In the November tax news, we inform you about changes of Foreigners Act (Ztuj-2), which will soon come into force, about the amended REK-0 form, which contains a new mandatory health contribution, about the inclusion of two new countries on the list of risky countries for money laundering and terrorist financing and the current status of legislative proposal for Minimum Tax Act.
AMENDED FOREIGNERS ACT (ZTUJ-2)
In the November edition of Tax news, we inform you about changes to the Foreigners Act (Ztuj-2), which will introduce requirement for knowledge of Slovenian language. The language conditions will apply to adult foreigners renewing a temporary residence permit for the purpose of family reunification and, as of November next year, to foreigners in the process of obtaining a permanent residence permit. In cases where an adult foreigner is enrolled in a Slovene educational program, is over 60 years of age or is illiterate but able to communicate in Slovene, the individual will be considered to meet the language requirement.
1. Temporary Residence Permit Extension for family members:
- Applications submitted until 30 April 2024 will not require a language requirement
- For applications submitted between 1 May and 31 October 2024, family members will also need to provide a certificate of enrolment in informal educational programs for learning the Slovenian language or a certificate of successfully passing an exam in Slovenian at least at the entry level
- After 1 November 2024, family members will need to submit a certificate of passing an exam in Slovenian at the survival level, which enables basic communication in the Slovenian language, limited to simple, predictable, everyday situations where expression is routine and repetitive
- The criteria for the new educational program and the survival-level language test will be determined by the Minister of Education
Some of the exceptions to which the above does not apply:
- Family members of EU Blue Card holders
- Family members of foreigners with temporary residence permits for research, higher education, or vocational education
- Family members of foreigners who are holders o fan Inter-corporate transfer (ICT) permit with a single permit who are transferred within a company
- Family members of foreigners who cannot take the exam due to health issues
2. Permanent Residence Permits (From 1 November 2024):
- A foreigner must demonstrate language proficiency with a language certificate at the basic level A2
Exceptions apply to:
- Foreigners who are granted permanent residence before five years of continuous legal residence
- Foreigners for whom health issues hinder everyday communication