Croatian phrases and words you might encounter when immigrating to Croatia

If you’ve spent any time on our site, you may have noticed that we love to talk about Croatian bureaucracy. Likely, because we are NUTS, but also because we strive to make your transition to Croatia as easy as possible.

When you start any immigration procedure in Croatia, a lot of Croatian words will be thrown at you that you may not understand. But that’s okay! To help prepare you, we’ve created a cheat sheet of the most common words and phrases you’ll encounter when applying for residence in Croatia or dealing with any kind of immigration matter.

This guide will also help you understand some of the most common buzzwords and terms we use throughout our extensive section on immigration.

Let’s get started…

Croatian phrases and words you might encounter when immigrating to Croatia

Residency Words

English: accommodation
Croatian: smještaj

English: address
Croatian: adresa

English: ban
Croatian: zabrana

English: child
Croatian: dijete

English: children
Croatian: djeca

English: citizen
Croatian: građanin

English: costs
Croatian: troškovi

English: Croatian police
Croatian: MUP

English: diaspora
Croatian: dijaspora

English: decision
Croatian: rješenje

English: documents
Croatian: dokumenti

English: EEA (European Economic Area)
Croatian: EGP (Europski gospodarski prostor)

English: EU (European Union)
Croatian: EU (Europska unija)

English: family
Croatian: obitelj

English: foreigner
Croatian: stranac

English: form
Croatian: obrazac

English: granted
Croatian: odobreno

English: immigration
Croatian: imigracija, useljenje

English: interview
Croatian: intervju

English: law
Croatian: zakon

English: lawyer – If you need help from a lawyer, contact us
Croatian: odvjetnik

English: to live
Croatian: živjeti

English: to move
Croatian: seliti (se)

English: nationality – View our posts on residency by nationality here
Croatian: nacionalnost

English: national
Croatian: državljanin

English: parent
Croatian: roditelj

English: passport – Learn how to get a Croatian passport here
Croatian: putovnica

English: payment slip
Croatian: uplatnica

English: permanent address – Learn about permanent addresses here
Croatian: prebivalište

English: permit
Croatian: dozvola

English: proof
Croatian: dokaz

English: purpose
Croatian: svrha

English: to register
Croatian: registrirati

English: repatriation – Learn what Croatian diaspora need to know before returning to Croatia here
Croatian: repatrijacija

English: request
Croatian: zahtjev

English: residence/stay
Croatian: boravak

English: restrictions
Croatian: ograničenja

English: rulebook
Croatian: pravilnik

English: self-employment
Croatian: samozapošljavanje

English: spouse
Croatian: supružnik

English: student
Croatian: student

English: studying
Croatian: studirati

English: submit
Croatian: podnijeti

English: temporary address – Learn about temporary addresses here
Croatian: boravište

English: tourist
Croatian: turist

English: transition
Croatian: tranzicija

English: to travel
Croatian: putovati

English: valid
Croatian: valjan

English: visa – View available visas in Croatia here
Croatian: viza

English: to visit
Croatian: posjetiti

English: volunteer
Croatian: volonter

English: work
Croatian: rad

Residency Phrases

English: administration fee
Croatian: administrativna naknada

English: American citizens – Learn how American citizens can get temporary residence here
Croatian: Američki državljani

English: Australian citizens – Learn how Australian citizens can get temporary residence here
Croatian: Australski državljani

English: Canadian citizens – Learn how Canadian citizens can get temporary residence here
Croatian: Kanadski državljani

English: consular office
Croatian: konzularni ured

English: biometric residence card
Croatian: biometrijska boravišna iskaznica

English: British citizens, Brits – Learn how Brits can get temporary residence here
Croatian: Britanski državljani

English: digital nomad
Croatian: digitalni nomad

English: digital nomad residence permit – Learn how digital nomads can get a residence permit here
Croatian: dozvola boravka za digitalne nomade

English: diplomatic mission
Croatian: diplomatska misija

English: EEA/EU member state
Croatian: država članica EGP-a/EU

English: EEA/EU permanent resident
Croatian: stalni stanovnik države članice EGP-a/EU

English: EEA/EU residents – Learn how EU/EEA citizens can get residence here
Croatian: državljani države članice EGP-a/EU

English: EU Blue Card – Learn how to get an EU Blue Card here
Croatian: EU plava karta

English: family members
Croatian: članovi obitelji

English: family reunification
Croatian: spajanje obitelji

English: financial means – Learn about financial means here
Croatian: sredstva za uzdržavanje

English: health insurance – Learn about Croatia’s state health insurance here
Croatian: zdravstveno osiguranje

English: language test
Croatian: jezični test

English: legal residence/stay
Croatian: legalni boravak

English: long-term residence/stay
Croatian: dugotrajno boravište

English: mandatory requirements
Croatian: obavezni zahtjevi

English: New Zealand citizens – Learn how New Zealand citizens can get temporary residence here
Croatian: Novozelanđani, Novozelanski državljani

English: other purposes
Croatian: ostale svrhe

English: permanent address
Croatian: stalna adresa

English: permanent residence/stay – Learn how to apply for permanent residency here
Croatian: stalni boravak

English: permanent resident
Croatian: stalni stanovnik

English: police administration office – View a list of the administrative police stations in Croatia here
Croatian: ured policijske uprave

English: police station
Croatian: policijska postaja

English: renting contract – Learn about renter’s rights here
Croatian: ugovor o najmu

English: residence card
Croatian: boravišna iskaznica

English: residence application
Croatian: prijava boravka

English: residence permit – View all options for a residence permit here
Croatian: dozvola boravka

English: service desk for foreigners
Croatian: šalter za strance

English: short-term residence/stay
Croatian: kratkotrajni boravak

English: South African citizens – Learn how South African citizens can get temporary residence here
Croatian: Južnoafrički državljani

English: student residence/stay – Learn how to get student residence here
Croatian: studentski boravak

English: temporary address
Croatian: privremena adresa

English: temporary residence/stay
Croatian: privremeni boravak

English: temporary resident
Croatian: privremeni stanovnik

English: travel document
Croatian: putni dokument

English: third-country nationals (non-EEA/EU residents)
Croatian: državljani trećih zemalja

English: tourist visa
Croatian: turistička viza

English: vocational training
Croatian: stručno osposobljavanje

English: volunteer residence permit – Learn how to get a volunteer residence permit here
Croatian: volonterska dozvola boravka

English: work and stay
Croatian: boravak i rad

English: work and stay permit – Learn about work and residence permits here
Croatian: dozvola za boravak i rad

English: work contract/employment contract – Learn about employee rights here
Croatian: ugovor o radu

English: work permit
Croatian: dozvola za rad

We’ve got a ton of Croatian language resources. Browse our entire section here.

We’ve got a ton of posts about getting a residence in Croatia. Browse our entire section here.