How to register or change your address with the Croatian police: Guide for 2023

UPDATED: 19.7.2023.

Every person physically on the territory of the Republic of Croatia must have their presence registered with the Croatian police, referred to as MUP. This implies both tourists/visitors and residents of Croatia.

Registering your presence in Croatia involves showing your identification and the address where you are staying. Our article exhaustively explains how to do it.

In this post, we cover:

• Types of registration
  • Tourist
  • Resident
• When you must register
• Where you can register
• What you need to enclose
• Address registration form
• How often you must register
• What if you own two addresses

The facts are these…

How to register or change an address at MUP in Croatia

Types of registration with Croatian police

There are two types of registering presence in Croatia:

• Tourist registration
• Resident registration

Registering as a tourist in Croatia

If you are a tourist staying in a hotel or apartment in Croatia, the owner or caretaker is supposed to handle the registration for you (which is why they ask for your passport).

While it is required that everyone register, it is common for people who are staying with friends or camping not to register. To be clear, registration is MANDATORY for everyone visiting Croatia.

Learn how tourist stays are registered in all situations, including when you are staying with friends or family, in our guide available here.

Registering as a resident in Croatia

If you intend to live in Croatia long term and therefore plan to exceed the allowed tourist visa duration defined by your citizenship (usually 30 to 90 days), it is critical you register your address with the police at least 8 days before the end of your tourist visa.

Check how long you can stay in Croatia as a tourist depending on your citizenship here.

Registering your address with the police is the first step to obtaining legal residency. To be extra clear, you MUST be registered as a tourist once you arrive. Then you can change your registration to that of applying for residence once ready.

When to register an address with the Croatian police?

As soon as you arrive in Croatia. If you are staying in tourist accommodation, an owner or caretaker should register on your behalf.

[Read: How tourists are registered with the police]

If you plan to stay long-term, you need to register your long-term address as soon as you have an official address and at least 8 days before the expiration of your tourist visa. If you are already a Croatian resident, you must re-register your newest address every time you move.

Third-country citizens with granted temporary stay must report their address within 3 days of entering Croatia (if they are already not in Croatia on a tourist stay) or the day of change. Third-country citizens with granted permanent residence must report their address within 15 days from the day of the change.

Where to register an address in Croatia?

To register your long-term address in Croatia, go to the closest administrative police station to your residence. View a complete list of administrative MUP offices in Croatia here.

Upon arrival at MUP, ask for the desk that handles residency for foreigners, which is called Državljanstvo i stranci or Šalter za strance (foreigners’ desk).

If your accommodation is registering you as a tourist, they will do so using an online system called eVisitor. You can learn more about this topic here.

What to bring to MUP when registering an address in Croatia?

To register as a tourist, you only need to bring your passport or EU/EEA citizen identification card and proof of accommodation. Again, it’s unlikely you need to do this as your accommodation will take care of it.

To register a long-term stay BEFORE your tourist visa is up, you’ll need to bring:

• Proof of identity
  • EU/EEA citizen ID card
  • Foreign passport
  • Certificate of temporary retention or confiscation of a travel document (plus another identity document)
  • Certificate of reporting the disappearance of a travel document (plus another identity document)
• Proof of residence
  • Notarized rental contract
  • Notarized landlord statement (depends on your basis for residence)
  • Certificate of ownership
  • Purchase contract
  • Gift contract called darovni ugovor

In addition to proof of residence, police may also ask for a certificate of assignment of a house number.

If your rental contract is not notarized, you must provide proof from the Porezna uprava (tax office) that the rental contract has been registered with them. They ask for this most likely to prevent tax evasion.

[Read: How to get something notarized]

If you use a landlord statement and your landlord is a Croatian citizen, they can submit their statement via e-Građani (e-Citizens) service called e-Prijava boravišta hrvatskih državljana. View our guide on e-Građani here.

By using this service, a landlord won’t have to visit MUP in person to give a statement for you. Before you visit MUP, the landlord should make a statement via e-Građani. MUP will receive it and will wait for you once you go there. This service also allows Croatian citizens to apply for boravište.

[Read: Prebivalište and boravište: two addresses that must be registered with the police]

If you are registering an address AFTER your tourist stay is up, your temporary residence application should already be in motion. If you go to the police after your tourist stay is up and have not yet registered an address or started a residency application, you will most likely be told to leave the country at a minimum and fined at a maximum.

Is there a form when registering a Croatian address?

Yes. The police will provide you with a registration application form to fill out depending on your citizenship:

• Third-country citizens use the form Obrazac 16a – view it here
• EU/EEA citizens use the form Obrazac 6b – view it here

Once you complete the form and provide your documents, the police officer will return a stamped copy of the registration form for your records. Keep this safe and make copies. You’ll need to provide this as proof of address and proof you are in the residency process until you get your residence permit. The police may even ask for you to provide it on future visits.

Be truthful when completing this form. If you give a false statement, you can be fined between 60 euros and 660 euros.

How often must you register a Croatian address?

Until you are approved for your first temporary residence permit, you may need to update your registration every 90 to 180 days. The length may vary depending on the type of residence permit you are applying for and your citizenship. European citizens are given preference.

After you gain residence, you only need to update your address when you change residences. The process to change your address with the police is the same as when you register your address for the first time.

What if you have two addresses in Croatia?

It is possible to have 2 Croatian addresses on file with the Croatian police:

• Prebivalište – permanent address where you get communication from the government
• Boravište – temporary or occasional address where you may live for 3 or more months which can include:
  • Where you stay while you’re away at school
  • Where you stay abroad
  • Where you stay while doing temporary work in another city
  • Summer home
  • Your address if you are a foreign citizen without permanent residence in Croatia

You are required to register both addresses with the government. Learn all about prebivalište and boravište in this guide.

What’s next after registering your Croatian address?

If you are planning to stay long-term and have registered your address with the police already, then your next step is to apply for temporary residence.

Here are all of the options for temporary residence, along with instructions on how to apply. You can also have an expat-vetted lawyer take care of your residency application. Contact us for a referral.

View our other residence articles

• All types of available visas for entry into Croatia
• Available visas and residence permits for Croatia
• Background checks and fingerprints for third-country citizens
• Difference between getting a visa and a residence permit in Croatia
• How to transition from temporary to permanent residence
• How to prepare your foreign documents for use in Croatia
• How to show proof of financial means (as part of your application for residence in Croatia)
• Prebivalište and boravište: two addresses that must be registered with the police
• Residence Permit Process: Getting your national ID card
• Restrictions on travel while you have legal residence in Croatia
• Rights of permanent residents in Croatia
• Which documents you should bring with you to Croatia (if you plan to live here)

Sources:
Upute o proceduri – prijava/odjava prebivališta/boravišta
Pravilnik o statusu i radu stranaca u Republici Hrvatskoj
Pravilnik o ulasku i boravku državljana država članica EGP i članova obitelji