New digital vouchers are available from 15 June 2022. They have been adopted as part of the Digital Inclusion Promotion Plan foreseen in the Law on the Promotion of Digital Inclusion, which entered into force on 12 March 2022. Under this Law, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia has granted beneficiaries a digital voucher for the purchase of computer equipment, which is regulated in Articles 18 to 23 of the said Law.
The aim of the Law on the Promotion of Digital Inclusion is to increase the digital inclusion of the population of the Republic of Slovenia and to benchmark the progress of the digital development of the economy and society of the Republic of Slovenia. Its objectives include, inter alia, raising awareness of the benefits of using digital tools for the life of the individual and society as a whole, strengthening understanding of digital technologies and their responsible and safe use, raising competences in the use of digital competences and increasing interest in secondary and higher education programmes that include professional digital competences, and reducing gender gaps in this area.
Who are the beneficiaries?
The beneficiaries of the Digital Voucher ’22 are persons who on 12th March 2022 had their permanent residence in the Republic of Slovenia and who were then:
- a child enrolled in the 7th, 8th or 9th grade,
- a secondary school student,
- a student of a higher education institution under the regulations on higher vocational education,
- a student of a first-, second- or third-level study programme under the regulations on higher education, or,
- aged 55 or over and who will participate in digital literacy training subsidised under the DILG (for this group of beneficiaries, the date of commencement of the benefit depends on the commencement of the above-mentioned training courses, which are expected to start in August 2022).
However, the Digital Voucher may also be awarded to persons who meet the above conditions and are studying abroad, but who must first obtain recognition as a Digital Voucher ’22 beneficiary.
Vouchers can be pooled between school-going brothers, sisters, half-brothers and half-sisters for joint purchase. To merge vouchers, a declaration of merger of digital vouchers must be completed, which is available on the website of the Government Digital Transformation Service.
Eligibility for the digital voucher can be verified via the eTaxes application or on the open eTaxes portal by entering the tax number.
When can beneficiaries use the digital voucher?
From 15 June 2022 to 30 November 2022.
What can beneficiaries use the digital voucher for?
The Digital Voucher can be used for the purchase of new, refurbished or second-hand computer equipment:
- laptop, tablet or desktop computer,
- a laptop docking station,
- a computer screen,
- keyboard and mouse,
- digital paper,
- a digital pen,
- smart card reader,
- a webcam,
- headphones with microphone,
- multifunction device, scanner, printer,
- 3D printer,
- an external storage unit,
- special computer equipment for the digital inclusion of people with disabilities; and
- a kit for learning to code (including a card computer and software for development environments).
How can beneficiaries redeem the Digital Voucher?
Beneficiaries must tell the retailer at the time of purchase that they wish to redeem the Digital Voucher ’22 and give the retailer the Digital Voucher Redemption Declaration ’22, which is available on the website of the Government Office for Digital Transformation. The trader can verify the identity of the buyer and ask for an identity document. The trader then checks in the Financial administration of the Republic of Slovenia’s information system whether the buyer is indeed entitled to the voucher and how much credit he/she still has. The same applies to online purchases, where the beneficiary must provide the signed declaration to the supplier of the goods or upload it if the online supplier allows attachments to be added during the purchase process.
Where can beneficiaries redeem their Digital Voucher ’22?
Business entities established in the Republic of Slovenia, whose business activity registered in the Business Registry of Slovenia on the date of redemption is one of the following activities according to the Regulation on the Standard Classification of Activities:
- G 46.5 – Wholesale trade services of information and communication technology equipment,
- G 47.4 – Retail sale in specialised stores of computer, communication, audio and video equipment.
