WELCOME

Moving with family

Moving for study or work can be a difficult process, and having the support of a family can importantly ease the transition. Being able to rely on a family can provide a sense of stability, security and comfort during setting to a new destination. Additionally, having family with you can help you to settle into a new environment more quickly and make more easily new connections. Having a family to share experiences with can often make the move more enjoy

     

RESIDENCE PERMIT FOR FAMILY MEMBERS

Majority of people can request for their family to join them only after a year after the issue of their temporary residence card. This unfortunately includes all people, who were granted temporary residence permits on the basis of their studies.

There are some exceptions, who can immediately request for the unification of their family:

People whose permits were issued for the purpose of work in research and higher education;

Blue card holders.

Therefore, we advise, especially to PhD students, to request for a permit for the purpose of work in research and higher education. In this case, the applicant is the PhD student, who submits the application with the supporting documentation. Read more on the process of getting a permit in the VISA & PERMIT section of the webpage.

SPOUSAL WORK

Your spouse will be entitled to live in Slovenia, but not to work. To be entitled to work, he/she should first find a job and then change for the permit in cooperation with the employer. 

KINDERGARTENS

There are public and private kindergartens in Koper / coast.

Public kindergartens

To secure a spot in a public kindergarten, you should apply sometimes in March for next year. After you submit the application, your family income would be checked and based on that, the partial subsidy would be set. Full kindergarten price is EUR 650 and if you would get the lowest subsidy, you would have to cover 90 % of the cost (so EUR 585).

Be aware that kindergartens in coastal municipalities are totally full and it could be difficult to secure a spot. Here is the link to the list of kindergartens.

Private kindergartens

There are some private kindergartens with concessions. If you choose one of these, you should also apply to the municipality, which offers subsidies, and then pay extra for the extra services, depending on the kindergarten.

All of the kindergartens also offer English in their programme:

Račka
– Catholic kindergarten;
– Vegetarian food;
 Link

Mehurčki
– Smaller groups;
– Pleasant;
– Can adapt the food;
– Positive feedbacks;
 Link

Hiša otrok obala
– Montessori kindergarten;
– Pescaterian lunches;
– Montessori approach, English and Italian languages offered;
 Link.

Other options:

Private childcare
– Smaller, maxium 6 kids per nanny;
– No subsidy offered;
– Different pricing.

Hiša otrok Mozaik
– Motessori childcare;
– It is a childcare, not a kindergarten;
– Generally should have some places available;
 Link.

Waldorf childcare
– In Žusterna;
– Mixed feedbacks;
 Link.

Marijin vrtec – Izola
– Montessori kindergarten run by nuns;
– In Izola;
– We do not have any direct feedback;
 Link.

SCHOOLS

All children aged 6 to 15 (+/- a year) in Slovenia visit elementary schools, which lasts for 9 years. Elementary school in your area has to accept your child. However, we recommend you try to enroll your child in a bigger school (Osnovna šola Koper), as they will have more resources and staff working on integration.

There are no international schools in Primorska. Closest international elementary schools are in Ljubljana (public school Danila Kumar International School and some private schools) and Trieste (The International School of Trieste).

As Primorska is officially a bilingual area, there are Slovene-speaking and Italian-speaking elementary- and high-schools.

Secondary education in Slovenia is divided in general education (gimnazija), vocational, and secondary technical education. General secondary education – gimnazija, lasts 4 years, and it ends with an external examination (matura). This “matura” grants students access to university and other post-secondary vocational and professional higher education programmes. Vocational and technical secondary education is meant to prepare students for a profession. This education last from 2 to 5 years. Education finishes with a final examination. Each year in February, the pre-enrolment announcements for secondary schools are published. Schools also organise Information Days in which students can get to know the programmes offered by a particular school. The application for enrollment in the secondary school needs to be submitted by the given date in March. If there are more applications than available vacant places, a school may limit enrollment.

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