The Slovenian parliament has adopted amendments to the Driver’s Act that allow holders of driving licenses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo to exchange their licenses for Slovenian ones without taking the practical part of the driving test, provided that they have a registered residence in Slovenia, regional media reported.
According to the amendments, all citizens of the countries covered by the amendments will be able to apply for a license exchange within a year of registering their residence. Although a practical test will no longer be required, candidates will have to provide proof of mental and physical fitness to drive.
Sandra Gazinkovski of the ruling Svoboda party, presenting the proposal in parliament, said that the goal is not to grant privileges, but to eliminate, as she put it, “unnecessary inequality”.
“This is an administrative obstacle that slows down employment procedures and causes people unnecessary costs, waiting and additional tests,” Gazinkovski said.
Before these changes, drivers from most Western Balkan countries had to take the practical part of the driving test in Slovenia in order for their foreign license to be recognized.
This obligation has been the subject of criticism for years, especially among workers and employers, who have pointed to long waiting times, additional costs and difficult access to the labor market.
The new law aligns the procedure with practices that Slovenia already applies to certain non-EU countries, thereby increasing the uniformity of criteria and speeding up the administrative procedure.
