Buying property in Slovenia, EU – foreign citizens

In Slovenia, every Slovenian citizen can own a property. But how can a foreigner proceed to buying real estate in Slovenia? The real estate market in Slovenia has improved and the prices for property are increasing.

The company Data d.o.o. has over 28 years of experience in guiding entrepreneurs in doing business in Slovenia. Our legal department can explain how a foreigner can own real estate and what the conditions are when buying a property in Slovenia. We also offer expert accountancy services, tax consultation and services of virtual office. This way, doing business in Europe is more pleasant for all entrepreneurs who register a company in Slovenia.

Legal grounds for buying a property in Slovenia

The Slovenian constitution determines the property rights within the 68th Article. It states that foreign citizens can proceed to buying real estate under the conditions, stipulated by the law or an international treaty that the National Assembly ratifies.

International treaties that allow foreigners to buy property in Slovenia are the following:

• Accession treaties with the EU,
• Agreement on succession issues (for citizens of the countries of the former republics of the Yugoslavia and legal entities established in these countries),
• The Agreement on the European Economic Area,
• Convention on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The laws that determine buying real estate by foreigners are the following:

• Act on the Conditions for the Acquisition of the Property Rights of Natural and Legal Persons of the Candidate Countries of the European Union,
• The Law on Succession,
• Law on relations between the Republic of Slovenia and Slovenes outside its borders.

Citizens of which countries can own real estate in Slovenia based on the law or international treaty?

Based on the abovementioned regulations, some foreigners can proceed to buying property in Slovenia. Those are citizens of the EU, OECD and EFTA. Additionally, persons with Slovenian status without Slovenian citizenship can also buy property.

All foreign legal successors can become owners of property in Slovenia based on the Law on Succession. Additionally, all citizens of former Yugoslavian member states can become owners, if they have fulfilled the conditions to obtain property rights before 31.12.1990.

Some citizens need to obtain a special positive decree of establishing reciprocity before being able to proceed in buying real estate in Slovenia. Those are the citizens and legal entities of candidate countries of the European Union (Northern Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Albania).

Citizens of other countries cannot become owners of real estate in Slovenia as natural persons other than by inheriting the property. But those citizens have the possibility to register a company in Slovenia and buy property through the Slovenian legal entity. If the property costs more than 50.000€ those citizens are also entitled for business immigration to Slovenia through their Slovenian company.

If you would like more information on opening a new company in Slovenia, send us an e-mail to data@data.si. You can also contact us over the phone 00386 1 6006 270 or 00386 40 530 718 (Viber, WhatsApp). You can also follow us on Facebook.