How can a foreigner buy a property in Slovenia in 2025?

Slovenia is loved for the beauty and diversity of nature - mountains, rivers, its own riviera, praised for cleanliness, culture, environmental friendliness, encouragement of cyclists, chosen for tranquility and clear prospects.

On HomesOverseas.ru there are more than two thousand apartments, houses, land plots, commercial premises both off the coast and in the capital of the country and other regions. Prices for nice new studios with sea views start from 150,000 euros. 

Can foreigners buy property in Slovenia and on what terms? 

Slovenia has allowed foreigners to buy real estate since February 2003 on a reciprocal basis. In 2004, the country became an EU member, and EU citizens received the right to purchase housing in Slovenia without restrictions on the principle of reciprocity.

What are the rules today?

• Citizens of the EU and most OECD countries can purchase real estate directly as individuals.
• Citizens of countries with which Slovenia does not have a bilateral reciprocity agreement, such as Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, cannot buy real estate directly. In this case, the solution is applied: registration of the company and purchase through it.

Registration of a company usually takes 3-5 days, and a foreigner becomes its owner. There is no obligation to hire a local director.

• Citizens of some countries, for example, Ukraine, Israel, can purchase real estate for individuals without the principle of reciprocity, but with the individual approval of the Ministry.

We emphasize that citizens of Ukraine and Israel can purchase real estate in Slovenia directly as individuals, without setting up a company. 

The main foreign buyers of housing in Slovenia, according to realtors, are Serbs and the British. There have been few buyers from Russia and Ukraine lately. Requests are often received from Israelis.

What is the sequence of actions and procedures when buying an apartment or house in Slovenia?

1. Object selection.

2. Signing of a pre-agreement (predpogodba).

3. Payment of an advance / deposit (usually 10% of the cost).

4. Preparation and certification of the main purchase and sale agreement with a notary.

5. Payment of the remaining amount. Getting the keys.

6. Submission of the contract to the land registry (zemljiška knjiga).

7. Registration of a new owner in the cadastre and receipt of an extract from the land registry.

After full payment and data entry in the land register (Zemljiška knjiga), the buyer becomes the owner. The main document confirming ownership in Slovenia is an extract from the land registry (izpisek iz zemljiške knjige).

How are the calculations performed? How is the security of the transaction ensured?

All payments are made only by bank transfer, through a bank account. The safest option is the notary's fiduciary account, or fiduciary account (fiduciarni ra): the buyer's money is transferred to the notary and transferred to the seller only after the registration of ownership rights in the land registry.

The notary is a mandatory participant in the transaction, and his activities are insured for large amounts (up to 100 million euros).

Note that it will not be possible to transfer funds directly from the Russian account to the seller's account in Slovenia. You can use an account opened in a "friendly" country. As a rule, those who already live abroad and, accordingly, have an account with a European or other bank come to buy real estate in Slovenia.

What taxes are paid when buying a house in Slovenia?

• Upon transactionin the secondary market, there is a tax on the turnover of real estate (davek na promet nepremi) in the amount of 2% of the value of the property. It is paid more often by the seller, but by agreement it can be 50:50 with the buyer.
• When buying a new home, VAT (DDV) is paid from the developer, usually 9.5% or 22% , depending on the type of facility.Under certain conditions (for example, purchase by a company for rental), part of the VAT can be refunded.

What additional costs are borne by the buyer?

• Agency commission: by law, up to 4% (usually 2%)
• Notary services: from 300 to 800 euros (depending on the price of the property)
• Registration fees for the land registry: about 100 euros

Is it possible to conduct a transaction remotely?

The buyer may not arrive for the transaction if he issues a power of attorney in advance. The documents must be notarized in your country, apostilled and sent to Slovenia. In such cases, the agency accompanies clients remotely.

Is mortgage available to foreigners in Slovenia?

Does buying a property provide advantages for obtaining a residence permit?

In most cases, buying directly does not automatically grant the right to a residence permit, but if the property is registered to a company, this may be the basis for obtaining a residence permit on a business basis.

Opening a company is one of the most common ways to obtain a Slovenian residence permit. From November 21, 2025, the country launches also a program for digital nomads.

Important! For Israelis, buying any property at any price is the basis for obtaining a residence permit.

Slovenia has recently had several simplifiedthe immigration procedure for non-EU foreigners in an effort to attract specialists, especially in the field of health and social services.

Getting a residence permit is relatively easy if you do everything right. Russians, like Ukrainians, are not denied a residence permit.

What should I keep in mind when buying a property in Slovenia?

1. There is a shortage of offers on the market and high competition among buyers. Contact the professionals and make a decision as quickly as possible!
2. It is absolutely necessary to check in the land registry whether there are any encumbrances (liens, debts, arrests) on the object you like. So that there are no surprises.
3. It is important to take into account the status of the land (construction, agricultural, and so on) "Not everything can be freely used for construction.

Thank you for the help in preparing the material from our partners in Slovenia:

Ivan Tregubenkov, Head of the real estate department at the agency Mirag,

Anna Bodina, expert at Novus Pro agency

Sources: Global Property Guide, Colliers