Third-country nationals are foreigners who are not nationals of the Member States of the European Economic Area (European Union, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of Iceland) or the Swiss Confederation and have third-country nationality or statelessness.
Third-country nationals may reside in the Republic of Croatia for short-term residence, temporary residence, long-term residence or permanent residence.
Third-country nationals may stay in the Republic of Croatia for a short stay of up to 90 days in any 180-day period (90-day stays can be utilised once or several times).
During the short stay, the third-country national must have registered accommodation, which must be registered by the legal or natural person who provided accommodation to the third-country national in the Republic of Croatia.
Temporary residence may, in accordance with the Aliens Act, be granted to a third-country national for the purpose of:
Temporary residence may also be granted as autonomous residence to a spouse or common-law partner, life partner or informal life partner, as well as to a child who has reached the age of majority, provided that they have been granted temporary residence for the purpose of family reunification or life partnership for a continuous period of three years and that they meet the other conditions prescribed by law.
As a rule, a temporary residence permit is issued for a period of validity of up to one year, while in certain cases a period of two years is also provided for (temporary residence for the purpose of family reunification, the immigration of the Croatian diaspora, and other purposes), or 18 months (digital nomads).Temporary residence for work purposes is granted as a residence and work permit.
A third-country national who does not require a visa to enter the Republic of Croatia may apply for temporary residence permit at a diplomatic mission or consular office of the Republic of Croatia or at police administration or police station according to the intended place of residence of third-country national.
A third-country national who needs a visa to enter the Republic of Croatia submits an application for a temporary residence permit at a diplomatic mission or consular office of the Republic of Croatia. Exceptionally, the national may also submit a request to police administration or police station if the national:
A third-country national will be granted temporary residence in the Republic of Croatia if the national meets conditions for issuing temporary residence permit, i.e., if:
The Ministry of the Interior decides on the application for a temporary residence permit through the police administration or police station according to the place of residence or intended residence of the third-country national.
The period of validity of a foreign travel document must be three months longer than the period of validity of the temporary stay.
Long-term residence may be granted to a third-country national who has been granted temporary residence, asylum or subsidiary protection for a continuous period of five years until the date of application.
A third-country national shall be deemed to have resided continuously in the Republic of Croatia even if they have been absent from the Republic of Croatia on a number of occasions over a total period of five years and up to ten months in total or once for up to six months.
The application for approval of long-term residence is submitted by the third-country national to the police administration or police station according to the place of residence, and the decision on the application is made by the Ministry of the Interior.
A third-country national who has been granted temporary residence, asylum or subsidiary protection for a continuous period of five years until the date of application will be granted long-term residence if proving that the national:
1. Has a valid foreign travel document,
2. Has means of subsistence,
3. Has health insurance,
4. Knows the Croatian language and the Latin alphabet, and
5. Does not pose a threat to public order or national security.
Permanent residence may be granted to a third-country national who meets one of the following conditions:
1. is a family member or life partner of a Croatian national and, by the date of submission of the application, has had temporary residence approved for the purpose of family reunification or life partnership, or autonomous residence, for a continuous period of four years;
2. has, by the date of submission of the application, had temporary residence approved for the purpose of the immigration and return of members of the Croatian diaspora for a continuous period of three years, accompanied by a confirmation issued by the ministry responsible for demography and immigration;
3. has, by the date of submission of the application, had temporary residence approved for a continuous period of three years and has held refugee status for at least ten years, as evidenced by a confirmation issued by the state administration body responsible for housing provision;
4. is a minor child who, by the date of submission of the application for permanent residence, has had temporary residence approved for the purpose of family reunification for a continuous period of three years, and one of whose parents has been granted permanent or long-term residence;
5. has, by the date of submission of the application, had temporary residence approved in the Republic of Croatia for a continuous period of five years, of which at least three years were for the purpose of studying at a higher education institution at undergraduate, graduate or postgraduate level, submits proof of having obtained a higher education qualification in the Republic of Croatia, and is employed in the Republic of Croatia;
6. had a registered residence in the Republic of Croatia on 8 October 1991 and is a beneficiary of a return, reconstruction or housing provision programme, as evidenced by a confirmation issued by the state administration body responsible for housing provision, and for whom it has been established that they returned with the intention of permanently residing in the Republic of Croatia, with the obligation to submit proof of no criminal record issued by their country of origin or the country in which they resided for more than one year immediately prior to their arrival in the Republic of Croatia;
7. is a minor child residing in the Republic of Croatia:
a) whose parent, at the time of the child’s birth, held Croatian citizenship or had been granted permanent or long-term residence, with the consent of the other parent;
b) whose parent, at the time of the child’s birth, held Croatian citizenship or had been granted permanent or long-term residence in the Republic of Croatia, while the other parent is unknown, deceased, declared deceased, deprived of parental care, or fully or partially deprived of legal capacity in relation to parental care;
8. was born in the Republic of Croatia and has lived in the territory of the Republic of Croatia since birth, but, for justified reasons beyond their control, did not have regulated residence status;
9. has lived in the Republic of Croatia for the greater part of their life and continues to live there, and has had temporary residence approved on humanitarian grounds for at least five years.
A third-country national submits a request for approval of permanent residence in the police department or police station according to the place of residence, and the Ministry of the Interior decides on the request.
Permanent residence will be granted to a third-country national if he or she has a valid foreign travel document and does not pose a threat to public order, national security or public health.
A third-country national with long-term residence or permanent residence has the right to:
The Act on Citizens of Member States of the European Economic Area and Members of Their Families (OG 66/19, 53/20, 144/20, 114/22 stipulates conditions for entry, movement, residence and work of citizens of the EEA Member States and members of their families.
These provisions also apply to citizens of the Swiss Confederation.
A citizen of an EEA Member State has the right to reside in the Republic of Croatia for up to three months from the date of entry into the Republic of Croatia, if the person holds a valid travel document or identity card, as long as it is not an inappropriate burden on the social security system.
A citizen of an EEA Member State is not obliged to report a short stay to the police administration or police station.
A family member who is not a citizen of an EEA Member State and who accompanies or joins a citizen of an EEA Member State has the right to stay in the Republic of Croatia for up to three months from the date of entry into the Republic of Croatia, if the person has a valid travel document, and as long as it is not an inappropriate burden on the social welfare system, and is not obliged to report a short stay to the police administration or police station.
A citizen of an EEA Member State who intends to stay in the Republic of Croatia for more than three months is obliged to report their temporary stay to the competent police administration or police station according to place of residence, no later than eight days after the expiration of three months.
A national of an EEA Member State may apply for temporary residence for the purpose of:
1. Work,
2. Study or vocational training,
3. Other purposes,
4. Family reunification,
5. Life partnership.
A family member who is not a citizen of an EEA Member State is obliged to submit a request for issuance of a residence card whilst providing evidence of the right of temporary residence to police administration or police station according to place of residence, no later than eight days after the expiration of three months of residence.
A citizen of an EEA Member State has the right to permanent residence after five years of uninterrupted legal residence in the Republic of Croatia. The law prescribes certain exceptions, i.e., categories of persons who can exercise the right to permanent residence even if they are legally staying in the Republic of Croatia for a shorter time period.
Application for the issuance of residence card confirming permanent residence is submitted by a citizen of an EEA Member State to the competent police administration or police station.
A family member who is not citizen of an EEA Member State and has been a legal resident for at least five years with a citizen of an EEA Member State in the Republic of Croatia has the right to permanent residence. The law stipulates certain exceptions, i.e., categories of persons, family members who are not citizens of EEA Member States, but who can exercise right to permanent residence even if they are legally staying in the Republic of Croatia for a shorter period of time.
