A2 or B1? The Slovene you need for residence — today, and in the draft law.
Where things stand
- In force today: A2 for permanent residence. Survival level for renewing a family-reunification permit.
- Proposed: a draft amendment to the Foreigners Act (ZTuj-2J) would raise permanent residence to B1, family-reunification renewal to A2, roughly double the income threshold, and lengthen the wait for family reunification from one year to three.
- Status: a draft. The public consultation (extended once) closed on 26 August 2026. It has not been adopted by the National Assembly and is not in force.
What the law says today
The rules below have applied since 1 November 2024 (amendment ZTuj-2I). They concern third-country nationals — people who are not citizens of an EU or EEA country.
| Permit | Slovene required | How it is proved |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent residence | Basic level — A2 of the Common European Framework | The exam Slovenščina na osnovni ravni at the Centre for Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language, or a completed state-funded course with the exam |
| Family reunification — renewal | Survival level (preživetvena raven): basic, routine everyday communication | Attendance of the state-funded Slovene course, or the survival-level exam; in force since 2024 |
| Citizenship | Basic level — the same osnovna raven exam | Certificate from the same centre |
The osnovna raven exam is one exam with one certificate. The certificate states A2 or B1 depending on your score, part by part. That matters below: the B1 in the draft is not a different exam — it is a higher score on the exam most people already sit.
Some employers and posted-worker arrangements already ask for B1 as a condition of the job, independently of residence law.
What the draft would change
The Ministry of the Interior published a draft amendment (ZTuj-2J) for public consultation on 5 August 2026. A revised proposal was reported on 20 August 2026; the consultation closed on 26 August. As reported by the Slovenian Press Agency and confirmed in the published texts:
| Point | Today | Draft |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent residence | A2 | B1 |
| Family reunification — renewal | Survival level | A2 |
| Wait before family reunification | 1 year of residence | 3 years |
| Means-of-subsistence threshold | €507.43 / month | €1,014.86 / month |
| Slovene courses | Free for eligible applicants | 60% state co-financing |
| First exam attempt | Free | Paid |
Before any of this applies, the government has to adopt the proposal, the National Assembly has to pass it, it has to be published in the Official Gazette and come into force. Parts of it — the three-year wait in particular — have been publicly challenged as inconsistent with EU family-reunification rules, and a referendum request is possible. The timeline is genuinely open.
The first draft carried a transitional clause: procedures started before the amendment enters into force are completed under the old rules. Whether the final text keeps that clause is the single most important thing to check once it is published.
What is sensible to do now
If your application is close — you have the residence years and the A2 certificate, or nearly — apply under the rules in force. A submitted application is the strongest position to be in while the law is a draft.
If your application is a year or more away, prepare for B1. It is the same exam; the difference is how well you listen and speak. Preparing one level up costs you a few extra months of practice. Being one level short costs a year and another exam fee. That arithmetic holds whether or not the draft passes.
Either way, the two parts of the exam candidates most often fail are listening and speaking — and they are also the two parts you cannot practise from a book. That is what Govori is for: the coursebooks as a sentence-by-sentence listening library, and everyday situations answered out loud until they come without thinking. Twenty minutes a day, alongside your course.
Sources
- Ministry of the Interior, draft Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o tujcih (ZTuj-2J), e-demokracija, published 5 August 2026.
- STA / Svet24, Zakon o tujcih: spremembe, 20 August 2026 — revised proposal (B1, income threshold, family reunification).
- Official Gazette, ZTuj-2I — the amendment in force, and the language conditions applied since 1 November 2024 (STA report).
- Centre for Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language, University of Ljubljana — Izpit iz znanja slovenščine na osnovni ravni.
This page summarises public information for learners. It is not legal advice. For your own case, ask your administrative unit (upravna enota) or a lawyer.