# Relocating to Slovenia



## retired

I have recently retired and decided to go living in Slovenia. I have bought a house in the countryside called Prekmurje. It's beautiful. 

I found this company that assisted me throughout my process of moving there... (SNIP) and they basically arranged everything quickly...from my car registration, home search, city&country orientations. 

When I moved I felt lost but really afer spending couple of days with Relocations I felt like I had always lived there. 

More exciting info to follow..


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## MichelleAlison

Hi and welcome to the forum. What made you decide to retire in Slovenia?

Michelle


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## retired

i visited the country last summer...just amazed me, dont know, its really beautiful and just what i wished for..


something is wrong with my previous post...real nice assistance from relokacije...

for more info just ask...


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## Stravinsky

retired said:


> i visited the country last summer...just amazed me, dont know, its really beautiful and just what i wished for..
> 
> 
> something is wrong with my previous post...real nice assistance from ******...
> 
> for more info just ask...



Hi there

Please refer to posting rules, unsolicited commercial URL's / advertising is not allowed in the forum I'm afraid


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## Sonho

Well, I hope you enjoy it. We lived in Ljubljana for 4 years. The Prekmurje area is gorgeous.


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## SLOVENIAFAN

*hello there*



retired said:


> I have recently retired and decided to go living in Slovenia. I have bought a house in the countryside called Prekmurje. It's beautiful.
> 
> I found this company that assisted me throughout my process of moving there... (SNIP) and they basically arranged everything quickly...from my car registration, home search, city&country orientations.
> 
> When I moved I felt lost but really afer spending couple of days with Relocations I felt like I had always lived there.
> 
> More exciting info to follow..


Could you tell more about your experience, ie. meeting people, is there a network of expats in Prekmurje, how do you find your way around not knowing the language, etc.....Would be most interested in finding out as I am considering Prekmurje as well, however my husband does not speak Slovenian and I wonder about his adjustment there.


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## Fatbrit

retired said:


> i visited the country last summer...just amazed me, dont know, its really beautiful and just what i wished for..
> 
> 
> something is wrong with my previous post...real nice assistance from *******...
> 
> for more info just ask...


[Moderators note: Dobry den! It's bad form to start recommending companies with a mere 2 posts under your belt. It's even worse to ignore a moderator and keep posting the name of the company despite it being removed. You have been warned! Dakujem!]


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## SLOVENIAFAN

Fatbrit said:


> [Moderators note: Dobry den! It's bad form to start recommending companies with a mere 2 posts under your belt. It's even worse to ignore a moderator and keep posting the name of the company despite it being removed. You have been warned! Dakujem!]


I don't know what is going on, can't I just get some sort of reply to my honest question?


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## Fatbrit

Irena Hribar said:


> I don't know what is going on, can't I just get some sort of reply to my honest question?


Sorry -- mea culpa! Thought we had someone advertising their business but, like the idiot I am, I failed to read the dates properly and I was in a rush. Plenty of experience of moving to Slav towns (<30k pop) and not speaking the language. Also been to Slovenia many times though only stayed a couple -- usually passing through on the way down the coast.

How old's your husband? Has he learned any other languages? Has he ever worked for himself? Does he need an income? Are you going to work with him?

Some ideas for you. He isn't going to learn the language unless he gets out of the house and mingles with the locals.

TEFLA course before you leave and teach English. Contact local translators and offer English proof reading. Export business of something local. All these get him mingling in the local community and hence he will learn the language.


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## SLOVENIAFAN

Fatbrit said:


> Sorry -- mea culpa! Thought we had someone advertising their business but, like the idiot I am, I failed to read the dates properly and I was in a rush. Plenty of experience of moving to Slav towns (<30k pop) and not speaking the language. Also been to Slovenia many times though only stayed a couple -- usually passing through on the way down the coast.
> 
> How old's your husband? Has he learned any other languages? Has he ever worked for himself? Does he need an income? Are you going to work with him?
> 
> Some ideas for you. He isn't going to learn the language unless he gets out of the house and mingles with the locals.
> 
> TEFLA course before you leave and teach English. Contact local translators and offer English proof reading. Export business of something local. All these get him mingling in the local community and hence he will learn the language.


Thank you for some suggestions. What town are you in, anywhere near Murska Sobota? I hear there are lots of English speaking people in Prekmurje now, quite a popular part of Slovenia to retire to. I suppose it is also due to housing being more affordable. Do you expats get together, do you have any network going on, do you feel welcome among the locals?

My husband will still work in Canada for about 10 years before he retires, however, I am thinking about buying a piece of property now while the prices are still reasonable and live there part of the year. Of course, there are issues like who is going to look after the property in a mean time and also, how to find likeminded people. It is all what you make it I am sure, however, I have moved several times in my life and it is always a bit rough starting new beginnings.

Signing off..

Irena


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## FrankT

Has it got more expensive in Slovenia sinc eyou moved there?


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## hugo55

I am considering retirement to Slovenia .
However, it appears that a pensioner with a pension of 1000.- EURO would have to pay taxes.(not so in North Europe)
I would appreciate if somebody on this forum could give me an indication how much taxes would have to be paid on a monthly retirement of 1000.- EURO??

Thank you.


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## hugo55

I am considering retirement to Slovenia .
However, it appears that a pensioner with a pension of 1000.- EURO would have to pay taxes.(not so in North Europe)
I would appreciate if somebody on this forum could give me an indication how much taxes would have to be paid on a monthly retirement of 1000.- EURO??

Thank you.


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## BBCWatcher

According to KPMG's tax guide for Slovenia, and assuming a 12,000 euro annual pension with no deductions except the basic allowance (for example, no dependents), and assuming no tax treaty says otherwise, it looks like you'd end up paying 1,213 euro in Slovenian income tax per year -- a net effective tax rate of about 10%.

However, I could be reading KPMG's tax guide incorrectly. If "Additional Pension Insurance" refers to a deduction that all pensioners can take, then you'd pay 426 euro in Slovenian income tax per year with the same set of assumptions.


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## Bevdeforges

Just one caveat - taxation on a pension within the EU can depend on the source of the pension. State pensions may be taxed a little differently from private pensions.

You could check on the europa.eu website, though most of the tax information they have there is very general in nature. However, as part of the EU there are certain principles of taxation in common, particularly involving double taxation treaties with other EU members.
Cheers,
Bev


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## hugo55

Thank you Bevdeforges and BBCwatcher for your replies.
Slovenia is (was) very high on my wish list for retirement because of the climate, nature and low crime. However paying taxes on my (low state) pension is a negative. 
It appears that Portugal is not taxing new foreign pensioners for a period of 10 years. Hopefully Slovenia will introduce a similar incentive in the near future??


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## BBCWatcher

Well, OK, but (possible) income taxes are only one factor to consider among many. As examples, you'd want to consider the cost of living in Slovenia (comparatively low) and whether you would have to pay for medical insurance (and how much that would cost, and how good medical services are). Slovenia's medical system looks reasonably attractive at quick glance.

Slovenia has two VAT rates: 22% and 9.5%. The second rate is fairly broadly applied. These rates are consistent with European norms: universally high (too high, I would argue), but Slovenia's are typical. So no extra points added or subtracted there, probably.

Friends? Family? Hobbies you wish to pursue? Cuisine? Availability of public transportation? Cultural activities?

Anyway, happiness is worth a lot. Start with a list of places where you'd be happiest, then work from there.


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## opica

Ever since I lived briefly in Trieste I have dreamed of retiring in Slovenia. I hope you'll forgive a plethora of questions but I'm dying to know the answers to any of these. I am wondering how difficult are the logistics for retiring in Slovenia. Are non-nationals/non-EU citizens allowed to buy property there? What is the minimum budget for living modestly in Slovenia? Can you buy into the national health care system? Also, I speak a couple of western Slavic languages--is Slovenian difficult to learn? Can one get by using Italian?


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## BosstjanK

Indeed, there are many expats living in Slovenia, mainly in the Štajerska region (in and especially around Maribor). You're more than welcome to come visit first, check out the area, and then decide what would suit you best.


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