Slovenia visa guideThe Slovenia family visit visa is a Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for visiting relatives or friends in Slovenia, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Families in Punjab can apply at VFS Global in Chandigarh or Jalandhar, and the Embassy of Slovenia in New Delhi decides, normally within 15 calendar days of a complete file.
The host's letter is the heart of it. If your relative houses you or pays for you, Slovenia expects a sponsorship letter certified at an administrative unit in Slovenia. You add proof of the relationship, your own finances, and copies of everything, because the Embassy returns only the passport.
Do Indians need a visa to visit family in Slovenia, and which one?
Yes. A mother flying to Ljubljana for her son's convocation, a couple visiting a daughter who works in Koper, a cousin attending a wedding: all need a Schengen short-stay visa, type C, for visiting family or friends. VFS describes the category as a visa for travelling to visit family, friends and relatives, for a period not exceeding 90 days. You apply on paper, in person, and the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in New Delhi decides.
The 90 days run inside any 180-day period and count across all 29 Schengen countries. This visa is for visiting, not for settling. Living with a spouse or child in Slovenia needs a long-stay (type D) visa or a residence permit, and for a family reunification D visa the Embassy says it interviews the applicant while the spouse is interviewed in Slovenia at the same time, to establish that the marriage is genuine.
Visiting family in Slovenia at a glance
- Visa
- Schengen type C, visiting family or friends
- Stay
- Up to 90 days in any 180
- Decided by
- Embassy of Slovenia, New Delhi
- Apply at
- VFS Global Chandigarh, Jalandhar or New Delhi
- The host's key documentOr a signed invitation if the host pays nothing
- Sponsorship letter certified at an administrative unit
- DecisionUp to 45 with extra checks
- Up to 15 calendar days
Embassy of Slovenia in New Delhi, gov.si and VFS Global Slovenia India, checked 14 Oct 2026
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
At VFS Global in Chandigarh or Jalandhar, the two Slovenia centres closest to most Punjab families. Both open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm. New Delhi is the other northern option. Every application goes to the Embassy in New Delhi for the decision.
Practical points for families travelling together:
- Everyone attends. VFS says applications must be submitted by the applicants themselves, and each person gives a live photo and fingerprints. Children up to 12 give no fingerprints, and neither does anyone who gave them for a Schengen short-stay visa in the last 59 months.
- Who can come inside. Only applicants, plus one parent or caregiver with a child under 18, may enter the centre. A son who is not travelling may have to wait outside.
- Walk-ins. VFS accepts walk-in submissions between noon and 2 pm at all its Slovenia centres, which helps when grandparents cannot manage an early slot.
- Paperwork for the counter. The printed application form, two copies of the 2D barcoded sheets and two copies of the passport bio page.
Do not lodge a second Schengen application while this one is pending, for example with the country where another relative lives. VFS bars applying to two Schengen countries at the same time. Our Slovenia appointment availability page shows how dates are opening up.
Which documents depend on your situation?
The common checklist is printed further down this page. For a family visit, the extra papers split between the host in Slovenia and you.
The host's letter: certified or plain
Slovenia's government sets out two kinds of letter, and the choice depends on who pays.
- Sponsorship letter (garantno pismo). Required when the host gives you accommodation or covers your costs. For a personal visit it can be signed by a Slovenian citizen, by an EU citizen living in Slovenia, or by a non-EU national living in Slovenia on a residence permit. It must be certified and registered at the host's administrative unit in Slovenia. The host may be asked to attach bank statements for the past three months and an extract from the land register, or a purchase or lease contract for the flat.
- Invitation letter (povabilno pismo). Used when the host provides neither accommodation nor money. No set form, but the content must meet Article 24 of Slovenia's Foreigners Act. It must be signed and does not need certification.
Whichever letter is used, the government page says the documents must clearly show the purpose of the visit, the period of stay and the address where you will live. VFS, for its part, lists an authenticated sponsorship letter for sponsored applicants. Most family visits involve staying in the relative's home, so expect to need the certified version.
What you add from India
Visiting relatives
- What the Embassy's checklist adds
- A certificate proving the family relationship, such as a birth certificate linking parent and child
Married, and the passport does not say so
- What the Embassy's checklist adds
- Marriage certificate, with a copy of the ration card where applicable
Retired parents
- What the Embassy's checklist adds
- Pension statements for the last three months, and proof of regular income from property or a business
Salaried
- What the Embassy's checklist adds
- Payslips for the last three months, employment contract and your employer's approval of leave
Company owner
- What the Embassy's checklist adds
- Certificate of registration of the company
Child
- What the Embassy's checklist adds
- Notarised consent from the parent who is not travelling, or from both parents if the child travels alone, with the parents' passport copies
Every adult also gives an original three-month bank statement, stamped and signed, and ITR acknowledgements for the last two assessment years. Even when your relative pays for everything, your own finances show why you will come home.
Two house rules matter more for family files than for any other kind. The Embassy returns nothing except the passport, so never hand in the only original of a birth certificate or a property deed; show it, and submit a copy. And documents must be in English or Slovenian, in the checklist's order, so a gurdwara marriage certificate or a jamabandi in Punjabi needs a translation.
How much is the Slovenia family visit visa fee?
The visa fee is €90 per adult and €45 per child aged 6 to 11; children under 6 are free. VFS listed these on 14 October 2026 as ₹9,910 and ₹4,960, plus a service charge of ₹2,753 per person, GST included. Immediate family members of EU nationals are exempt from the visa fee. The fee is non-refundable. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
The Embassy's checklist, citing Article 23 of the EU Visa Code, says the decision may take up to 15 calendar days after all required documents are submitted, and up to 45 days if extra checks are needed. The Embassy may also call you for an interview or ask for more documents.
How early can you apply? The Embassy's gov.si page says up to six months before the visit, but VFS Slovenia India says no earlier than three months. Apply within the three-month window, because VFS is where you lodge. Apply at least 15 calendar days before travel, and give the host time first:
- The host certifies the letter at the administrative unit in Slovenia and posts you the original.
- You assemble your file with translations and copies.
- You lodge at VFS four to six weeks before a fixed family date such as a wedding or a birth.
Hold off on buying tickets. The Embassy's checklist says it is not recommended to purchase flight tickets before a visa decision.
Why do Slovenia family visit visas get refused for Indian applicants?
The grounds are the EU's standard ones, but family files usually fail on the link between guest and host.
An uncertified letter where a certified one was needed
If your relative is housing you, a plain letter is the wrong document. The certified sponsorship letter, registered at the administrative unit, is what shows the stay is arranged and paid for. Without it, the purpose and conditions of the stay are not justified.
A relationship the file does not prove
The checklist asks for a certificate proving the family relationship. Names spelled one way in the passport and another in the birth certificate leave the officer guessing. Explain any difference in the cover letter and attach supporting proof.
Doubt that you will return to India
Parents whose children have all moved abroad are asked this question most. Give pension papers, property records, other family who stay in India, and a fixed return date. An open-ended or very long stay invites the doubt.
Insurance that does not fit an older traveller
Insurance must come from an insurer on the Schengen approved list for India, updated with effect from July 2026, with at least €30,000 of cover. For corporate and group policies the list caps full coverage at age 70, so parents over 70 should check their own policy's age limits before buying.
The full list of refusal grounds, with how to answer each one, is on our Schengen refusal reasons page.
Tips for a stronger family-visit file
- Your relative can buy your insurance. The government page says a third party, such as the person inviting you, may take out the insurance in Slovenia on your behalf. Carry the policy and check it covers every day of the trip.
- The host's address, everywhere. The certified letter, your cover letter and the flight dates should show the same address and the same period.
- Copy sets. Prepare one copy set to hand in and keep the originals in a separate folder for the counter.
- Day trips. A weekend in Venice or Vienna is fine on the visa, provided Slovenia remains your main destination by days.
- Multiple entries. If your family visits will repeat, insurance for the first trip is enough with the signed declaration on the last page of the form.
- Insurance detail. Our Schengen travel insurance explainer covers what to check in a policy.
What if the visa is refused, or I am an EU citizen's family member?
A refusal can be appealed within eight days of receipt, in writing and in Slovenian, at the Embassy that issued it, with a consular fee of €153. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides, and while the appeal is pending no new visa application is considered. If the gap was a missing certified letter or relationship proof, a fresh application with those papers is usually faster than an appeal.
Family members of EU citizens can get an easier route. The Embassy's page says family members covered by EU Directive 2004/38/EC, where the EU citizen has used the right to free movement and the applicant is accompanying or joining them, get priority treatment, free processing and a fast-track procedure. For a holiday without a host, see the Slovenia tourist visa guide, and for everything else, the Slovenia country page.
Official sources
- Visa information of the Embassy New Delhi, gov.si
- Entry and residence, Government of Slovenia (gov.si)
- VFS Global Slovenia India: visiting family or friends
- VFS Global Slovenia India: short-term visa notices and insurance list
- VFS Global Slovenia India: visa application centres
- VFS Global Slovenia India: what happens at the centre
- European Union adopts more favourable Schengen visa rules for Indians, EU Delegation to India
