Buyer's due diligence checklist for Slovenia
Checks before buying a propertyPreverjanje nepremičnine pred nakupom
The documents and checks a buyer of an existing home in Slovenia should complete before paying a deposit or signing: land register and owner, cadastre and permits, pre-emption rights, the energy certificate, condominium debts, taxes and the buyer's own right to buy.
Use it from the first viewing until you sign the preliminary agreement or the sale contract. Do the land register check again on the day you sign and on the day you pay. In Slovenia no public official checks the deal for you before signing: the notary certifies the seller's signature and checks the tax payment and the municipal pre-emption step, but does not verify the condition of the property, the permits or the condominium accounts unless you ask the notary to draft the contract.
Reviewed October 28, 2026. Not legal advice. Have a notary or lawyer check your case before you sign.
Key facts
- Applies to
- Whole country
- Ownership
- Passes only by registration in the land register, so the register decides who can sell.
- Transfer tax
- 2% of the price, owed by the seller unless the contract says the buyer pays (ZDPN-2, art. 5 and 9).
- Tax return
- Within 15 days of the contract (ZDPN-2, art. 11). The notary certifies the signatures only after the tax is paid (ZDPN-2, art. 15; FURS).
- Seller's capital gains tax
- 25%, falling to 20% after 5 years and 15% after 10 years of ownership, none after 15 years (FURS).
- Capital gains exemption
- A home that the seller owned, lived in and had permanent residence in for at least the last 3 years is exempt (FURS).
- Municipal pre-emption
- Offer it to the municipality first in a pre-emption zone. It has 30 days to accept. Not for a condominium flat (ZUreP-3, art. 200 and 201).
- Energy certificate
- Valid 10 years (ZURE, art. 30). The seller must hand it over before the contract is signed (ZURE, art. 31).
- Condominium debts
- A charge on the flat for management costs and reserve fund contributions, up to 5 times the minimum contribution (SPZ, art. 120).
- Buildings with condominium charge
- Buildings with more than 2 owners and more than 8 units (SPZ, art. 120).
- Notice to the building manager
- The seller must notify the manager of the sale within 30 days of the date the buyer can apply for registration (SZ-1, art. 17).
- New home from an investor
- The ara may not exceed 10% of the price (ZVKSES, art. 11).
The checklist
Owner, title and the buyer's right to buy
Current land register extract for each plot and each part of the buildingIzpisek iz zemljiške knjige
Identity and civil status documents of every sellerOsebni dokument, rojstni ali poročni list
Written power of attorney if someone signs for the seller
A power of attorney must have the form required for the contract, so it must be written.
Certified power of attorney for the registration consentPooblastilo z overjenim podpisom
Your own right to buy as a foreignerOdločba o ugotovitvi vzajemnosti
Your rights as a citizen of any other state
Cadastre, planning and the building
Cadastre data: plot, building and part of building, floor area and actual usePodatki katastra nepremičnin
Location information certificate from the municipalityLokacijska informacija
It shows the zoning of the land and whether a municipal pre-emption zone applies.
Certificate on the planned use of landPotrdilo o namenski rabi
The notary asks for it. FURS asks for it for a sale of vacant building land.
Building and occupancy permits from the seller, or proof that the building predates themGradbeno in uporabno dovoljenje
An extension or converted attic without a permit can be ordered removed, and banks may refuse a loan. Compare the permits with what you see.
Energy performance certificateEnergetska izkaznica
Technical inspection of the roof, damp, installations and heatingPregled stanja nepremičnine
The seller's liability for hidden defects under the Obligations Code is short.
Hidden defect period in the contract
Notify within 8 days of finding a defect. No liability for defects appearing over 6 months after handover, unless the contract sets longer.
Pre-emption rights and approvals
Municipal or state pre-emption rightIzjava občine o neuveljavljanju predkupne pravice
Proof of the pre-emption offer for the notary
Co-owners' pre-emption rightPredkupna pravica solastnikov
Approval of the administrative unit for agricultural landOdločba upravne enote o odobritvi pravnega posla
Flat in a multi-unit building
Manager's certificate of unpaid charges on a set datePotrdilo upravnika o stanju neplačanih obveznosti
Reserve fund balance, monthly statements and minutes of owners' meetingsRezervni sklad, obračun stroškov, zapisniki zbora lastnikov
They show planned works such as a new roof or facade, monthly costs and disputes. Monthly statements show the whole building's fund balance.
Status of the condominium registrationVpis etažne lastnine
If the flat is not registered as a separate unit with its share of the common parts, your registration can need an extra court procedure.
Existing leasesNajemna pogodba
Taxes, costs and payment
Who pays the 2% transfer taxDavek na promet nepremičnin
VAT instead of transfer tax
No transfer tax applies when the sale is subject to VAT, as for many new buildings.
Payment through notarial escrowNotarska hramba kupnine in zemljiškoknjižnega dovolila
Estate agent's feePlačilo za posredovanje
Only the party that signed a brokerage contract owes the fee. Read the brokerage contract.
Fee amount in the brokerage contract
Running taxes after the purchaseNadomestilo za uporabo stavbnega zemljišča (NUSZ)
Formalities
A due diligence list is a checklist by nature. Slovenian law requires no form for it.
- You do not sign this checklist.
- Most documents are public and online: the land register on the courts' portal, and the cadastre at the Surveying and Mapping Authority.
- The energy certificate register is online at the energy ministry.
- The municipality issues the location information certificate (lokacijska informacija) and the statement on its pre-emption right.
- The building manager issues the certificate of unpaid charges on the owner's request, so ask the seller to obtain it.
Common mistakes
- Relying on the listing or the agent's summary instead of a fresh land register extract. Owners, mortgages and pending applications change.
- Missing a pending entry (plomba) in the land register. It means an application, such as a sale or a mortgage, is waiting to be decided.
- Buying a flat in a building where the condominium ownership (etažna lastnina) is not fully registered. Registration of your ownership can take much longer.
- Not asking for the manager's certificate of unpaid charges. Old debts can follow the flat.
- Assuming that a tenant leaves with the sale. An existing lease continues, and the buyer becomes the landlord.
- Paying the full price before the registration consent is certified and in the hands of the notary or the buyer.
Legal basis
- Stvarnopravni zakonik (SPZ), Uradni list RS, št. 87/02, 91/13 in 23/20, art. 49 (acquisition by registration), art. 66 (co-owners' pre-emption) and art. 119 and 120 (reserve fund and real burden)
- Zakon o urejanju prostora (ZUreP-3), Uradni list RS, št. 199/21 s spremembami, art. 199 to 201
- Zakon o davku na promet nepremičnin (ZDPN-2), Uradni list RS, št. 117/06 in 25/16 (odl. US), art. 4, 5, 9, 11 and 15
- Zakon o učinkoviti rabi energije (ZURE), Uradni list RS, št. 158/20, art. 30 (validity) and 31 (duty to hand over the energy performance certificate)
- Stanovanjski zakon (SZ-1), Uradni list RS, št. 69/03 s spremembami do 57/25, art. 17 (notice to the manager), art. 67 (certificate of unpaid charges) and art. 107 (lease survives a sale)
- Zakon o ugotavljanju vzajemnosti (ZUVza-1), Uradni list RS, št. 27/17 (reciprocity for foreign buyers)