory minimum number of lessons, but in practice it is sensible to take at least 2–3 to adjust to junction manoeuvres, lane changes and the typical exam routes.
Step 4. Receiving the Slovenian licence
After passing the exam, the foreign licence is handed in at the Upravna enota, a temporary document is issued that is valid until the permanent licence is received. The permanent Slovenian licence is produced and delivered by post in about 7 days, the validity is usually 10 years, and the driving record is carried over taking the previous licence into account.
After getting a Slovenian licence, a penalty points system applies (kazenske točke): the maximum limit is 18 points, after which a driving ban is possible. Under the standard procedure, points are removed after a set period if there are no new critical violations.
Timelines for the exchange
Checking the documents and the administrative unit's decision usually takes from a few days to a few weeks. The tightest stage is waiting for a practical exam date: in the larger cities the queue can be several months, so it is better to file the documents in advance. After the exam, producing and delivering the licence takes about 7 days. In practice the total time is often 4–6 months or more, mainly because of the wait for the exam; in quieter regions the process can be faster.
The cost of the exchange
| Expense item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Filing the application (vloga) | €4.50 |
| Each attempt at the practical exam | €37.50 |
| Producing the driving licence | €21.80 |
| A driving lesson | ~€40 |
| Document translations | ~€20–100 |
| Medical assessment | ~€80–100 |
The minimum budget with a first-time pass and no additional lessons is around €150–170. A more realistic budget with lessons, translations and the medical assessment is €250–300.
Common questions
Do you need to take the theory test for the exchange? As a rule, a practical exam for the categories on your licence is required. The theory may be needed in certain cases — depending on the legal situation and the grounds for the exchange.
What if the licence does not meet the Vienna Convention? Until the exchange, you need to carry an international driving permit together with the national one when driving.
Exchanging a licence is just one of the settling-in steps after the move. For the full list of what to do in the early period, see the article on moving to Slovenia.