Consular Department
The Department monitors and implements legislation, actively contributes to drawing up amendments thereto, and deals with matters relating to personal status, family law, citizenship, customs, pensions and social affairs, including the validation of certificates of life. It processes requests for international legal assistance from Slovenian and foreign judicial authorities, as well as handling requests for the extradition of individuals who have committed criminal offences. It also legalises documents intended for use abroad, and foreign public documents intended for use in the Republic of Slovenia. It also participates in the preparation of intergovernmental agreements in the consular field.
Furthermore, the Department plays an active role in implementing EU migration policy, particularly with regard to the Schengen acquis. It prepares legal and organisational regulations for visa operations and residence permit procedures, and continuously develops and improves the national visa information system and other systems supporting the implementation of EU visa policy. It also develops and delivers training programmes for consular officers and prepares consular instructions for the issuance of visas at diplomatic missions and consular posts abroad, all in accordance with the EU acquis and national legislation. Additionally, the Department organises and delivers training on detecting forged documents.
The Department is responsible for developing the legal framework for consular crisis management. It monitors crisis events and security situations around the world, prepares security plans in collaboration with diplomatic missions and consular posts, and establishes system-wide arrangements for cooperation with other national authorities. The Department works closely with other EU Member States in the field of crisis management, coordinating the activities of diplomatic and consular representations as well as the relevant Ministry services in crisis situations. It also collaborates with stakeholders in aviation, maritime, telecommunications, logistics and other sectors.
Consular staff of the Department posted abroad accept applications for passports, identity cards, extracts from civil registers and qualified digital certificates. They also issue return passports and other certificates that Slovenian citizens require in the host country. Furthermore, they accept and process visa applications, carry out individual procedural acts related to residence permits for third-country nationals and take part in local coordination activities within the Schengen area and in the field of consular protection.
Common Application Centre (CAC) Ljubljana
Third-country nationals requiring Schengen visa (Airport Transit Visa - type A and Short-term visa - type C) to enter France, Latvia, Hungary or the Netherlands, may, as of 1 May 2008, apply for such a visa at the Common Application Centre Ljubljana.
The relevant embassies are therefore no longer authorised to issue Schengen visas in the Republic of Slovenia. The cooperation between the Member States is based on the principles and rules of Schengen representation.
The purpose of the Common Application Centre is to:
- Facilitate and speed up the procedures for short-stay visas for third-country nationals;
- Enable rationalisation of visa operation for the Member States, since in the near future, the acquisition of biometric data will become mandatory for third-country nationals, bringing about higher costs for individual Member States.
