Unemployment benefit for foreign workers

As a foreign national, you are entitled to unemployment benefits under a social insurance agreement between Slovenia and your home country. If there is no such agreement with your country, you can exercise your right under the same conditions as Slovenian citizens.

Exercising the right under the agreement

You can claim your entitlement to the benefit from the Slovenian Employment Service under a social insurance agreement between Slovenia and your home country.

Agreements with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and North Macedonia

They stipulate that unemployment benefits shall not be paid to the other contracting state.
The unemployment benefit shall be paid if you have a permanent or temporary residence permit in Slovenia and are registered as unemployed with the Slovenian Employment Service.

> More about registering as unemployed

Under 30 years of age

Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia, under than 30 years of age, shall be entitled to the unemployment benefit if insured for unemployment for at least 6 months during the past 24 months.
You should also meet all the above residence and registration requirements (a permanent or temporary residence permit in Slovenia, registration in the register of the unemployed with the Slovenian Employment Service).

ployment benefit shall be paid if you have a permanent or temporary residence permit in Slovenia and are registered as unemployed with the Slovenian Employment Service.

> More about registering as unemployed

Entitlement to unemployment benefit for nationals of each country

Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) are entitled to unemployment benefits if:

you meet all the above residence and registration requirements (a permanent or temporary residence permit in Slovenia, registration in the register of the unemployed with the Slovenian Employment Service) and
you have been insured for unemployment for at least 10 months during the past 24 months before your unemployment started.

For the purpose of aggregating periods of insurance the Agreement on Social Insurance between Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina shall be taken into account.

The Agreement provides that the insurance period completed under compulsory insurance in accordance with the legislation of one contracting state shall be taken into account, to the extent necessary, when exercising the right to the unemployment benefit under the legislation of the other contracting state, if the unemployed person has been insured for at least 9 months during the past 18 months in the contracting state in which he/she has claimed the benefit.

Citizens of Serbia are entitled to unemployment benefit if:

you meet all the above residence and registration requirements (a permanent or temporary residence permit in Slovenia, registration in the register of the unemployed with the Slovenian Employment Service) and
you have been insured for unemployment for at least 10 months during the past 24 months before your unemployment started.

The Agreement on Social Insurance between Slovenia and Serbia provides that the insurance period completed under compulsory insurance in accordance with the legislation of one contracting state shall be taken into account, to the extent necessary, when exercising the right to the unemployment benefit under the legislation of the other contracting state, if the unemployed person fulfils the conditions under the legislation of that state in the contracting state in which he/she claims the benefit.

> More about unemployment benefit

Citizens of North Macedonia are entitled to unemployment benefit if:

you meet all the above residence and registration requirements (a permanent or temporary residence permit in Slovenia, registration in the register of the unemployed with the Slovenian Employment Service) and
you have been insured for unemployment for at least 10 months during the past 24 months before your unemployment started.

For the purpose of aggregating periods of insurance the Agreement on Social Insurance between Slovenia and North Macedonia shall be taken into account.

The Agreement provides that the insurance period completed under compulsory insurance in accordance with the legislation of one contracting state shall be taken into account, to the extent necessary, when exercising the right to the unemployment benefit under the legislation of the other contracting state, if the unemployed person has been insured for at least 9 months during the past 12 months in the contracting state in which he/she has claimedthe benefit.

Citizens of Montenegro are entitled to unemployment benefit if:

you meet all the above residence and registration requirements (a permanent or temporary residence permit in Slovenia, registration in the register of the unemployed with the Slovenian Employment Service) and
you have been insured for unemployment for at least 10 months during the past 24 months before your unemployment started.

The Agreement on Social Insurance between Slovenia and Montenegro provides that the insurance period completed under compulsory insurance in accordance with the legislation of one contracting state shall be taken into account, to the extent necessary, when exercising the right to the unemployment benefit under the legislation of the other contracting state, if the unemployed person fulfils the conditions in accordance with the regulations of that state in the contracting state in which he/she claims the benefit.

> More about unemployment benefit

Exercising a right without an agreement

If there is no social insurance agreement between Slovenia and your home country, you are subject to the same conditions when exercising the right to unemployment benefit as Slovenian citizens.

This means that:

you have a permanent or temporary residence permit in Slovenia,
you are registered as unemployed with the Slovenian Employment Service,
you have been insured for unemploymentfor at least 10 months in Slovenia during the past 24 months before your unemployment started,
you are under 30 years of age and have been insured for unemployment in Slovenia for at least 6 months during the past 24 months before your unemployment started,
you have paid your unemployment insurancecontributions,
your employment was terminated through no fault of your own or your own volition and
you meet other conditions set by law.