Most Croatian citizens have a Croatian birth certificate, even if they were born abroad. Having a copy of your birth certificate is helpful if you wish to apply for a passport or national ID (called “osobna iskaznica”).
If you do not yet have Croatian nationality but plan to apply for citizenship, then you may need to obtain the Croatian birth certificate of your family member to be included in your application. For citizenship applications, new birth certificates must be obtained as they show both proof of birth and nationality.
It is possible to request these birth certificates abroad from an embassy or consulate, however using this route can take months. The fastest way to obtain a birth record in Croatia is to use a vetted Croatian lawyer who can act on your behalf using power of attorney. They can locate the record within Croatia, then obtain as many copies as you need for your citizenship application.
For those abroad, we recommend using a Croatian lawyer specializing in citizenship to obtain birth certificates as it is simply the fastest method. In addition, older records are not digitized and can be much harder to find. Having someone on the ground in Croatia to research your ancestor will give you the best chance of finding the birth certificates you need.
Sara Dyson, creator of Expat in Croatia, has personally vetted a network of lawyers across Croatia that are specialized and experienced in citizenship and nationality. All of them speak excellent English and are currently helping people across the world obtain Croatian birth certificates and apply for Croatian nationality.
The first step is to complete the form below so that we can better understand your situation and needs. Next, Expat in Croatia will help validate your request and provide you with an estimate of the cost. The cost is determined by the age of the birth record. Older records prior to World War I are not digitized and are held either by the national archive or the local church.
If you wish to move forward, we’ll then connect you with an expat-vetted lawyer in Croatia best suited to locate the birth certificate. The lawyer will schedule a FREE consultation with you to learn more about your family member. Based on this consultation, they will give you the exact cost for locating the birth record. They can also help you prepare your entire citizenship application too.
Everything up to this point is completely free and without obligation.
If you’re ready to take the first steps towards obtaining a Croatian birth record, complete the form below.
Craig W.
United Kingdom
Consulting
Would highly recommend the services of ‘Expat in Croatia’ to friends. Sara took the time to familiarise herself with our specific situation before we chatted which meant we were able to talk through the options available and conclude with a clear idea of the avenues we should pursue.
Ninka S.
United States
Consulting, Introduced to a Professional
I had first consultation with Carol Anne (CAM). She did a great job, very informative and willing to help . I would recommend Expat to my friends. Steve was very responsive to my emails and he connected me to Filip who we hired to help my son and his girlfriend. So far great experience but I know it is a process. We needed help with temp residence for my son’s girlfriend who was looking for looking to stay longer the 90 day . My son has USA /Croatian Citizenship.
Lori P.
United States
Consulting, Introduced to a Professional
We needed assistance with purchasing property and moving forward with applying for Croatian citizenship. We had a great conversation with Sara and CAM, they explained both processes clearly and provides us with numerous resources. They have also facilitated contact with a Croatian lawyer to work with us on both processes. It has been helpful to understand timelines and requirements, and they have provided contact with professionals that can be responsible for the aspects that we cannot do on our own.
