ESTA Application For Citizens of Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia was accepted by the United States of America to join its Visa Waiver Program (VWP) on September 30, 1997. This meant that citizens of Slovenia could travel to the United States without a visa under certain circumstances. When the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) in 2009, Slovenians could go online to apply for a travel authorization to visit the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa. The ESTA is valid for two years and can only be used for the purpose of business, tourism (including medical purposes), and to participate in non-credit study programs.
A tourist visa is required if a stay is more than 90 days and for any other purpose than those mentioned above. Applying for a tourist visa means a visit to the nearest U.S. Embassy would be required.
U.S. Immigration statistics for visitors from Slovenia
- The total amount of visitors from Slovenia: 29 360
- Approved ESTA applications: 25 015
- Students and exchange visitors: 988
- Temporary workers and family-related applications: 1 061
- Diplomats and other official representatives: 418
- Other types of visitor categories: 161
Information about traveling to the U.S. from Slovenia
- Airports
While a direct U.S. flight from Slovenia is not possible, there are daily flights to many European cities from international airport Jože Pučnik Ljubljana. Many low-cost airlines operate out of Jože Pučnik Ljubljana including EasyJet, Transavia and Wizz Air who fly to the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands which are hubs for U.S. flights.
AirFrance, AirSerbia, LOT, Finnair, Montenegro Airlines and Turkish Airlines also operate out of Jože Pučnik Ljubljana. Other airports are Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport located on the east and the Portorož Airport on the west of the country.
There are public transport options from nearby towns to Jože Pučnik Ljubljana, and also from the capital city Ljubljana. Arriva Bus offers bus routes – more info here. Alpe Adria Line also offers a bus route to the airport – more info here. A more expensive option is direct shuttle services offered by companies like GoOpti, Nomago, Ridecar, and ZUP Prevozi – more info here.
Flight information
With flights from Slovenia to the U.K., Germany, and Netherlands travelers can then grab flights direct to the U.S.
From London, you can reach almost anywhere in the U.S. – cities like Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Portland, San Diego, San Fransisco, Washington, and more with a whole host of airlines. Airlines that are popular out of London include British Airways, Delta Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic.
From Germany, many U.S cities can be reached directly including Charlotte, Dallas, Miami, Orlando, Seattle, Providence, and more.
From the Netherlands, there are many options also – fly to Atlanta, Austin, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and more major cities.
When should citizens of Slovenia apply for ESTA?
If you are Slovenian, and have already made plans to visit the U.S., then an ESTA is as important as your flight ticket or passport. So, make sure that you apply in good time. In fact, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security made it mandatory to apply for ESTA at least 72 hours before boarding your plane. This means that any last-minute applications are not advisable. If an ESTA application gets denied, then a tourist visa would be needed which means a trip to a U.S. Embassy is required. For some, this can take a lot of time. Get more information about the ESTA application here.
Travelers from Slovenia with an approved ESTA can check its status or make updates. Visit these pages for more information: Verify ESTA, Update ESTA.
Below is an example of a travel authorization if the ESTA application is approved:
Quick facts
- Slovenians can apply for ESTA online
- The ESTA is valid for 2 years for visitors from Slovenia
- Slovenians can stay in the U.S. for up to 90 days with an approved ESTA
- Slovenia’s overstay rate is only: 0.39%
