This post has been verified with an immigration lawyer and the ministry that handles immigration.

UPDATED: 18.1.2023.

Third-country nationals (non-EU/EEA citizens) who have permanent residence in another EEA member state have the right to apply for temporary residence in Croatia. This is a new residence program offered from 2021.

EEA member states include the European Union, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. In this article, third-country nationals or non-EU/EEA citizens refers to anyone with nationality outside of the EU/EEA area who has a permanent residence in an EU/EEA member state.

In this post, we will cover:

• Temporary stay for third-country nationals with permanent stay in a EEA member state
• How EEA permanent residents can get a short-term stay
• How EEA permanent residents can apply for a temporary stay
• How family members of EEA permanent residents can apply for a temporary stay

If you’re an EU citizen, check out our residence guide just for you here. If you’re a British citizen, check out our residence guide just for you here.

Let’s get started…

How EU/EEA permanent residents can get temporary residence in Croatia

Temporary residence for third-country nationals with permanent stay in EEA member state

Third-country nationals with a permanent stay in EEA member are allowed:

• Kratkotrajni boravak (short-term stay) – for visits for up to 3 months in Croatia
• Privremeni boravak (temporary stay) – for visits longer than 3 months in Croatia

The time spent in Croatia on temporary residence will be included in the time required for the approval of long-term residence.

How EEA permanent residents can stay in Croatia short-term (as tourists)

If you don’t plan to stay in Croatia longer than 3 months, you don’t have to apply for residence at the police administration office. In this case, you can visit Croatia for a short period based on your permanent stay in another EEA Member State.

There are 2 scenarios that allow EEA permanent residents to have short-term stay in Croatia.

• For up to 90 days from the day you enter Croatia
• Until your visa or permanent residence permit in another EEA Member State expires, if shorter than 90 days

Even though the formal residence is not required for a short-term stay, you still must have your stay registered with the police. This is usually done by your accommodation. You can learn more about the registration of tourist stays here.

How EEA permanent residents can apply for a temporary residence in Croatia

If you want to stay in Croatia for more than 3 months, you are required to apply for temporary residence. This must be done at least 8 days before your visa or residence permit issued by another EEA Member state expires.

The purpose of your temporary residence, in this case, is called “boravak osobe s dugotrajnim boravištem u drugoj državi članici EGP-a (residence of a person with long-term residence in another EEA member state).

Possible purposes of applying for temporary residence include:

• Work
• Self-employment
• Studying
• Vocational training
• Other purposes

Below are instructions on how EEA permanent residents can apply for a temporary residence.

Step #1 Go to MUP (police station)

To apply for temporary residence, you must go to the police administration office nearest to your temporary address in Croatia. The police administration stations are called Ministarstvo unutarnjih poslova – MUP (Ministry of the Interior). You can find a list of them here.

When you visit MUP, ask for the service desk for stranci (foreigners). They handle the application procedure.

Note: Check with your local police station first to see if you need to set an appointment or if you can just walk in. Every police station is different.

Step #2 Prepare the application

To get temporary residence, you must fulfill the mandatory requirements.

The mandatory documents are:

• Passport (at least 6 months out from expiration)
• Boravišna iskaznica (residence card) that proves long-term residence in another EEA member state
• Proof of enough financial means to support you and your family members – Read more about the financial means here
• Proof of health insurance – Read more about health insurance in Croatia here
• Background check from the home country or the country in which you resided for more than a year immediately before arriving in Croatia
• Additional requirements for temporary stay due to its purpose such as proof of work

[Read: Background checks for third-country nationals (non-EU/EEA citizens)]

In addition, it is necessary that:

• You don’t have a ban on entering and staying in Croatia
• There is no warning of banning your entry to Croatia issued by SIS
• You are not a threat to Croatian public order, national security, or public health

Step #3 Submit the application

Once you collected all the required documentation, contact the MUP station. They may allow you to submit your application over email. Alternatively, you may need to set an appointment to deliver your documents.

If anything is missing, they will give you instructions on how to get the document that is missing. If you meet all the requirements, your application will be accepted for processing.

Step #4 Request your residence permit

If you have been granted temporary residence, you will receive biometrijska dozvola boravka (biometric residence permit). You must go to the police office after approval of residence to request the residence permit card.

To get the residence permit, you must provide:

• Request for the biometric residence permit (provided by the police)
• Passport
• 30×35 mm passport photo

You also must pay:

• Costs of the biometric residence permit – 31,85 euro
• Administration costs – 9,29 euro – paid via tax stamps, payment slips or internet banking

Payment information is available here.

How family members of third-country nationals can apply for a temporary stay

Family members of the third-country nationals with a permanent stay in another EEA Member State can also apply for a temporary stay based on family reunification.

This applies to:

• Spouses
• Minor mutual children who don’t have their own family
• Minor adopted children who don’t have their own family
• Minor children of each spouse who don’t have their own family
• Parents of minor children
• Adoptive parents of minor children

Family members of those who already have temporary or permanent stay in Croatia can apply for temporary stay for the purpose of family reunification in 2 scenarios.

These scenarios are:

• Family member already has a residence permit in another EEA Member State
• Family member has lived in a joint household with the third-country national in the EEA Member State where the third-country national already has a permanent residence

Family members can apply for a temporary residence at:

• Police administration office nearest to their temporary address in Croatia. The list of MUP administration offices can be found here.
• Croatian diplomatic mission or consular office in the EEA Member State in which they already have residence

To apply for temporary stay based on family reunification, family members of the third-country nationals with a permanent stay in another EEA Member State must meet certain requirements.

The mandatory documents are:

• Passport
• Approved stay in another EEA Member State
• Proof they lived in a joint household in another EEA Member State together with their third-country national family member
• Enough financial means – Read more about the financial means here
• Health insurance – Read more about the health insurance in Croatia here
• Background check from the home country or the country in which you resided for more than a year immediately before arriving in Croatia

It is also necessary that:

• They don’t have a ban to enter and stay in Croatia
• There is no warning of banning of their entry to Croatia issued by SIS
• They are not a threat to Croatian public order, national security, or public health

Sources:
Državljani trećih zemalja
Work and stay for EU/EEA permanent residents