How American citizens can visit and live in Croatia: Guide for 2023
UPDATED: 12.1.2023.
Americans make up a significant portion of those coming to Croatia for both tourism and to live here long term.
With regards to tourism, Croatia has been a big hit with Americans in the last few years. While the cost of visiting Croatia has been increasing, it can still be a bargain with U.S. citizens making dollars.
Also, while it may be quite touristy and busy during the high season, it is still more off the beaten track than well-worn Western European destinations like London, Paris, and Rome. It is still possible to visit Croatia and be completely by yourself among only locals if you pick the right destination and the right time of year.
Many U.S. citizens also choose to put down roots and make Croatia their home year-round. In many cases, Americans have Croatian roots and are now journeying back to the homeland and applying for citizenship, now that the language test has been waived for the diaspora. Others have married a Croatian abroad and are returning to build their life in the family stead. The rest are just looking for a better quality of life.
There are a number of ways U.S. citizens can settle in Croatia. They aren’t all easy, they definitely involve hoops, but there are options. We’ve created a guide specifically for Americans that includes every option available to American citizens to move to Croatia long term. If you’re just passing through, we cover tourist visas too.
In this post, we cover:
- How American citizens can visit Croatia as tourists
- How American citizens can apply for temporary residence
- Requirements for residence
- Health insurance
- Exchanging driver’s licenses
- Buying property in Croatia
- Taxes
- Where to find the U.S. embassy in Croatia
- Skip the research and let us answer all your questions
- Reviews from people we’ve helped
The facts are these…
How American citizens can visit and live in Croatia
Tourist visas for American citizens to visit Croatia
Americans have visa-free travel to 118 countries around the world. Croatia is one of those countries.
Even though a visa is not needed, there are requirements for American citizens to enter Croatia. You can always see the latest tourist visa status here, but it’s unlikely to change. Americans have a big privilege.
How to move to Croatia as an American citizen
There are many options for U.S. citizens to stay in Croatia long term. However, unless you have heritage or marry a citizen, it will be an uphill battle. BUT, by no means is it impossible. This guide will cover all of your options as well as what is required of you as an American.
Before we get started, we need to cover some vocabulary. Croatia divvies up citizens into 3 groups:
- Croatian citizens
- EU/EEA citizens
- Everybody else (third-country nationals or non-EU/EEA citizens)
Americans belong to the third-country national group. This means that the residence permit scenarios we cover below apply to all third-country nationals, not just Americans.
It is important to note this, so one does not think that the difficulty in the process and limited options are due to prejudice specifically against Americans. They are not. The government carries legal prejudice against all non-EU/EEA countries.
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get started. We list all residency options, starting with the one that allows you the least amount of time in Croatia and moving up to the ones that allow you the most time in Croatia.
Digital nomads
Starting in 2021, digital nomads can be granted temporary residence based on their remote work as long as they are not working for any Croatian companies. American citizens can now apply for this permit.
Here is a post that explains the requirements and process for applying for a permit based on being a digital nomad.
View frequently asked questions about Croatia’s digital nomad permit here.
Permanent residents of EU/EEA/Switzerland
Americans who hold long-term residence in another EU/EEA member state may be granted temporary residence in Croatia.
Here are instructions on applying for a permit based on your permanent residence in another EU/EEA country.
Student permit
Americans can easily live in Croatia to study at one of the many universities across the country. You can also study Croatian at certain language schools and qualify for a permit as well.
To get a student residence permit, you must include proof of acceptance into a qualified Croatian institution of education with your residence application.
Here are instructions on how to apply for a student residence permit.
Working for Croatian company
Americans can get residence permits with the option to work in Croatia, if offered a job first. Learn how to apply for a work permit in Croatia here.
If you want to seek a work permit to live in Croatia, then start by looking for a job. Our guide on how to find a job in Croatia will prove useful.
EU Blue Card
If you have received higher education or qualifications such as ISCED 1997 levels 5a or higher or an associate’s degree or higher, you may qualify for an EU Blue Card.
Once you have been hired or given a binding work offer for a highly qualified position within Croatia, the company that intends to hire you may apply for a temporary residence that will allow you to work based on a Blue Card.
Our detailed guide on how to apply for an EU Blue Card in Croatia is available here.
Starting your own Croatian company
If you’d rather start your own company, you can issue yourself a work contract as the director of the company and therefore qualify for a work permit.
This option should only be used by those who legit want to open and run a company in Croatia, as you’ll be required to hire 3 full-time Croatian citizens as part of the requirements.
If you plan to go this route, make sure you educate yourself thoroughly so you know what you are getting yourself into. We have done a heap of posts about opening and running businesses in Croatia, which you can view here.
Learn more about the option of getting a work permit by opening your own company here.
Prepayment of rent
If you only want to live in Croatia for one year, this option could be the right fit. It’s a great option for retired people and frequent travelers who have the flexibility to move to a new country for a limited amount of time.
[Read: How to retire in Croatia]
This permit is not “merit” based or tied to work contracts and instead is tied to prepaying rent for the term you are here. Of course, there are catches, so learn more about the prepayment of rent in our guide, which is available here.
Learning the Croatian language
A residence permit can also be granted if you study the Croatian language at certain language schools. To get this permit, you must enroll in a Croatian language study program, like Croaticum.
[Read: Biggest Croatian language schools in Croatia]
Our detailed guide on how to apply for temporary residence based on language study is available here.
Scientific research
If you have a legit scientific research project that you wish to work on in Croatia, you can get a residence permit. You’ll definitely need to provide proof of the research, which will likely involve a detailed plan of what you hope to accomplish, why you need to be in Croatia and the time frame in which you plan to accomplish it. Expect it to be scrutinized.
In addition, you cannot work for a Croatian company if you own this permit.
Members of the Croatian people
Croatian descendants may get Croatian residence based on humanitarian reasons, if they plan to use it for the purposes of applying for citizenship based on descent. The most common ground to apply for humanitarian reasons is being a member of the Croatian people.
Once granted temporary residence, members of the Croatian people have the right to work in Croatia without a work and stay permit. In addition, they can attend courses or vocational training, educate, and study.
View our guide on how Croatian diaspora and descendants can apply for temporary residence in Croatia if they don’t have citizenship yet here.
Check out our guide on applying for citizenship by descent here.
Volunteering
It is possible to gain residency on the grounds of humanitarian or volunteer work. To apply on this basis, you’ll need to provide a contract with a non-profit organization that shows the term of work and that you are not being paid for this work, among other requirements.
You can view our guide on this permit here.
In addition, check out our articles on Croatian non-profit organizations that may offer long-term contracts to non-EU/EEA volunteers:
Marrying Croatian or EU/EEA national
This program is called family reunification, which essentially means that spouses and children of Croatians and EU/EEA citizens can come to live in Croatia with their spouse or parent if they are minors.
To be clear, I am not suggesting or encouraging anyone to marry someone they are not in a relationship with just to live in Croatia. Frankly, I don’t recommend it either. Divorce is too big of a headache, especially in Croatia. There are other, better ways.
[Read: How to get divorced in Croatia (without kids)]
If you are married, in a life partnership or a long-term relationship with a Croatian or EU/EEA national, you are entitled to residency in Croatia as long as both you and your spouse live in Croatia together at the same address. This is by far the easiest and fastest permit to get since there is an automatic trust that is inherent when a Croatian or EU/EEA citizen is involved.
[Read: How to get married in Croatia (if at least one spouse is a foreigner)]
Learn more about how to apply for a permit based on marriage here:
- How non-EU/EEA family members of EU/EEA nationals can get temporary residence in Croatia
- How non-EU/EEA spouses of Croatians can apply for residence
Citizenship by Croatian descent
If you’ve got Croatian blood, you’ve hit the ultimate jackpot.
To qualify for citizenship, you must have a parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc., who is Croatian. Lineage must be in a straight line, and you must be able to prove lineage, which is usually done with birth certificates. You can see if you qualify for Croatian citizenship in 60 seconds here.
[Read: How to get a copy of a birth certificate]
Even though having heritage is the golden ticket, there are still catches. This is why we created guides on applying for Croatian citizenship, which you can view here:
In addition, view the most important things you need to know before applying for Croatian citizenship here.
Check out all of our citizenship resources here.
Requirements that apply to all situations
There are common requirements that apply to all Americans no matter which basis applies to you. Below is a list of the most common requirements. However, keep in mind that MUP will request additional items from you depending on your basis for residency, as noted above.
Everyone must provide:
- Completed application form Obrazac 1a
- The police will provide you with the right application – view it here
- Valid passport
- Validity period must be 3 months longer than the validity period of the intended stay
- Criminal background check (with certificate on the length of stay if you lived somewhere other than the US the previous 12 months) – view a guide here
- Health insurance
- This is usually private health insurance unless you have state health insurance from another EU/EEA state
- Registered address in Croatia – view a guide here
- Proof of accommodation is sufficient for applying for residence, and after approval, you’ll need a rental contract
- Proof of sufficient funds to support yourself – view a guide here
- Passport photo 30×35 mm
- Usually, there is a photo studio right by MUP where you can get these in the right size
- Application fee
- This is due upon approval of your application; in some cases, you must pay an administrative fee earlier in the process using tax stamps. All possible administrative costs for this procedure are available here.
Health insurance for Americans living in Croatia
When applying for temporary residence in Croatia as a U.S. citizen, you are required to have proof of health insurance as part of your application. It will need to be some kind of private health insurance policy or a state health insurance policy if coming from another country within the EU/EEA.
Once approved for residence, you must sign up for obvezno state health insurance with a state insurance fund called HZZO unless you’re a digital nomad.
View our guides on Croatian health insurance:
- Croatia’s state health care obvezno insurance, what it costs and what is included
- What is dopunsko and why you should have this health insurance
- What is Croatian dodatno health insurance
- How to get travel insurance in Croatia (putno), which you can use to apply for residence
HZZO is the state health insurance fund. View a list of HZZO offices in Croatia here.
Upon enrollment in HZZO, anyone who has not had an EU state health insurance policy for the previous year are required to pay 12 months of health insurance premiums for the previous year plus the monthly premium going forward. This is for all citizens, children and adults alike. Meaning that if you are a family of 4 with 2 children, you’ll need to pay these fees for all 4 members of your family.
The monthly premium changes from year to year. The current amount is always updated in this post.
Exchanging your American driver’s license
If you wish to drive in Croatia, you can exchange your US driver’s license for a Croatian one as long as you do it within your first year of residence. If you wait longer than one year, you may be fined and/or required to start from scratch with the driving school.
You can read about the process to exchange your American driver’s license here.
You can read about the process of getting a Croatian driver’s license from scratch here.
Learn how to take a driving school called autoškola in Croatia here.
Buying property in Croatia
American citizens are allowed to purchase property zoned as “residential” in Croatia, depending on the state they are from. You can see the latest list of reciprocity agreements that Croatia holds, including the US, here.
If you’re interested in purchasing a house or apartment in Croatia, we’ve got a step-by-step guide that explains the process. Check it out here.
We can also connect you to vetted real estate agents and lawyers to help you through the process. If you’d like an introduction, please complete this form, and we’ll contact you.
Taxes
US citizens living more than 183 days in Croatia each year must report their worldwide income and pay taxes in Croatia.
Currently, the US does not have a double-taxation treaty active for Croatia. The treaty was signed at the end of 2022 – view more information here. However, it still needs to be ratified by the US Senate and Croatia’s Parliament before it will be finalized.
Due to a lack of a double taxation treaty, those living in Croatia may also report their worldwide income and pay taxes in both Croatia and the United States.
You may also need to submit an FBAR annually, depending on how much money you hold in foreign bank accounts at any given moment. Please note that a foreign pension counts as a foreign bank account. You can read more here.
Taxes are complicated, especially when they involve the United States. This is a 50.000-foot view of the tax situation. If you ever want a detailed review of your tax liability while living in Croatia, contact us here, and we’ll connect you with a tax expert.
[Read: Comparison of Croatia’s taxes with taxes of the 10 largest EU/EEA Member States]
How to find the U.S. Embassy in Croatia
Embassy of the United States of America, Zagreb
Contact person: Mark Fleming, Chargé d’Affaires
Phone: +385 (0)1 66 12 200; +385 (0)1 66 12 371
Email: protocolEmbZgb@state.gov
Web site: hr.usembassy.gov
Address: Ulica Thomasa Jeffersona 2, 10 010 Zagreb – view map
[Read: All the foreign embassies and consulates in Croatia]
Conclusion
While it may not be easy to live in Croatia legally long-term as a US citizen, there are a variety of options that will allow you to live here for at least a year, if not longer.
I’m an American who has lived here since 2012 and currently holds permanent residency. It was by no means easy or cheap, but from my perspective, all the hoops of fire were worth it. It all depends on how badly you want to live here and how much patience you have.
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During your chat with us, we will answer all of your questions about Croatia. You can tap into our expertise on anything you want; whether it be residency, citizenship, healthcare, buying property, letting accommodation, operating a business, what it’s like to live here, personal experiences with bureaucracy, or cultural nuance. It’s all tailored to you.
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Who will I speak with?
Expat in Croatia has two experienced consultants, Sara Dyson and Carol Anne Škorvaga. You may choose your consultant.
Carol Anne Škorvaga, known to us as “CAM”, is a first-generation Croatian-Canadian living in Jastrebarsko with her family. She grew up entrenched in the Croatian community surrounded by culture and folklore, attended Croatian school in Canada and then returned to Zagreb to attend Filozofski Fakultet. CAM is fluent in Croatian and has firsthand knowledge of being both a Canadian expat and a Croatian returnee, building a home in Croatia and being a parent with children in local schools.
Meet CAM in this quick 2-minute video here.
Sara Dyson is the founder of Expat in Croatia. She has lived in Split, Croatia as a US citizen since 2012 and experienced first-hand applying for temporary residence, long-term residence and Croatian citizenship. She’s also operated 2 companies, purchased a home, and written about Croatia and its bureaucracy extensively since 2013. Her application is citizenship is based on her work through Expat in Croatia. Read Sara’s full bio here.
Meet Sara in this quick 2-minute video here.
What is the cost?
The below costs are per 30 minutes and include VAT (25% tax mandated by the Croatian government). If additional time is requested, it is billed in ¼ hour increments.
First-time clients automatically get an extra 30 minutes with an English-speaking lawyer from our vetted network.
Carol Anne Škorvaga
- First-time clients | 150 euros (includes session with lawyer)
- Repeat clients | 75 euros
Sara Dyson
- First-time clients | 250 euros (includes session with lawyer)
- Repeat clients | 150 euros
It takes a tremendous amount of hands-on, human work to research and vet our information that we provide during sessions. This process includes extensive web research, phone calls to the government, collaboration with licensed Croatian professionals, and visits to government, collaboration with licensed Croatian professionals, and visits to government offices.
It’s not something that ChatGPT can do. We must employ skilled, full-time employees who live in Croatia and that comes with a cost.
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View our other residency guides
- How EU/EEA permanent residents can get temporary residence in Croatia
- How EU/EEA citizens can get temporary residence in Croatia
- How EU/EEA citizens can apply for permanent residency in Croatia
- How Australian citizens can visit and live in Croatia
- How Brits can visit and live in Croatia (post-Brexit)
- How Canadian citizens can visit and live in Croatia
- How New Zealand citizens can visit and live in Croatia
- How non-EU/EEA family members of EU/EEA nationals can get temporary residence in Croatia
- How South African citizens can visit and live in Croatia
- How third-country (non-EU/EEA) citizens can apply for temporary residency in Croatia
Please note: Information provided by Expat in Croatia is only for the purposes of guidance. It does not constitute legal or financial advice in any form. Croatian laws and bureaucratic rules often change, and each personal case is individual, so different rules may apply. For legal advice, contact us to consult with a licensed Croatian lawyer. For financial advice, contact us to consult with a licensed Croatian tax advisor or accountant.
