10 things to know before applying for Croatian citizenship: Guide for 2023
UPDATED: 21.2.2023.
Since the Croatian government eliminated the language test as a requirement for those with Croatian lineage, many many many people are applying for Croatian citizenship.
Croatia is becoming a very desirable location for those who want to escape their home country to find a better life where their family came from. Some just want to reconnect with their heritage.
If you are planning to apply for Croatian citizenship based on descent, it is important to understand the process and all potential roadblocks you may encounter before getting started.
Since we vet all of our resources with immigration lawyers within Croatia and because we have helped thousands of people to apply for citizenship, we are well-versed in the possible complications one might encounter during the application process.
Before you get started, check out our list of the essential things you should know before applying for Croatian citizenship.
Jump to the section:
- Where to apply
- Spouse’s application
- Background check
- Names matching
- Where your relative went
- When your relative left
- Current apostille
- Registering citizenship
- Requirements
- Naturalization
- How to get help applying for citizenship
The facts are these…
The essentials to know before you apply for Croatian citizenship
#1 Where to apply for Croatian citizenship?
If you are not a legal resident of Croatia, then you must apply for citizenship at the closest embassy or consulate to where you live. This rule was implemented on January 1, 2020. A list of all Croatian diplomatic missions and consular offices outside of Croatia is available here.
However, if you are a Croatian parent and wish to register your child for citizenship, you can do that from Croatia in addition to abroad.
[Read: How children of Croatians can register their citizenship]
That being said, there is a residence program specifically for people who wish to come to live in Croatia and apply for nationality based on descent. We have a guide on how the Croatian diaspora and descendants can apply for temporary residence in Croatia. You can view it here.
#2 Your spouse can apply too
The rules on citizenship for spouses of Croatians and spouses of non-Croatians with Croatian heritage are different. We will go over both situations so that the differences are made clear.
When a non-Croatian is married to a Croatian who had always had citizenship, the non-Croatian must live in Croatia with their Croatian spouse to get on the path to citizenship. They must live in Croatia for 4 continuous years and achieve permanent residency before they qualify to apply for citizenship.
[Read: How spouses of Croatian citizens can apply for temporary residence]
When a non-Croatian is married to a Croatian descendant who qualifies for nationality based on Article 11 OR who obtained nationality based on Article 11, then the non-Croatian spouse can apply for citizenship. If the Croatian descendant does not yet have a nationality, the descendant and their spouse may apply at the same time. There are no residency requirements at all for a spouse in this situation.
[Read: How to apply for citizenship based on descent]
Article 11 of the Citizenship Act is the basis for the descendants of Croatian emigrants to apply for citizenship.
This is the relevant clause in the Act:
Stranac koji je u braku s osobom iz stavka 1. ovoga članka može steći hrvatsko državljanstvo iako ne udovoljava pretpostavkama iz članka 8. stavka 1. točaka 2. – 4. ovoga Zakona.
Which translates to:
An alien who is married to a person referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article may acquire Croatian citizenship even though he does not meet the preconditions referred to in Article 8, paragraph 1, items 2-4 of this Act.
#3 What can and cannot be on your background check?
As part of your application, you must provide a legalized and officially translated criminal background check from the national authority in your country of nationality. It cannot be from a state, province, or private institution.
[Read: Background checks and fingerprints for third-country nationals (non-EU/EEA citizens)]
In some countries, misdemeanors will appear on this background check. A misdemeanor is not a barrier to Croatian citizenship. However, you cannot have any felonies on your background check. If you do, your application for citizenship may be denied.
If your country does not differentiate between misdemeanors and felonies and you do have something listed, you’ll need to have a lawyer from your country make a statement that explains that the item on your check is considered a misdemeanor. It will need to be translated into Croatian. Canada is an example of a country like this.
[Read: How to prepare your foreign documents for use in Croatia]
#4 Names need to match
When Croatians emigrated to English-speaking countries like Canada, the United States, South Africa, and Australia, it was common for the governments of those countries to modify their last names. Volić became Volich, for example.
This can create a problem when it comes to making a claim for citizenship. As part of the application, you must provide proof of your connection to your Croatian ancestor. That is usually done through birth records linking you to the relative.
[Read: How to get a copy of a birth certificate]
If your grandfather’s name was Nejašmić on his birth record from Solin but is listed as Nismich on your mother’s birth certificate from Chicago, you may not be allowed to apply for citizenship unless you can prove they are the same person. To get around this, you may need to either fix the records in the foreign country to match the records in Croatia or provide some kind of document from the foreign country explicitly stating the name change.
Sometimes it is not possible to provide this kind of documentation. At a minimum, the name change should be explained in the CV biography that every applicant over 18 years old must write. The consulate (or MUP office in Croatia) will tell you if they see a concern with the name change.
#5 Where did your relative go?
Croatia has specific rules about who can and cannot apply for citizenship, and several of these rules are rooted in patriotism and politics.
If your relative left Croatia for another country within the former Yugoslavia, then the right to citizenship is negated for all of their descendants (by law).
If your relative left Croatia for another country outside of the former Yugoslavia, then the right to citizenship is preserved. However, for some reason, this is not always the case in practice.
The Ministry is giving a hard time to descendants of Croatians who left Croatia for another country within Europe – more specifically, Eastern Europe. Technically, the law is clear on this. Those in this situation should have a right to apply for citizenship.
There is nothing in the law that says the right to citizenship is negated for European descendants of Croatian nationals. Regardless, they are rejecting application requests to some people (or just sitting on them and not issuing a decision at all). When there is no decision, there is nothing to appeal.
If this situation applies to you, it does not mean you should not apply. You still should. If they deny your claim on this basis, raise hell about it! There is no legal basis for them to deny your claim. Until enough people get in the government’s face about this discrimination, it will not be addressed.
#6 When did your relative leave Croatia?
Your claim to citizenship (based on Article 11) can also be affected depending on when your ancestor left Croatia.
If your ancestor left Croatia before October 8, 1991 (the start of the war for independence), then your claim to citizenship is still intact.
If your ancestor left Croatia after October 8, 1991, then all claims to citizenship for their descendants are canceled. In this case, it does not matter where they went, only that they left after this date.
The reason is that if a person left after the start of the war, it implies that they abandoned Croatia.
Please note: From January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022, it was possible for older children of Croatians to register. This deadline has now passed, so they must now apply for citizenship under Article 11. View guide for Article 11 here.
#7 Your government documents must be legalized
All documents issued by foreign governments (e.g. not Croatia) must be legalized. Legalization is an authentication of a document by the state authority who issued it. Its purpose is to prevent fraud and counterfeit documents.
Many countries are party to the Apostille Convention, which is a standardized version of legalization. If your country is not part of that convention, then your documents need to be fully legalized and officially translated. Canada, for example, is not in the Apostille convention. This means there are two steps for legalization instead of one.
[Read: Apostille versus full legalization of government documents]
What is an apostille?
An apostille is a special certificate (usually with a seal) that a country can provide and attach to documents issued within that country. It serves as an extra level of validation so that the document can be used in foreign countries.
For example, when you are applying for citizenship, you must provide a copy of your birth certificate. If you were not born in Croatia, then it will need to have an apostille or be legalized and officially translated.
When submitting a certain application in Croatia, enclosed apostilled/legalized documents must not be older than 6 months from the date of issue of the document – NOT the date of apostille/legalization.
It should be noted that this requirement is not included in the law. It is merely a discretionary requirement imposed by the government. Always make sure you know what your consulate or embassy is requiring before submitting an application. Just because the DC consulate did this, it does not mean they still are, nor does it mean the other consulates will.
[Read: How to prepare your foreign documents for use in Croatia]
#8 Deadline for citizenship registration has expired
Children of Croatians had an easier and faster option for obtaining citizenship. This process was referred to as “registering” your citizenship, rather than “applying” for it.
From January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022, there was an option for older children of Croatians to register for Croatian citizenship. However, this deadline has passed.
If you did not register before the deadline, then that just means you must apply based on Article 11 instead of registering. You do not lose your right to apply all together.
More information about the registration of Croatian citizenship is available in this post.
#9 Requirements may vary
As we mentioned earlier in this post, you must apply for Croatian citizenship from your country of residence. If that country is not Croatia, then you will apply at an embassy or consulate.
While an embassy or consulate will take your application, they are not the ones who approve it. The application gets sent back to the Ministry of the Interior in Zagreb for review and processing.
Here is the hitch. Even though all applications are reviewed by the same ministry in Zagreb, different consulates and embassies have may have different requirements for citizenship. They cannot do this to you.
Consulates and embassies are under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not the Ministry of the Interior. This means they can accept applications, but they are not making the decision.
The requirements from the Ministry of the Interior are the ones to follow.
[Read: How to apply for Croatian citizenship (hrvatsko državljanstvo)]
#10 For those naturalizing, there is a BIG catch
If you are applying for citizenship simply because you have lived in Croatia long enough, then you have the opportunity to naturalize. This caveat does not apply to spouses of Croatians or people with Croatian heritage.
Those in this situation represent a very small sliver of people, including yours truly. Unfortunately, those naturalizing are required to give up their other nationality before they can be granted Croatian citizenship. This group is the only one that Croatia requires to relinquish their other citizenship.
Need help with your Croatian citizenship application?
Interested in applying for Croatian citizenship 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 citizenship 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.
You do not have to live in Croatia to take advantage of this service.
For one flat rate, they can:
- Validate your claim (which includes confirming if you qualify and checking the citizenship status of your relative)
- Prepare a plan specific to your case to ensure you have the best chance of approval
- Target possible red flags and prepare solutions
- Collect birth records in Croatia (new copies are required)
- Confirm exact requirements with your embassy or consulate and coordinate with them on your behalf
- Provide guidance on preparing a successful CV biography (and coordinating translation into Croatian)
- Prepare your family tree
- Prepare supporting documentation
- Coordinate translations for foreign documents, as needed
- Assist with any issues or questions that arise after submission. They are with you throughout the process from start to approval.
As part of this service, you’ll have a dedicated Expat in Croatia caseworker who will follow up periodically to ensure you’re getting everything you need. You’ll also be able to reach out to them as well if any issues arise.
Having Expat in Croatia and our lawyer network on your side will give you the best shot at approval. It takes 1-2 years on average for applications to be processed, so best not to risk denial. This is nationality, after all, and obtaining nationality is a big deal.
View reviews from people who have used our services for citizenship here or jump to this section to see the last 20 reviews.
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View our other citizenship posts
- All about the Croatian Citizenship test
- How children of Croatians can register their citizenship
- How EU/EEA citizens can apply for citizenship based on naturalization
- How members of the Croatian people can apply for Croatian citizenship
- How to apply for citizenship based on descent
- How to apply for Croatian citizenship
- How to apply for Croatian citizenship based on special interest
- How to get a copy of a birth certificate
- How to get proof of citizenship (domovnica)
- How to prepare your foreign documents for use in Croatia
- How to register a person in the book of births (Matica rođenih)
- How to relinquish Croatian nationality
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.
