Consular information

Travel to the Philippines

Information about traveling to the Philippines and other useful tips can be found on the Philippines page.

Emergency assistance outside of Embassy working hours

Slovenian citizens in the Philippines can contact the Embassy’s duty phone number for urgent consular assistance outside normal working hours. 

Duty number for Slovenian citizens physically present in the Philippines and requiring urgent consular assistance only: +63 962 712 9104

Slovenian citizens may also contact the duty number of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia: +386 1 478 2219.

Important note: This urgent consular assistance service is intended solely for Slovenian citizens who are currently in the Philippines. It is not available for visa-related enquiries or for Slovenian citizens who are not physically located in the Philippines. 

Consular fees

Consular fees are paid in cash in PHP (Philippine pesos) when submitting the application at the embassy.

The consular fee must be paid upon submission of the application, upon receipt of the invoice.

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Manila does not accept cash or card payments. Consular service fees may only be paid in the local currency (PHP) to the following account:

Account name: Embassy of Slovenia 

Branch name and address: BDO Trident Gil Puyat Branch, GF Trident Tower Bldg., 312 Senator Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City

Peso savings account number: 006830194988

Payments can be made:

• By making a deposit at the embassy’s BDO bank branch, with no bank fees
• By wire transfer to a bank account at BDO or any other bank, with all transfer fees charged to the sender

Due to currency fluctuations, please contact the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Manila at consular.manila@gov.si for the cost of individual consular services.

Passport

• Travel Documents Act*

Application

A citizen may file a passport application with the diplomatic mission or consular post.

A passport application must be lodged by an adult citizen in person. A minor’s application must be submitted by his/her legal guardian. If the minor is over 8 years of age, he/she must be present in person.

The application shall be accompanied by:

• Old passport (if any, or a valid public document containing a photograph)
• Biometric photo of the prescribed size showing the right image and fulfilling the provided instructions.

Issue and validity

The passport is issued to an adult citizen with a period of validity of 10 years; for a citizen aged between three and 18 years with a validity of five years; and for a citizen who has not yet reached the age of three, with a validity of three years.

Passport validity and the corresponding consular fees:

• 10 years for adults from the age of 18 – EUR 115
• 5 years for children from 3 to 18 years – EUR 76
• 3 years for children under 3 years – EUR 57
• 1 year – EUR 47

The passport is personally served on the applicant or his/her legal representative.

Delivery for destruction

A citizen must deliver the passport to the competent authority for destruction within 30 days in the following cases:

• Changed personal data on the biographical page of the passport
• Changed permanent residence, whereby the entry of the change in the passport is no longer possible
• The photograph no longer shows a true image
• The photograph is damaged or worn out or no longer usable for any other reason
• Termination of citizenship of the Republic of Slovenia

Entry of a change of address

A citizen must submit his/her passport to the competent authority to enter the change in the passport no later than 30 days after the change of address. The application must be accompanied by:

• A valid passport that still has a free section to allow entry of the new address
• Residence registration certificate for a new address

The entry of a change is exempt from fee.

Identity card

• Identity Card Act*

Application

A citizen may file an application for an identity card with the diplomatic mission or consular post.

An application for an identity card must be lodged by an adult citizen in person. In some cases, the consent of both parents is required. A minor’s application must be submitted by his/her legal guardian. If the minor is over 8 years of age, he/she must also be present in person.

The application must be accompanied by:

• The old identity card (if any, or a valid public document containing a photograph)
• A photograph of the prescribed size, showing the right image and fulfilling the provided instructions.

Issue and validity

An identity card with a validity of three years is issued to a national under three years of age. An identity card with a validity of five years is issued to a citizen aged between three and 18 years. An identity card with ten-year validity is issued to a citizen aged 18 to 70. After the age of 70, an identity card with permanent validity is issued.

Identity card validity and consular fee:

• 10 years for adults from 18 to 70 years – EUR 76
• 5 years for children from 3 to 18 years – EUR 60
• 3 years for children under 3 years – EUR 44
• Permanent identity card – EUR 76

The identity card must be personally served on the applicant or his/her legal representative.

Delivery for destruction

The citizen must deliver the identity card to the competent authority for destruction no later than 30 days in the following cases:

• Change of surname or name
• Change of permanent residence
• The photograph on the identity card no longer shows a true image
• The identity card is damaged or worn out or can no longer be used for any other reason
• Termination of citizenship of the Republic of Slovenia

Residence

Foreign nationals must hold a permanent or temporary residence permit in order to be registered as resident in Slovenia.

Non-resident status for tax purposes

Information on regulating the status of a non-resident for tax purposes is available on the website of the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia.

Civil registration (birth, marriage/partnership, death)

• Register of Deaths, Births and Marriages Act*
• Personal Name Act*

Citizens may request extracts from the central register of births, marriages and deaths or submit an application to record vital events (birth, marriage/partnership, death) at the diplomatic mission or consular post.

The diplomatic mission or consular post may accept requests for the issue of:

• Extract from the register of births – consular fee within the EU: EUR 19, outside the EU: EUR 26
• Extract from the register of marriages – consular fee within the EU: EUR 19, outside the EU: EUR 26
• Extract from the register of same-sex partnerships – consular fee within the EU: EUR 19, outside the EU: EUR 26
• Extract from the register of deaths – consular fee within the EU: EUR 19, outside the EU: EUR 26
• Nationality certificate – consular fee within the EU: EUR 19, outside the EU: EUR 26
• Single status certificate – consular fee within the EU: EUR 19, outside the EU: EUR 26
• Certificate of no impediment to marriage abroad – the consular fee is EUR 38
• Certificate of life – endorsement of the form is free of charge for Slovenian citizens; the consular fee for foreign citizens is EUR 13
• First change of personal name with a decision – the consular fee is EUR 55

Getting married in the Philippines

The basic documents that Slovenian citizens need to get married in the Philippines are:

• Certificate of marital status from the Slovenian civil registry, certified with an apostille and translated into English by a court-appointed translator (some local authorities also require the official translation to be certified by the Slovenian Ministry of Justice, so please inquire about the requirements in advance)
• Birth certificate issued by your local administrative unit, certified with an apostille, and translated into English by a court-appointed translator (some local authorities also require the official translation to be certified by the Slovenian Ministry of Justice, so please inquire about the requirements in advance)
• The Certificate of No Impediment to Enter into Marriage is issued by the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Manila, in English and Tagalog (we also require copies of the above-mentioned documents for review when submitting the application).

You may submit the application for a Certificate of No Impediment to Enter into Marriage in person and then pick it up at the Embassy in Manila on any working day (Monday through Thursday) from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Registry offices throughout the Philippines require different documentation. If the Philippine authorities require additional documents (depending on the location of the wedding), please check with the Philippine authorities in advance. The same applies to the required documents for the spouse, regardless of nationality.

After the wedding, request a Marriage certificate from the Philippine authorities on the international form in English, which must be stamped with an apostille (issued by the Philippine authorities-Department of Foreign Affairs). Once you have obtained the Marriage certificate on the international form, certified with an apostille, have it translated into Slovenian by a court-appointed translator in Slovenia, and then register the marriage at your local administrative unit. If your spouse wishes to change their last name after the marriage, we can send you the form.

Divorce

Philippine legislation does not recognise divorce or legal separation. As of 2018, however, Philippine courts possess the jurisdiction to acknowledge divorce decrees issued by foreign jurisdictions. 

A citizen of Slovenia who is married to a Filipino citizen seeking to initiate divorce proceedings must submit a divorce petition to a court in Slovenia. Upon the completion of the judicial process within the Slovenian court, it is necessary to have the divorce decree translated into English or Tagalog by a court-appointed interpreter in Slovenia. A list of such interpreters is accessible on the official website of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Slovenia.

Following the translation, the divorce decree and the translation must be certified with an apostille, which is obtainable from the Ministry of Justice, located at Župančičeva 3 in Ljubljana. It is important to note that additional certifications by the Embassy of Slovenia in Manila are neither required nor necessary.

Furthermore, the engagement of a local attorney in the Philippines is a requisite in this particular procedure.

Your selected attorney will initiate the application for the acknowledgment of a foreign court ruling in the Philippines by submitting it to the Regional Trial Court (RTC) located in the jurisdiction corresponding to your matrimonial status. It is advisable to reach out to the Bar Association, which can provide you with a list of legal practitioners tailored to your specific requirements and the geographic area related to your case:

Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)

IBP Building
No. 15 Julia Vargas Avenue,
Oerigas Center, Pasig City,
Metro Manila Philippines

Tel. (+632) 6313014 or 6313018

E-mail: ibp_national@yahoo.com or tech@ibp.ph

www.ibp.ph

General information regarding the requirements for initiating proceedings to recognise a foreign divorce decree before the Philippine courts is listed below. Please note that court proceedings are individual in nature, and additional requirements or changes may arise depending on the circumstances of the case or the court hearing the matter:

• A Philippine marriage certificate, certified by the Philippine authorities with an apostille, which you can obtain from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs.
• A Slovenian divorce decree, translated and bearing an apostille.
• The Slovenian law under which the Slovenian court granted the divorce, translated and bearing an apostille.
• Birth certificates of children born during the marriage, accompanied by translations and apostilles.
• A copy of your valid passport, bearing an apostille.

Only a lawyer can inform you of the specific requirements imposed by the court that will apply to your case, at the beginning of the proceedings.

Citizenship

• Citizenship of the Republic of Slovenia Act*

Information on the acquisition of, release from, and renunciation of, Slovenian citizenship is available under the topic Citizenship.

At diplomatic missions or consular posts, you may submit appropriate applications to be forwarded to administrative units or to the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Slovenia.

Fees:

• Registration of citizenship: EUR 13
• Admission to and release from citizenship: EUR 354
• Declaratory decision on citizenship or renunciation EUR 181

Registration of citizenship for a child born in the Philippines

After the birth of your child, request a birth certificate in English on the international form from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Then have the birth certificate stamped with an apostille, which you can obtain from the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines.

A parent may register a child for citizenship of the Republic of Slovenia at an administrative unit in Slovenia or at the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Manila (Monday through Thursday, between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.).

Certifications

• Certification of Documents in International Traffic Act (in Slovene only)
• Rules on the certification of documents in international traffic (in Slovene only)

The signature on a private or public document may be certified at diplomatic missions and consular posts. The certification does not verify the contents of the document.

The Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of the Philippines are signatories to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents of October 5, 1961. In accordance with the Convention, the Apostille replaces the procedure of consular certification of seals.

An apostille is a certification of the authenticity of the signature, the capacity of the signatory, and the seal or stamp on the document. It is issued by the competent authority of the country of origin of a document that will be used in another country. The apostille is affixed to the document by printing, attaching, or affixing it. An apostille may only be issued by the competent authority of the country that issued the document for use in another country.

In the Republic of Slovenia, for documents issued by the Republic of Slovenia that will be used in legal proceedings in the Republic of the Philippines, you can obtain an apostille at any district court in the country. More about the procedure here.

At the Ministry of Justice (Zupančičeva 3, 1000 Ljubljana), you can have the signatures of judges, notaries and court interpreters certified with an apostille (in cases where a Slovenian document requires an official translation) for the use of public documents abroad, including in the Philippines. 

In the Republic of the Philippines, for documents issued by the authorities of the Republic of the Philippines that will be used in legal proceedings in the Republic of Slovenia, you can obtain an apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Consular Division, Bradico Avenue, 1714 Paranaque, Metro Manila. More here.

Elections and referendums

Information on voting from abroad is available on the website of the State Election Commission.

General information on voting rights can be found on page Elections and referendums.

Obtaining a qualified digital certificate SIGEN-CA

The SIGEN-CA qualified digital certificate for natural persons may be issued to persons over 15 years of age who have a Slovenian tax number and PIN. The digital certificate is valid for five years.

An authorised representative with a certified authorisation may submit an application on behalf of a disabled person. Slovenians abroad may apply for a digital certificate for citizens abroad at a diplomatic mission or consular post. 

More information about the certificate is available at the website of the National Trust Service Centre SI-TRUST.