Residence Permit Process: Getting your national ID card: Guide for 2023

After submitting all of the paperwork for a Croatian visa and attending your interview with the police, there are still a few more steps before receiving visa.

Once all of your documents are evaluated by the police case worker, the police will contact you to let you know whether or not your application has been approved. However, don’t hang your hat on getting a call. You may want to periodically follow up in person to check the status.

Upon approval, return to the police station where the application was submitted. At this time, you’ll be asked to provide a passport photo and pay the application fee.

Providing your passport photo

The passport photo must be 3 x 3.5 cm. As the standard passport photo sizes and standards vary by country, it is possible that photos brought with you from another country will not work. If you are unsure of the size, there is typically a photo shop near each main police station that will take your picture and provide photos that meet the guidelines for Croatia. For a package of passport photos, the cost ranges from 7 to 14 euros.

Paying the visa application fee

The application fee will also vary depending on the type of application you have submitted and your nationality. The fee should have been presented to you at the very beginning of your application process as it is stated on the requirements document the police provides.

To make the payment, you’ll be given a payment slip (one per person) that you’ll take to a bank to pay. After payment, provide the green carbon copy of the payment slip to the police as proof. They will NOT accept the bank payment print out (with the bank logo). It must be the carbon of the original slip the police gave you.

Fingerprints

Next, they will get your finger prints. Using an electronic pad, you’ll provide finger prints for your pointer fingers on each hand only.

More waiting

After providing your payment receipt, passport photo and finger prints, your ID card still needs to be prepared. Usually it takes a standard 3 weeks. You’ll be given a card (pictured above) that will allow you to pick up your visa once it is ready. Keep this card in an extremely safe place until you pick up your identification card.

Lastly, pick up your national ID then celebrate the end to your long, exhausting, traumatic bureaucratic experience with the largest glass of rakija known to man. Until such time that you have to do it all over again…