Driving licence and car

Steps

Licence

1. Drive with your European licence. You do not have to exchange it to settle. To apply for a Slovenian licence (voluntary exchange included), you must have your habitual residence in Slovenia (generally at least 185 days a year, according to EURES) or prove 6 months of study; a Slovenian licence is applied for in person at the administrative unit (upravna enota), by appointment (eSamonaročanje). The precise documents and procedure for an exchange are to be confirmed with the administrative unit.
2. If you exchange it one day (mandatory in case of loss, theft, damage or an offence committed in Slovenia), the Slovenian licence follows Slovenian rules on duration and medical examination.

Car coming from another EU country

1. Declare the car to the FURS for the calculation of the DMV (napoved za odmero DMV, online on eDavki), with the foreign registration certificate, the purchase contract or invoice and the type approval (certificate of conformity), at the latest 15 days after the chargeable event: for a move, the entry of the car into Slovenia with your change of residence (ZDMV-1, art. 6 and 26). The FURS may ask you for supporting documents, to be provided within 8 days.
2. Pay the DMV within 30 days after receiving the FURS decision: registration is impossible until the car is entered in the FURS register (art. 26).
3. Have the car's conformity checked, then register it. An approved professional organisation checks the identity, condition and safety of the vehicle based on the invoice and the certificate of conformity or the foreign registration certificate, and draws up the report that serves as the basis for the registration consent; registration comes next (ask the organisation for the fees).
4. Insure the car: third-party liability is mandatory for registration; you can insure with any insurer approved by the Slovenian authorities (an insurer from another EU country only under certain conditions, according to EURES).
5. Buy your vignette on evinjeta.dars.si before driving on a motorway or expressway: it is tied to your registration plate and to the country of registration; check at the time of purchase the start date (up to 30 days in advance) and the period of validity (the annual one runs until the same day of the following year; an emergency law extended by four months the annual vignettes still valid on 1 December 2025).

Documents

• Licence: valid licence and identity document; the other documents for an exchange (proof of residence, etc.) are confirmed with the administrative unit.
• Car: foreign registration certificate, purchase invoice or contract, type approval (certificate of conformity), DMV decision and proof of payment, insurance certificate, conformity check report issued by the approved organisation.

Costs and timelines

• E-vinjeta, class 2A (vehicles of 3,500 kg at most whose height above the front axle does not exceed 1.30 m: most cars, people carriers, SUVs and pick-ups, as well as motorhomes): €16 per week, €32 per month, €117.50 per year (DARS prices, notice of 01/06/2026 and site consulted on 23/10/2026). Class 2B (height above the front axle over 1.30 m: most vans and light commercial vehicles) costs more: €32 per week, €64.10 per month, €235 per year. Check your class with the DARS tool.
• DMV: calculated according to the type of vehicle, the fuel, CO2 emissions in the combined cycle, power in kW and/or the Euro standard. Exemptions are provided in particular for a vehicle forwarded to another EU country before its first registration, for certain families with at least three children (a single vehicle with at least four seats and 150 kW at most, at the common permanent residence address of the parent and the children under 18), disabled people, collector vehicles, and for the vehicle of an owner who settles temporarily without a permanent residence in Slovenia (only if no VAT is to be calculated); the FURS list of exemptions does not provide for a general exemption for a move.
• DMV deadlines: declaration at the latest 15 days after the car enters Slovenia with your move; payment within 30 days after the decision (ZDMV-1, art. 26, text published in Uradni list RS 200/20). An exemption (families with at least three children, disabled people) is requested with the declaration, or within 3 months after the move by a refund request to the FURS.
• Period of validity of a licence: 10 to 15 years depending on the EU country for cars and motorcycles; an old model of European licence will have to be replaced by 2033 at the latest (by 19 January 2033 at the latest for pink three-part Slovenian licences).

Common pitfalls

• Buying the vignette on an unauthorised site. DARS warns (01/06/2026): these sites charge commissions of several tens of percent, and the reseller may take your payment without buying the vignette from DARS. Online, DARS (evinjeta.dars.si) and, according to its notice, ASFINAG, ADAC and PETROL are the only authorised sellers.
• Choosing the wrong vignette class. The height above the front axle decides between class 2A and 2B.
• Letting the 15 days pass. The DMV declaration is made quickly after arrival: prepare the invoice, type approval and registration certificate before you leave.
• Underestimating the DMV. For a powerful or high-emission car, it can be heavy: make an estimate before the move.
• Driving for a long time with your original plates. Once resident, you risk a fine for failure to register or pay taxes.
• Believing that the vignette follows the car. It is tied to the plate and is not transferable (DARS): with a new Slovenian plate, you need a new e-vinjeta. For an annual vignette already paid, a pro rata refund is possible if the vehicle is deregistered (request within 30 days, €6 processing fee; for a vehicle registered abroad, copy of the registration certificate and certified translation of the deregistration certificate).

What changes by country of origin

• EU and EEA citizens: licence recognised without exchange.
• Swiss and British citizens (Scots included): non-EU licence; the conditions of use and exchange in Slovenia are specified by the administrative unit. A car coming from Switzerland or the United Kingdom also goes through import formalities (possible customs duties and VAT).