Overview of the main changes since the first report

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The previous report update was published in July 2025.

International protection

Statistics

• Key statistics: In 2025, the Police detected 28,200 irregular crossings, a decrease in comparison to 2024 (46,217). Out of those, 25,519 people expressed their intention to apply for international protection. However, only 4,172 persons finally lodged their application, as the majority absconded before. The absconding rate of applicants after they lodged their application also remained high, with 3,947 (95%) applicants absconding before the first instance decision. The absconding rates of unaccompanied children also remained high (95%).
• Out of 1,895 decisions issued in 2025, 1,670 were Dublin decisions. However, only 44 transfers were finally carried out, as the majority of applicants absconded before the Dublin decision was issued.
• In 2025, the number of granted applications for international protection decreased significantly. Only 36 applicants were granted refugee status and only 35 were granted subsidiary protection. The decrease in the number of granted refugee statuses was largely connected to the suspension of the processing of applications from Syrian nationals and the prolongation of the asylum procedure in general. Out of 35 subsidiary protections granted, 34 were granted to Ukrainian applicants.

Asylum procedure

• Police procedures: As during the previous year, the majority of asylum seekers (more than 71%) were first processed in the Police station for Compulsory Measures Novo mesto. During the police procedure, individuals are placed in one of the 5 steel cages installed inside the facility. The Ombudsperson visited the facility in 2025 and noted that metal enclosures are completely unsuitable and do not respect the personal safety and human dignity of foreigners, particularly vulnerable persons such as families with small children and unaccompanied minors. The Ombudsperson urged the Government to ensure new suitable premises for processing foreigners in the shortest possible timeframe.
• Lodging the application: applicants had to wait from 2 to 20 days to lodge their application at the Migration Directorate. Applicants are entitled to the rights of asylum seekers, including accommodation in the Asylum home or its branch, only after they lodge the application. Before lodging the application, they are accommodated on the premises of the Asylum home or its branch Logatec in containers.
• Dublin procedure: In 2025, the Ministry of the Interior (MoI) changed its practice regarding the enforcement of Dublin decisions. Until then, the MoI would not enforce the decision until the Administrative Court had made a decision on the interim measures request, as lodging the judicial review does not have automatic suspensive effect. The Administrative Court had seven days to issue a decision regarding this request. From 2025 onwards, if the Administrative Court did not issue a decision on the interim measures request within seven days of lodging the judicial review, the MoI proceeded with the Dublin transfer. This meant that, from 2025 onwards, applicants are transferred based on the Dublin decision before any decision by the Administrative Court was made, rendering the legal remedy ineffective.
• Lengthiness of the procedure: In 2025, the practice of the MoI regarding asylum interviews changed. Personal interviews of applicants processed in the regular procedure are no longer conducted by the officials responsible for lodging the applications, but by the decision makers. This has further prolonged the lengthiness of the procedure as, in practice, fewer personal interviews in regular procedures are conducted and applicants have to wait up to 1 year for their personal interview. The official statistics show that the average duration for the in-merit decision-making process has increased to 277 days in 2025, from 174 days in 2024.
  In addition, the court procedures were also prolonged at second instance, due to the backlog of cases. In practice, asylum seekers can wait for more than 3 years to get a decision from the Administrative Court if their application was rejected in a regular procedure. In case of appeal to the Supreme Court, the court procedure can also last for several years.
• Legal assistance at first instance: Free legal counselling and representation during the first instance procedure was provided by the PIC, albeit not to all asylum seekers. Access to free legal assistance and representation before the Administrative Court continued to be a challenge for most asylum seekers.
• Access to legal remedies: Due to difficulties in accessing refugee counsellors (including due to unclear information provided by the Migration Directorate, language barriers, etc.) and short time limits for the judicial review, some asylum seekers were unable to exercise their right to a legal remedy. 
• Legal representation before the Courts: In 2025, the Constitutional Court ruled on the provisions of the IPA regulating the dismissal of a refugee counsellor from their function in case they do not disclose private information about their client to the MoI during the proceedings before the court.^[1] The Constitutional Court noted that the principle of confidentiality enshrined in Article 35 of the Constitution applies to refugee counsellors, as the relationship of trust is essential between the refugee counsellor and the applicant in order for the refugee counsellors to perform their tasks effectively. The Court, however, decided that the swift and efficient implementation of asylum procedures and measures to prevent abuse of the asylum procedure are constitutionally permissible objectives that allow the interference with the right to privacy. The Court, therefore, concluded that the obligation to disclose the information, although undermining to some extent the confidentiality of the relationship between the applicant and the refugee counsellor, does not constitute an excessive interference with the right to privacy under Article 35 of the Constitution. A refugee counsellor lodged an application against the decision of the Constitutional Court before the ECtHR arguing that the provision of the IPA is in breach of Article 8 of the ECHR.^[2]

Reception conditions

• General conditions: Although the number of asylum seekers has dropped in 2025, the reception conditions have not improved significantly. Before lodging the application, asylum seekers are still placed in containers on the premises of the Asylum home or its branch Logatec. Unaccompanied minors are accommodated in the reception/accommodation center for unaccompanied minors in Postojna.
• Violence in the Asylum home: Reports of violence against applicants in the Asylum home by the private security service emerged in 2025. The Ombudsperson conducted a visit and found that, during the term of the contract, the UOIM requested that more than 30 security guards are replaced by the contracting private company. The Ombudsperson concluded that the current method of providing security is not the most appropriate and recommended that security is ensured by the Police not a private security company.
• Identification of vulnerable groups: There is no procedure in place for the systematic identification of vulnerable applicants. Statistics on vulnerable applicants are not gathered.

Detention of asylum applicants

• In 2025, 28 applicants were detained: 19 by the UOIM and 9 by the MoI. 23 detained applicants lodged a judicial review against the detention decision.

 Content of international protection

• Family reunification: Beneficiaries of international protection lodged 97 applications for family reunification in 2025, out of which 91 were lodged by refugee status holders and 6 by subsidiary protection holders. During the year, 78 applications for family reunification were approved by the MoI.
• Integrational contract: While all beneficiaries of international protection are entitled to basic rights (i.e., health care, access to the labor market, education, etc.), they have to sign an integration contract if they want to access the full scope of the rights (accommodation in the integration house, social support for accommodation, etc.). In practice, the majority of beneficiaries sign the integration contract.

Temporary protection

 For further information, see Annex on Temporary Protection.

Temporary protection procedure

• Key temporary protection statistics: In 2025, a total of 1,741 persons applied for temporary protection in the Republic of Slovenia. Out of these, 1,703 were Ukrainian citizens, 5 were Russian citizens, and others were of other nationalities. Temporary protection was granted to 1,606 persons, of which 1,585 were Ukrainian citizens. Additionally, 18 applications for temporary protection were dismissed, 28 were rejected and 42 procedures were stopped.

Content of temporary protection

• Rights of persons with temporary protection: Applicants for temporary protection as well as beneficiaries of temporary protection are entitled to accommodation and meals in accommodation centres. Additionally, temporary protection beneficiaries also have the right to monthly allowances (if they stay in accommodation centres) or financial assistance for private accommodation and everyday expenses if they are not staying in state-provided accommodation. Rights of temporary protection beneficiaries also include the right to work and access to the labour market under the same conditions as Slovenian nationals.
  Beneficiaries of temporary protection are entitled to access education at all levels (i.e., pre-school, primary and secondary education, higher and university education, music school and adult education), under the same conditions as nationals of the Republic of Slovenia. Beneficiaries of temporary protection who are pupils or students are also entitled to state scholarships and accommodation in pupil and student dormitories under the same conditions as Slovenian nationals. Applicants for temporary protection have access to education under the same conditions as persons granted temporary protection, with the exception of pre-school education and state scholarships.
  With regard to healthcare, applicants for temporary protection and temporary protection beneficiaries have the right to emergency medical care, specialist and clinical health care emergencies, and healthcare for women. Minors have access to the same full medical care as Slovenian children.
• Legislative developments: A significant development in 2025 was the adoption of the new Temporary Protection of Displaced Persons Act (ZZZRO-1), applicable from 19 July 2025, which introduced a more structured and comprehensive legal framework governing temporary protection in the Republic of Slovenia. In particular, the ZZZRO-1 clarified the relationship between temporary protection and international protection, introduced a more detailed regulation of the procedure for obtaining temporary protection, providing for a two-stage procedure involving a prior registration process with the Police followed by the submission of an application to the competent administrative unit. Furthermore, the new legal framework introduced several changes concerning the rights and obligations of persons granted temporary protection, including provisions related to absence from the Republic of Slovenia and its potential implications for status and rights of temporary protection beneficiaries. It also provided a legal basis for transitioning to other residence statuses following the termination of temporary protection.

[1]           Constitutional Court decision, U-I-52/22, 19 June 2025, available here.

[2]           ECtHR, Regvar v. Slovenia, communicated on 11 December 2025, available here.