How third-country (non-EU/EEA) citizens can apply for temporary residency in Croatia: Guide for 2023

UPDATED: 11.4.2023.

Non-EU/EEA citizens have options for living in Croatia. By Croatian law, this group is referred to as “third-country citizens”, which means people from non-EU/EEA member states, including the Principality of Liechtenstein, Kingdom of Norway, Republic of Iceland, and Swiss Confederation. It also includes people without citizenship.

So, for example, citizens from the United States, Australia, Malaysia, Kenya, and Argentina are all third-country citizens in the eyes of Croatian law.

This residence guide is specifically for non-EU/EEA citizens who wish to live in Croatia. If you are an EU/EEA citizen and want to apply for temporary residence, this residence guide was created especially for you.

In this post, we cover:

Types of temporary stays for third-country citizens
How third-country nationals can stay in Croatia short-term (as a tourist)
How third-country nationals can stay in Croatia long-term (temporary stay)
How third-country nationals can apply for temporary residence in Croatia
Termination of temporary residence of third-country nationals
How to get help with obtaining residence in Croatia

The facts are these…

How third-country (non-EU/EEA) citizens can apply for temporary residency in Croatia

Types of temporary stays in Croatia for third-country nationals

Third-country citizens have two options for staying in Croatia:

Kratkotrajni boravak (short-term stay) – for visits for up to 90 days
Privremeni boravak (temporary stay) – for visits longer than 90 days

Temporary stay of third-country nationals in Croatia is defined by Zakon o strancima (Law on foreigners). It is available here.

How third-country nationals can stay in Croatia short-term (as a tourist)

Third-county nationals can visit Croatia for a short period of up to 90 days in any period of 180 days. They can use the 90-day period all at once or several times. A stay of up to 90 days in any period of 180 days is counted as a stay in any Schengen member state, and it is called kratkotrajni boravak (short-term stay).

Some nationalities can enter visa-free for 90 days, and others require an entry visa. Some nationalities that require an entry visa are only granted entry for a period of 30 days. To find out the rules for your nationality, visit this government page.

[Read: All types of available visas for entry into Croatia]

How to calculate the time of short-term stay

The time of a short-term stay can be calculated using a Schengen calculator, which is available here. Another calculator, which is a bit simpler, is available here. These calculators are only guides, so don’t take them as official information.

The time is calculated according to the dates of your entries to Schengen territory and exits from Schengen territory recorded with stamps in your passport in the last 180 days.

[Read: Croatia is joining the Schengen zone (and what this means for Croatian residents and tourists)]

Registering your stay

During a short-term stay, your stay must be registered with the Croatian police. This should be done by your accommodation within 24 hours after your arrival. They can report your stay online via e-Visitor or at the MUP administration office according to the place of your residence.

[Read: How tourists are registered with the police]

If they are unable to report your stay or you’re staying with a friend, you must register yourself at MUP within 2 days from your arrival or changing the address of your stay.

[Read: List of administrative police stations (MUP)]

How third-country nationals can stay in Croatia long-term (temporary stay)

If you want to stay in Croatia for more than 3 months, then you must apply for a temporary stay called privremeni boravak. You may apply for a temporary stay (e.g., residence) for a period of up to six months, one year, or two years, depending on your case.

Temporary residence can be granted based on different purposes. Remember that each case is different which means that the required documentation and processing time may vary.

Purposes of applying for Croatian temporary residence

Third-country nationals can apply for temporary residence on the basis of:

Family reunification as the spouse of a Croatian (spajanje obitelji) – guide available here
Family reunification as the family member of a Croatian or EU/EEA citizen – guide available here
Family reunification as the family member of a third-country national – guide available here
Digital nomads (boravak digitalnih nomada) – guide available here
Ownership of real estate – guide available here
Prepayment of rent – guide available here
Secondary school education (srednjoškolsko obrazovanje)
University studies (studiranje) – guide available here
Language study – guide available here
Scientific research (istraživanje)
Humanitarian grounds (humanitarni razlog) – guide available here for Croatian diaspora
Life partnership (životno partnerstvo) – guide available here
Work (rad) – guide available here
Work of posted workers (rad upućenog radnika) – guide available here
EU Blue Card – guide available here
Volunteering (volontiranje) – guide available here
Opening a Croatian company – guide available here
Stay of a person with long-term residence in another EU/EEA Member State (boravak osobe s dugotrajnim boravištem u drugoj državi članici EU/EEA) – guide available here
Autonomous stay (autonomni boravak) – guide available here
Other purposes (druge svrhe) – prepayment of rent, ownership of property, and language study all fall under “other purposes” and there can also be other individual cases depending on someone’s personal situation – guide available here

We have prepared detailed guides on how to get a temporary residence in Croatia for most of these purposes. To view the desired guide, click on the links in the above list.

Get help figuring out the best residence option for you

How third-country nationals can apply for a temporary residence in Croatia

Below are instructions on how third-country nationals can apply for a temporary residence in Croatia.

#1 Choose your basis

First, you need to know on which basis you are going to apply for temporary residence in Croatia. Depending on your basis, the documentation that you must enclose when applying may vary, as well as other important rules and regulations.

All possible purposes of applying for temporary residence are mentioned in the previous section. Define what is your purpose and specify this purpose later in your application.

#2 Prepare the application

The documentation that you must enclose within your application for a temporary stay may vary depending on the purpose of your stay.

Mandatory documentation

Everyone must enclose:

Application form Obrazac 1a – available at MUP/diplomatic mission/consular office (view it here)
30×35 mm passport photo
Proof of purpose of your temporary stay – see optional documentation below
Valid travel document/passport – the validity period must be 3 months longer than the validity period of the temporary stay (if the passport is not in English, you must enclose a copy officially translated into Croatian)
Criminal background check and possibly a certificate of the length of stay – view more information in this guide (there are some exemptions)
Proof of enough means of subsistence – it is not required only for close family members and life partners of Croatian nationals, close family members and life partners of third-country nationals with granted asylum or subsidiary protection, or when applying for the purpose of humanitarian reasons
Proof of health insurance – it is not required if you are applying for the purpose of work, an Erasmus + program for education, training, youth, and sports, humanitarian reasons, or research, or if you are a close family member of a third-country national with granted asylum or subsidiary protection; for seasonal workers, a work contract serves as proof of health insurance

[Read: How to get travel insurance in Croatia (putno), which you can use to apply for residence]

Optional documentation

Depending on the purpose of your application, you may also need to enclose:

Written consent of the other parent – only for minors
Consent of the Ministry – when applying for the purpose of secondary school education
Guest contract – when applying for the purpose of scientific research
Residence card that proves a long-term stay in another EU/EEA Member State – when applying as a person with long-term residence in another EU/EEA member state
Certificate of the Office for Croats abroad for members of Croatian people with foreign nationality or without nationality – when applying for the purpose of humanitarian reasons
Proof of refugee status – when applying for the purpose of humanitarian reasons
Work contract – when applying for a work and stay permit based on working for a Croatian company
Proof of employing 3 Croatian nationals and investing 26.544,56 euro – When applying for work and stay permit based on owning a Croatian company
Proof of acquired educational qualification – When applying for work and stay permit.
Certificate on the recognition of a foreign professional qualification – when applying for work and stay permit for a regulated profession
Certificate of transfer within a company
Volunteer contract
Proof that you perform work through communication technology – when applying as a digital nomad
Proof of enrollment in a Croatian institution
Proof of prepayment of rent
Proof that justifies the other purpose – when applying for other purposes

This is not a full list of all possible documents, and the documentation needed can vary depending on the case. The police may change the requirements on an individual basis.

#3 Submit the application

If you have collected all the documentation that you must enclose with your application, it is time to visit the competent institution and apply for a temporary residence.

It would be clever to contact the institution before going there in person. They will provide you with the latest information on their working hours. You may need to set up an appointment for your visit. Some of them may allow submitting the application by email.

Some third-country nationals are required to possess a visa to enter Croatia. This depends on your nationality. Where you have to go may vary depending on your scenario.

You can check whether or not you need a visa to enter Croatia here.

Where to apply if you need a visa to enter Croatia

In this case, you can submit your application at a Croatian diplomatic mission or consular office abroad. A list of Croatian diplomatic missions and consular offices outside of Croatia is available here.

However, there are some exceptions when you can apply at the police administration office (MUP) in Croatia according to your future Croatian address.

You can apply at MUP if you are:

Close family member of a Croatian citizen
Life partner or informal life partner of a Croatian citizen
Applying to study at a university, undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate level
Researcher who comes under a guest contract
Close family member of a researcher or third-country national who comes to study
Applying based on humanitarian reasons
Member of the family of holders of the EU Blue Card

[Read: How to find administrative police stations in Croatia]

Where to apply if you don’t need a visa to enter Croatia

In this case, you can submit your application at:

Police administration office according to your future Croatian address, headquarters of your employer, or your workplace – list available here
Croatian diplomatic mission or consular office abroad – list available here

#4 Request a residence permit

After you are granted temporary residence, you have to submit the request for a residence card called boravišna iskaznica.

If you applied abroad, you must visit MUP according to the address of your stay after you enter Croatia. You are also obliged to register your temporary Croatian address at MUP within 3 days of entering Croatia.

If you applied from within Croatia, you will visit the same station where you applied for residence.

[Read: How to find administrative police stations in Croatia]

The validity period of your residence card may vary depending on the purpose of your stay.

For example, if you are granted a temporary stay based on family reunification or a life partnership with a Croatian national, the validity period is 2 years. If you applied for the purpose of study, a validity period is one year.

To get a residence card, you need to bring:

30×35 mm passport photo
Valid foreign travel document/passport
Proof of payment of the fees

All possible administrative costs for this procedure are available here. Payment information is available here.

[Read: How to pay bills in Croatia]

Termination of temporary residence of third-country nationals

Temporary residence of a third-country national will be terminated if:

Conditions for granting temporary residence cease to exist
You have a ban to enter and stay in Croatia, or SIS has issued a special warning
You don’t register your Croatian address within 30 days after you are granted a temporary residence
You request the cancellation of a temporary residence
You reside abroad longer than 90 days in total or longer than 30 days at once from the day of granting temporary residence for a one-year period
You reside abroad for several times longer than 180 days in total or longer than 60 days at once from the day of granting temporary residence for a two-year period
You reside in Croatia contrary to the purpose of the temporary residence permit
Temporary stay is granted on the basis of family reunification with your partner, but you no longer live with them

However, there are cases when the above-mentioned reasons for termination don’t apply. The exceptions are valid for:

Researchers and students who reside in another EU/EEA member state based on a short-term or long-term mobility
Third-country nationals who are granted work and stay permits who are sent to work in another EU/EEA member state
Justified reasons that imply a one-time absence from Croatia for up to 90 days with prior notification to MUP. If justified reasons arise after leaving Croatia, a third-country national must notify the Croatian diplomatic mission or a consular office within 30 days.

View other temporary residence articles

Sources:
Third country nationals
Temporary stay of third-country nationals

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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