Slovenia
Importing a car into Slovenia
A used car reaches Slovenia from an EU state with no customs declaration. What remains is a levy on first registration that turns on the CO₂ figure rather than the price — and an identity check that comes before every imported car.
- Registration authority
- Upravna enota
- Customs
- Finančna uprava Republike Slovenije (FURS)
- Technical inspection
- Tehnični pregled
- Last reviewed
Where the car comes from decides the effort
From an EU state
From an EU member state there is neither a customs declaration nor import VAT, as long as the car is used. If it stays under the threshold for first registration or mileage it counts as new for tax — then VAT is declared in Slovenia. The motor-vehicle tax applies either way, because it attaches to first registration in the country.
From a third country
From Switzerland or Liechtenstein it is a genuine import: declared to FURS, duty on the customs value, import VAT on customs value plus duty. Where European type approval is missing, homologation is added — and on an older car that is the most expensive part of the exercise.
The process, in order
The order is not arbitrary. Pull a step forward and you usually end up repeating it.
01Before buying: CO₂ figure and emission class
The motor-vehicle tax is assessed on WLTP CO₂ output, on fuel type and on emissions behaviour. Both figures are in the certificate of conformity. Two cars at the same advertised price can therefore cost different amounts in Slovenia — the question belongs before the purchase.
02Have the sworn translation made
The foreign registration document and the purchase contract must be translated by a court-appointed interpreter in Slovenia. The translation is bound to the original and sealed; one made in the country of sale does not meet the form.
Handled by: Sodni tolmač (court interpreter)
03Identification and condition assessment
Before its first Slovenian registration, every imported car is identified and its technical condition assessed. The chassis number, type plates and their agreement with the papers are checked. This is a procedure of its own with its own record, even though it takes place at a tehnični pregled station.
Handled by: A tehnični pregled station
04Declare the motor-vehicle tax
The levy must be declared to FURS before first registration. It is assessed on the vehicle value, WLTP CO₂ output, fuel type and emissions behaviour; the table is published by the finance ministry. Without proof that it has been paid there is no registration.
Handled by: Finančna uprava Republike Slovenije (FURS)
05Technical inspection
The recurring technical inspection is carried out domestically for the imported car. A still-valid test from the country of sale does not replace it for first registration; afterwards it continues at the intervals normal in Slovenia.
06Insure and register
With the papers, the translation, the identification record, proof of tax and the inspection report, registration happens at the administrative unit or an authorised registration point. Third-party insurance must be in force; the annual road-use charge is collected at the same time.
Handled by: Upravna enota or an authorised registration point
What gets added
Without amounts, and deliberately so: official rates change, and a stale figure is worse than none. What is here is the basis of assessment — enough to calculate with, once the current rate is known.
- Motor-vehicle tax (DMV)
- Assessed on: Vehicle value, WLTP CO₂ output, fuel type and emissions behaviour; the table is published by the finance ministry. The CO₂ figure, not the price, is what drives it upwards.
- Does not apply: For purely electric vehicles the table provides the lowest band.
- Annual road-use charge
- Assessed on: Ongoing, by engine power or capacity and vehicle category; it is collected at registration and at each renewal rather than assessed separately.
- Identification and condition assessment
- Assessed on: The station's tariff, charged separately from the tehnični pregled even when both happen on the same day.
- Inspection, registration and plates
- Assessed on: The station's tariff plus the administrative fees for registration, documents and plates.
- Sworn translation
- Assessed on: By length for each document; the court-appointed interpreter's tariff.
- Customs duty, import VAT and VAT
- Assessed on: From a third country, duty on the customs value and import VAT on customs value plus duty; within the EU, VAT only, and only for a car that counts as new for tax.
- Does not apply: Does not arise at all for a used car from an EU state.
The papers
Miss one of these and the appointment is wasted.
- The original foreign registration document, complete with all its parts.
- Certificate of conformity (COC), or proof of homologation.
- Purchase contract or invoice with a sworn translation.
- The record of identification and condition assessment.
- Proof that the motor-vehicle tax has been paid.
- ID, proof of residence and proof of third-party insurance.
Where the sum tips
- The CO₂ figure in the buying decision. The motor-vehicle tax turns on it and on emissions behaviour, not on the purchase price. Compare two adverts on price alone and you are comparing the wrong number — the WLTP figure is in the certificate of conformity and rarely in the advert.
- The two inspections confused. Identification with condition assessment and the tehnični pregled are two procedures with two records, even at the same station. Book one appointment and you leave with only one of the two papers.
- The translation made in the country of sale. What counts is the work of a court-appointed interpreter in Slovenia, bound to the original and sealed.
- The car without European type approval. Homologation is then required, and on an older car it regularly exceeds the price advantage. That question belongs before the purchase, not at the testing station.
How long it takes
As an order of magnitude: one to three weeks from transfer with a certificate of conformity and complete papers, with translation and the tax declaration running in parallel. With homologation, rather two to three months.
The technical inspection
Tehnični pregled
The recurring technical inspection at an approved station. Before the first Slovenian registration it is due however recent the foreign test may be — and it is not the same thing as identification with condition assessment, even though both can be done at the same place.
Common questions
How much is the motor-vehicle tax?
There is no single figure. What stays constant is the basis: vehicle value, WLTP CO₂ output, fuel type and emissions behaviour, under a finance-ministry table. So before buying you need the WLTP figure from the certificate of conformity — it is what decides how far the charge climbs.
Do I have to go to the upravna enota, or can it be done elsewhere?
Either is possible. Besides the administrative unit, authorised registration points may register cars — insurance offices, testing stations, the motoring club. For the first registration of an imported car it is worth asking in advance, because not every point handles that case.
Is an Austrian or Italian inspection recognised?
Not for the first registration of an imported car. The tehnični pregled has to be done in Slovenia, on top of the identification with condition assessment.
What does the car cost me on an ongoing basis?
Besides insurance, the annual road-use charge collected at each renewal of the registration. It is assessed by power or capacity and by vehicle category; the tariff is set by regulation, and it appears not in a separate notice but on the registration point's receipt.
This overview is not a substitute for information from the competent authority. Rates, fees and deadlines change; the office that registers the car is always the binding source.