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All possible costs of immigration to Croatia and obtaining Croatian citizenship

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PUBLISHED: 24.07.2023.

Most government procedures in Croatia require some kind of fee, including applications for Croatian citizenship, getting a Croatian ID card or a driver’s license, and obtaining residence.

Some costs of administrative procedures in Croatian state institutions are symbolic to cover administration, and some are quite high. In certain cases, you may be asked to pay in tax stamps instead of euros.

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What are tax stamps?

Državni biljeg (tax stamp) is a paper mark Croatia sometimes uses to charge administrative and court fees as a kind of indirect tax. They are usually charged for documents issued by state and local bodies, legal entities with public authority, embassies, and consular offices. View our detailed guide on tax stamps here.

To help you find your way around these fees, we put together a complete list of possible costs that may arise related to immigration to Croatia or applying for Croatian citizenship. They are organized logically, so you can easily find them.

Jump to a procedure:

The costs are these…

Click here to get professional hand-holding

Government fees when immigrating to Croatia or obtaining Croatian citizenship

Temporary residence in Croatia

Let’s review the costs according to each specific case.

EU/EEA citizens

  • Residence card – 13,27 euros

View payment information here.

[Read: How EU/EEA citizens can get temporary residence in Croatia]

Third-country (non-EU/EEA) family members of EU/EEA citizens

  • Residence card – 13,27 euros

View payment information here.

EU/EEA permanent residents

  • Residence permit – 31,85 euros
    • Regular procedure – 31,85 euros
    • Accelerated procedure – 59,73 euros
    • Issuance cost – 9,29 euros

View payment information here.

[Read: How EU/EEA permanent residents can get temporary residence in Croatia]

Third-country (non-EU/EEA) citizens

Digital nomad permit

Croatian embassy or consulate

  • Granting temporary stay – 55,74 euros
  • Long-term visa (D visa) – 93 euros
  • Residence card – 41,14 euros

MUP (Croatian police)

  • Granting temporary stay – 46,45 euros
  • Residence card
    • Regular procedure – 31,85 euros
    • Accelerated procedure – 59,73 euros
    • Issuance cost – 9,29 euros

View payment information here.

[Read: How to apply for the digital nomad residence permit in Croatia]

Work permit

  • Residence card
    • Regular procedure – 31,85 euros
    • Accelerated procedure – 59,73 euros
    • Issuance cost – 9,29 euros
  • Work permit – 74,32 euros
  • Work registration certificate – 39,82 euros

View payment information here.

[Read: How to apply for a work permit in Croatia]

Seasonal work permit

  • Residence card
    • Regular procedure – 31,85 euros
    • Accelerated procedure – 59,73 euros
    • Issuance cost – 9,29 euros
  • Work permit – 74,32 euros
  • Work registration certificate – 39,82 euros

View payment information here.

[Read: How to get a seasonal work permit in Croatia]

Other temporary permits

  • Administrative fee – 46,45 euros
  • Residence card
    • Regular procedure – 31,85 euros
    • Accelerated procedure – 59,73 euros
    • Issuance cost – 9,29 euros

View payment information here.

View our step-by-step residence guides for third-country citizens:

  • Croatian people/descendants – view guide here
  • Digital nomads – view guide here
  • EU Blue Card – view guide here
  • Family member of EU/EEA citizen – view guide here
  • Family reunification – view guide here
  • Language study – view guide here
  • Prepayment of rent – view guide here
  • Real estate ownership – view guide here
  • Secondary education or study – view guide here
  • Spouses of Croatian citizens – view guide here
  • Volunteering – view guide here
  • Work permit – view guide here
Eliminate the mystery! Get clear assistance with residence

Permanent and long-term residence in Croatia

View our guides on the transition from temporary to permanent residence:

EU/EEA citizens

  • Residence card – 13,27 euros

View payment information here.

[Read: How EU/EEA citizens can apply for long-term residency in Croatia]

Third-country (non-EU/EEA) family members of EU/EEA citizens

  • Residence card – 13,27 euros

View payment information here.

[Read: How non-EU/EEA family members of EU/EEA citizens can apply for permanent residency in Croatia]

Third-country (non-EU/EEA) citizens

  • Decision – 83,62 euros
  • Certified copy of a Decision – 13,94 euros
  • Residence card
    • Regular procedure – 31,85 euros
    • Accelerated procedure – 59,73 euros

View payment information here.

[Read: How third-country citizens can apply for permanent residency in Croatia]

Tourist stay in Croatia

View our guides on tourist visits to Croatia:

Croatian airport-transit visa (visa A)

  • Visa – 80 euros or 85,33 USD
  • Storing the original Letter of Guarantee at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs – 18,58 euros or 19,82 USD
  • Complaint against a decision declining the application, annulling, or abolishing a visa – 42,47 euros or 45,30 USD
  • Complaint against declining extension and/or duration of the stay granted based on the visa issued – 42,47 euros or 45,30 USD
  • Penaly for overstaying tourist visa – from 60 to 920 euros

Croatian short-term visa (C visa)

  • Visa – 80 euros or 85,33 USD
  • Visa at the Croatian border – 60 euros
  • Storing of the original Letter of Guarantee at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs – 18,58 euros or 19,82 USD
  • Complaint against a decision declining the application, annulling, or abolishing a visa – 42,47 euros or 45,30 USD
  • Complaint against declining extension and/or duration of the stay granted based on the visa issued – 42,47 euros or 45,30 USD
  • Penaly for overstaying tourist visa – from 60 to 920 euros

Croatian long-term visa (D visa)

  • Visa – 93 euros or 99,19 USD
  • Storing of the original Letter of Guarantee at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs – 18,58 euros or 19,82 USD
  • Complaint against a decision declining the application, annulling, or abolishing a visa – 42,47 euros or 45,30 USD
  • Complaint against declining extension and/or duration of the stay granted based on the visa issued – 42,47 euros or 45,30 USD
  • Penaly for overstaying tourist visa – from 60 to 920 euros

Applying for Croatian citizenship

  • Decision on the admission – view payment information here
    • Positive decision – 139,36 euros
    • Negative decision – 4,65 euros

View our guides on Croatian citizenship:

Get professional help with citizenship application

Termination of Croatian citizenship

Diplomatic mission or consular office

  • Positive decision – 334,46 euros

MUP (Croatian police)

  • Positive decision – 13,94 euros

View payment information here.

[Read: How to relinquish Croatian citizenship]

Getting married in Croatia

  • Administative fee – 27,87 euros
  • Travel fee
    • Per kilometer a registrar must travel from an office
      • Up to 10 – 10% of the base
      • More than 10 – 1% per kilometer, not higher than 30% of the base
    • Saturday, Sunday, holidays, non-working days – 100% higher
    • Late afternoon, evening
      • 8:00 – 15.59 – 20% of the base
      • 16:00 – 19.59 – 30% of the base
      • 20:00 – 22:00 – 50% of the base

View our partnership guides:

Getting divorced in Croatia

  • Court – 27 euros
  • Lawyer – up to several thousand euros depending on the service

View our guides on divorce:

Obtaining Croatian documents

Croatian passport – putovnica

  • Administrative fee
    • Regular procedure – 42,47 euros
    • Regular procedure with home delivery – 46,45 euros
    • Emergency procedure in Zagreb – 61,72 euros
    • Emergency procedure in other cities – 54,42 euros

View payment information here.

[Read: How to apply for a Croatian passport (putovnica)]

Croatian ID card – osobna iskaznica

  • Regular procedure – 13,27 euros
  • Accelerated procedure – 25,88 euros
  • Urgent procedure – 66,36 euros
  • People older than 70 – 9,29 euros

View payment information here.

[Read: How to apply for a national ID card (osobna iskaznica)]

Croatian driver’s license – vozačka dozvola

  • Medical certificate – up to 80 euros
  • Administration costs
    • Regular procedure – 20,04 euros
    • Accelerated procedure – 26,54 euros
    • Urgent procedure – 59,73 euros
    • Home delivery – 24,02 euros

Payment information is available here.

[Read: How to get a driver’s license in Croatia]

How to get legal help when applying for Croatian residence or citizenship

Interested in applying for Croatian citizenship or residence but not sure where to start? We can point you in the right direction.

Our expat-vetted lawyer network can take care of your application from beginning to end. We have excellent English-speaking lawyers across the country that specialize in immigration and are in constant communication with the ministry. These are the same lawyers who help us vet all of our information on this site.

Learn how we built this network here. View the last 10 reviews here or all reviews here.

They can help you:

  • Prepare and file your citizenship application
  • Prepare and file your residence application
  • Represent you with the Ministry of the Interior (MUP)
  • Identify red flags in your case and recommend solutions
  • Advocate for you and protect your interests
  • Help with your other legal needs like real estate, family, last wills, civil, corporate and criminal law.

Ready to get started? Complete the short form below and we will contact you as soon as possible to get you to the right person. We are happy to make your life a bit easier in Croatia.

What our happy clients say

Our Reviews

Megan B.
star solid star solid star solid star solid star solid
September 18, 2023
Megan B.
United States
Consulting, Introduced to a Professional
My sister and I are working on our Croatian citizenship via our heritage and cannot be more thankful for Expat in Croatia. Lorena was able to connect us with the immigration attorney who helped guide us through the process. I highly recommend connecting with this website as they offer a variety of helpful services.
Nick C.
star solid star solid star solid star solid star solid
September 18, 2023
Nick C.
United States
Introduced to a Professional
There was a 6 month wait at the consulate to get an appointment to submit my application, in addition to the time it takes to actually process the application, so this can be a lengthy process. 

With that in mind, I feel confident my application is without error – thanks to Expat In Croatia and their legal network. 
They really took the uncertainty out of the process, and demonstrated the highest level of professionalism from start to finish, which included locating a 19th century birth certificate. 

In addition to this, their website is probably the most comprehensive resource on the internet. Expat In Croatia will make a genuine effort to help you, and they know what they’re doing.
Tania M.
star solid star solid star solid star solid star regular
September 8, 2023
Tania M.
Croatia
Introduced to a Professional
We needed help with temporary residency, yes we got the help needed and we now have temporary residency. There was some struggles but Ivan was professional and helpful and took us through the process of what was needed. The information and letter from the Office of Croats abroad was helpful to our case and Ana at Korcula police station had not seen one before and said it would help others of her clients if they had this.
Monique A.
star solid star solid star solid star solid star solid
September 7, 2023
Monique A.
United States
Introduced to a Professional
Lorena guided us to the legal support of Andrea, who has been crucial in helping us with our application for Croatian Citizenship by Descent. Without Andrea’s help, we would be lost! Thank you Lorena for getting us to the right person for our family’s application process. We really appreciate it!
Anna G.
star solid star solid star solid star solid star solid
August 8, 2023
Anna G.
United States
Introduced to a Professional
My brothers and I reached out to Expat in Croatia, knowing nothing about the process or if we were even eligible to apply for citizenship. We worked with Steve, who determined that were eligible and connected us with Ines, our Croatian attorney. Ines was incredibly helpful throughout the process, answering all of our questions and helping to guide all 7 of us to get the paperwork needed to submit. The process took some time, but that mostly was on the end of the United States documentation needed, as we had to jump through a lot of hoops with various states to get the paperwork needed (especially in the State of NY, where we had to effectively sue to release our ancestral records). Once we had everything assembled (a Herculean effort as we dealt with records from 6 different states, including NY, which was tough!), we made our appointment with the consulate in Chicago and the consulate employee was also very helpful. Our meeting lasted about an hour, as she went through all of our documents and made sure we had everything we needed. We had everything we needed and even some additional documentation that was recommended and drafted by Ines. The Consulate even mentioned that it was a VERY good idea to work with an attorney for this, as it will help the process go even smoother. I cannot say enough good things about Expat in Croatia and Ines. Without them, we never would have been able to get this done! And now we wait for a few years for our approvals 🙂
Anna O.
star solid star solid star solid star solid star solid
August 8, 2023
Anna O.
United States
Consulting, Introduced to a Professional
I am very grateful for Sara and the EIC team! I stumbled across Sara & EIC a few years ago and have acquired so much useful and interesting information through them. Sara and team are so friendly, professional and passionate with everything Croatia! I had a consulting session with Sara a few weeks ago, and it was very helpful. I’m so excited to hear where the team and services are heading. They offer so many invaluable services. I am also trying to achieve dual citizenship through lineage (both grandparents born in Croatia) and worked with one of their vetted professional lawyers, Ines, through the process. Ines is also wonderful. It’s so reassuring to know that if I am able to get to Croatia, there are people to help support me and show me the ropes. Thank you Sara & Team!
Nick A.
star solid star solid star solid star solid star regular
May 9, 2023
Nick A.
United States
Introduced to a Professional
My family needed help applying for Croatian citizenship. We were put in contact with Krešo, and he was very helpful, providing us with the information we needed to successfully submit our application. I would highly recommend working with Krešo for any similar needs!
Vandy S.
star solid star solid star solid star solid star regular
May 1, 2023
Vandy S.
United States
Introduced to a Professional
We worked with Ines. Before contacting her, we had collected all the supporting documents ourselves – birth certificates, family tree, evidence of emigration, etc. – and had these ready when we had our initial consultation. At the consultation, Ines laid out the citizenship application process for us in detail. She answered all of our questions then, and also throughout the process. Ines was an indispensable help to us, especially since we were applying in Montenegro as temporary residents of that country. She handled the translations of all our documents, helped us with our applications and CVs, kept everything in order and on track, and communicated with several officials, both Croatian and Montenegrin on our behalf when English wasn’t their first language. Having Ines in our corner made the process run smoothly. We were glad that we had her expertise behind us.
Brett B.
star solid star solid star solid star solid star solid
April 27, 2023
Brett B.
United States
Introduced to a Professional
Expat in Croatia introduced me to Ivona and Ema to guide my family through the citizenship application process. They located my great grandfathers birth certificate, listed the documents I needed to get for each family member, coordinated translations, and helped file with our application and advised us on our appointment with the Consulate. They were so thorough and courteous and we just started receiving our approvals. I cannot recommend Ivona and Ema highly enough, thank you so much Ivona and Ema and thank you Expat in Croatia for the introduction to your vetted partners!
Rick M.
star solid star solid star solid star solid star solid
April 17, 2023
Rick M.
United States
Introduced to a Professional
We received help with preparation for citizenship application. Our attorney located Croatian birth certificates, guided us through the process, arranged Croatia translations of documents and prepped us for the consulate meeting. Ljudevit was well organized, punctual, and very articulate in assisting us. He knows the process and requirements well. We couldn’t have asked for better guidance in the process.
View All Reviews

View our other guides on costs 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.

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