Marrying and Sponsoring a Slovenian Citizen
Listen to this articleMarriage to a Slovenian Citizen
Every country has its own laws that apply to its citizens marrying a person from a different country. Getting married to a Slovenian citizen with the goal of eventually bringing them to Canada to live is a process with many steps.
If you want to bring your Slovenian spouse or partner to live in Canada, you must then file a sponsorship application for them to become a permanent resident. If they would like to visit you in Canada while their application is in process, they must also apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). For more information, please see our family sponsorship page and our eTA article.
Processing Time
If you file a Canadian sponsorship application for your Slovenian spouse or partner, this application takes an average of 10-12 months.
An eTA for your spouse or partner to visit you in Canada while the sponsorship applications are processing can be applied for online.
Please see our pages on family sponsorship and the eTA for more information on the processing times of these applications.
Slovenian Marriage Basic Requirements
A foreigner may get married in Slovenia, either to a Slovene citizen or to another foreigner. Under Slovene law, only a civil marriage service is considered valid, although you may then have a religious ceremony if you wish.
You must register the forthcoming marriage with the Marriage Registry Office of the Administrative Unit (Upravna enota, Oddelek za upravne notranje zadeve, Matični urad) in the location where you wish to get married. This can be accomplished not more than six months before the proposed wedding date, but no sooner than 14 days before the proposed wedding date.
You will be required to submit to the Administrative Unit:
- Both spouses ‘original birth certificates and certified copies.
- Both spouses’ passports.
- Certificate of No Legal Impediment for each spouse, also known as the A Free to Marry Certificate, which can usually be issued by your Embassy.
- Documentary proof of dissolution of previous marriages, if any, e.g. final divorce or annulment decrees or a Death Certificate of the deceased spouse. The divorce decree should be presented to the Slovene district court to be certified as legally valid in Slovenia.
- All documents not in Slovene must be accompanied by a translation performed by a certified translator .
Both marriage partners should be present when applying at the Administrative Unit. If this is not possible, then the absent fiancé(e) must submit a notarized Power of Attorney, which also must be translated into Slovene, authorizing a third person to sign the Administrative Unit document regarding his/her intent to marry.
Once you submit these documents, then you can sign up for any available marriage date at the Administrative Unit. After the marriage has been performed, the Administrative Unit will issue a marriage certificate.
Family Members
If your Slovenian spouse has dependent children, this does not affect the Slovenian Marriage document application.
If you have dependent children, they have no effect on the application to marry a Slovenian citizen.
List of Slovenian Consulates in Canada
Calling Slovenia from Canada
011 – 386 – Area Code – local number
Area Codes of Slovakia (landlines only)
| Celje and Trbovlje | 3 |
| Koper, Postojna and Nova Gorica | 5 |
| Kranj | 4 |
| Ljubljana | 1 |
| Maribor, Murska Sobota and Ravne na Koroškem | 2 |
| Novo mesto and Krško | 7 |
Cell Codes
- Mobitel: 31, 41, 51 or 71
- Si.mobil: 30, 40 or 68
- T-2: 64
- Tusmobil: 70
VOIP Codes
590, 591, 592, 81, 82 or 83
Calling Canada from Slovenia
00 – 1 – Area Code – local number
- 00- Exit code for Slovenia, and is needed for making any international call from Slovenia
- 1 – ISD Code or Country Code of Canada
Area Codes of Canada
| Province | Code | Province | Code |
| Alberta | 403 / 587 (southern Alberta)
587 / 780 (central and northern Alberta) |
Nunavut | 867 |
| BC | 236 / 250 / 778 (majority of BC)
236 / 604 / 778 (Metro Vancouver) |
Ontario | 226 / 519 (southwestern Ontario)
249 / 705 (northeastern Ontario) 289 / 365 / 905 (Greater Toronto Area) 343 / 613 (eastern Ontario) 416 / 647 (Toronto) 807 (northwestern Ontario) |
| Manitoba | 204 / 431 | PEI | 782 / 902 |
| New Brunswick | 506 | Quebec | 418 / 581 (eastern Quebec)
438 / 514 (Montreal) 450 / 579 (Greater Montreal) 819 / 873 (remainder of Quebec) |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 709 | Saskatchewan | 306 / 639 |
| Northwest Territories | 867 | Yukon | 867 |
| Nova Scotia | 782 / 902 |
Time Difference
Slovenia is on Central European Time (GMT+1). Slovenia, as with the rest of Europe, uses Daylight Saving Time over a slightly different span than Canada. In late March and late October the time differences are off by 1 hour. Saskatchewan does not observe DST and so in the summer add an hour to the difference.
| Canadian Time Zone | # of Hours Slovenia is Ahead |
| Pacific (BC, Yukon) | 9 hours |
| Mountain (Alberta, western Nunavut, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan) | 8 hours |
| Central (Manitoba, Northwest Territories, central Nunavut, northwestern Ontario, Saskatchewan*) | 7 hours |
| Eastern (most of Ontario, most of Quebec) | 6 hours |
| Atlantic (Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, eastern Quebec) | 5 hours |
| Newfoundland | 4.5 hours |
Emergency Information for Canadians in Slovenia
Consulate of Canada in LjubljanaLinhartova cesta 49a. Telephone: 386 (1) 252-4444 |
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Embassy of Canada in BudapestGanz utca 12-14 Telephone: 36 (1) 392-3360 |
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Canadian Government’s Travel Alerts for Slovenia
Sponsoring Your Slovenian Spouse to Canada
The sponsorship application process is long and can be stressful. To learn more about it, click the button below:
