Work permit in Croatia

• A stay and work permit is a single permit that lets a non-EU citizen live and work in Croatia. It is for people with a job offer or contract from an employer in Croatia.
• You may work only in the jobs the permit covers and only for the employer you have an employment contract with. The permit ends if you do other work or work for another employer, among other grounds.
• The Act lets you change employer within a valid permit under set conditions, and for a first permit the change is possible after six months of work. The new employer must request a labour market test.
• Employers must request a labour market test from the Croatian Employment Service. Professions on its high-demand list need only the service's opinion, with no labour market test.
• Some permits need neither the test nor the opinion: key personnel, self-employment in a company or sole trade where you hold at least 51%, the EU Blue Card, intra-corporate transferees, service providers, volunteers, trainees and crew members, among others listed in Article 110.
• Seasonal work is a separate permit: up to 90 days in agriculture, forestry, hospitality and tourism needs no test, and a seasonal permit can run up to nine months. A work registration certificate covers short jobs of up to 90 or 30 days in a calendar year.
• This route is not for remote work for an employer outside Croatia, which has its own temporary stay for digital nomads.

Sources: Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP), Republic of Croatia. Checked 17 October 2026.

• Your pay cannot be lower than that of people employed in Croatia in the same occupation or similar ones, and the employment contract cannot contain terms that put you at a disadvantage compared with other workers.
• The general means rule for a temporary stay is 57% of the previous year's average monthly net salary since the January 2026 amendment. On the 2025 figure of about €1,400 that is about €800 a month; to be safe, have more than €900 a month.
• The Foreign Ministry's document list for a work application includes proof of secured means of subsistence.
• The EU Blue Card has its own pay test: the gross annual salary in the contract must reach at least 1.5 times the previous year's official average gross pay, or 80% of that in the first three years after a higher education qualification. We did not find the euro result, so it is unknown.
• The employer must show that it has settled its public dues, has had a minimum amount paid into its transaction account over the last 12 months (the Act sets a euro minimum for companies and a lower one for individuals) and has not had its account blocked for more than 30 days in a row in the last six months.

Sources: Republic of Croatia, Narodne novine 3/2026, Croatian Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MVEP). Checked 17 October 2026.

• A work application (Form 9a) lists a colour photo (35 x 45 mm), a copy of a valid travel document, proof of secured means, and an employment contract or a written confirmation of one.
• It also lists proof of your educational qualifications, proof that the employing company or branch is registered in Croatia (register excerpts not older than six months) and proof that the fee was paid.
• The Foreign Ministry's list names proof of health insurance, but the Act says a work application on a contract with a Croatian employer does not include it.
• With your first temporary stay you give proof that you have not been finally convicted of criminal offences in your home country or in any country where you lived for more than a year before arriving.
• If the job is a regulated profession in Croatia, you add the decision recognising your foreign professional qualification.
• Foreign documents must be originals or certified copies, no older than six months unless the ordinance says otherwise, and translated into Croatian with a certified translation.
• The employer must show it runs an active registered business linked to the occupation, has employed a Croatian or EEA citizen on a permanent full-time basis for the last year, and has no final convictions or sanctions for the worst labour or social insurance offences.

Sources: Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MVEP), Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP), Republic of Croatia. Checked 17 October 2026.

• The Employment Service must report the labour market test result within 15 days. The employer then has 90 days from that notice to request the permit.
• The ministry must decide on a stay and work permit as soon as possible and within 90 days of a complete application, a period that includes the labour market test. In complex cases it can be extended by 30 days.
• The EU Blue Card has a shorter deadline: the ministry decides within 60 days of a complete application.
• Applicants who do not need a visa may apply at the police administration or station for their intended residence, the employer's seat or the workplace. Others apply in person at a Croatian mission.
• Once the employer has the police confirmation and you are registered for health and pension insurance, you can start work before the card is produced.
• You report your residence to the police within three days of entry, and give biometrics at the police after a positive decision.

Sources: Republic of Croatia, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MVEP), Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP). Checked 17 October 2026.

• The fee for the stay and work permit is €74.32.
• The biometric residence permit fee is €31.85, or €59.73 if accelerated, and the biometric card issuance fee is €9.29.
• A work registration certificate for short jobs costs €39.82.
• Fees are paid by separate payment slips to a state budget account, and you get the IBAN from the competent police administration or station.

Sources: Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP). Checked 16 October 2026.

• A permit under the general route is issued for the length of the employment contract, up to three years, and can be extended on the same terms.
• Permits under Article 110 (no labour market test) are issued for the time needed for the work or the contract, up to two years.
• A request to extend a permit with the same employer, worker and occupation is due no later than 30 days before it expires. A Foreign Ministry page that gives 60 days and one-year permits appears older than the current Act.
• If your employment ends you may be unemployed within the permit for up to three months (permits shorter than two years) or six months (longer than two years), in one or several periods.

Sources: Republic of Croatia, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MVEP). Checked 17 October 2026.

• Long-term residence needs five years of legal, uninterrupted stay before applying, and temporary stay, which includes a stay and work permit, counts towards it.
• Absences are limited: several absences can total up to 10 months in the five years, and a single absence can last up to 6 months.
• You must hold a valid temporary stay at the time of the decision, and show funds to support yourself, health insurance, and knowledge of Croatian and the Latin script. A language exam is run by university faculties in Zagreb, Rijeka, Osijek, Zadar, Split and Pula.
• People over 65 who are not employed, and people who finished school or higher education in Croatia, are exempt from the language exam.
• Holders of long-term residence or permanent stay can work without a stay and work permit or work registration certificate.
• The decision on long-term residence or permanent stay costs €83.62, and a certified copy of the decision €13.94.

Sources: Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP). Checked 16 October 2026.

• Croatia treats you as having a permanent residence where you own or have a dwelling at your disposal for 183 days in one or two calendar years, and habitual residence is a stay of at least 183 days. Residents are taxed on income earned in Croatia and abroad.
• The tax authority says the lower income tax rate applies up to €60,000 a year and the higher rate above that. Each local government sets its own rates: 15 to 20% and 25 to 30% in a municipality, up to 15 to 23% and 25 to 33% in the City of Zagreb, with 20% and 30% as defaults.
• The digital nomad income exemption is written for work for an employer outside Croatia under nomad status, so the pages we opened give no such exemption for a Croatian employment contract.
• The police send notice of each work permit confirmation to the Employment Service, the Tax Administration, the pension and health insurance institutes, the State Inspectorate and the labour ministry, and you can start work once you are registered for health and pension insurance. We did not price the social contributions.
• A foreign person asks for a personal identification number (OIB) at the Tax Administration office that covers the place, in person or through a proxy, with a completed form and a passport.

Sources: Croatian Tax Administration (Porezna uprava), Croatian Parliament, Republic of Croatia. Checked 17 October 2026.

• Digital nomad visa in Croatia
• Family visa in Croatia

• Visas in Croatia
• Croatia

1. Schengen visa policy: countries whose nationals do not need a visa, European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. Checked 15 October 2026.
2. Temporary residence for third-country nationals, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MVEP). Checked 16 October 2026. Document list for work and family applications. The page is undated, mentions one year permits where the Aliens Act now says up to three years, and carries no fee amounts, so only its document list is used.
3. Apostille Convention: status table, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Checked 16 October 2026. In force for the United States 15 October 1981, Australia 16 March 1995, New Zealand 22 November 2001, Croatia 8 October 1991 and Canada 11 January 2024.
4. Consular jurisdictions of the Croatian missions in the United States, Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. Checked 15 October 2026.
5. US citizens abroad: filing requirements, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
6. Foreign earned income exclusion, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
7. Foreign tax credit, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
8. Treasury press release: United States and Croatia sign income tax treaty (7 December 2022), US Department of the Treasury. Checked 15 October 2026.
9. Treasury press release: protocol amending the 2022 treaty signed (28 April 2026), US Department of the Treasury. Checked 15 October 2026.
10. United States income tax treaties A to Z, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 15 October 2026.
11. Totalization agreements: overview and list, Internet Archive copy of 11 May 2026, US Social Security Administration. Checked 15 October 2026.
12. Croatia travel advice and advisories, Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca). Checked 15 October 2026.
13. Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex II: countries whose nationals are exempt from a visa for up to 90 days in any 180 (Official Journal text of 28 November 2018, later amended), European Union (copy hosted by the European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs). Checked 15 October 2026.
14. Work of third-country nationals, Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP). Checked 16 October 2026. Stay and work permit, labour market test, exemptions, fees and the work registration certificate.
15. Implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding concerning Youth Mobility (Embassy of Croatia in Canada), Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. Checked 16 October 2026. Youth mobility MoU in force since 7 May 2010: ages 18 to 35, up to 12 months a stay, twice; documents, a consular fee printed as 100 dollars, processing up to two months. The page carries no date.
16. Work and travel in Croatia: International Experience Canada, Government of Canada (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada). Checked 16 October 2026. Canadian citizens aged 18 to 35 inclusive; passport valid at least 12 months before entry; three categories; up to 12 months each stay; twice with a mandatory 3-month break; work permit started by the employer.
17. Authentication of documents: frequently asked questions, Government of Canada (Global Affairs Canada). Checked 16 October 2026. The Apostille Convention entered into force in Canada on 11 January 2024; Global Affairs Canada authenticates name-based criminal record checks.
18. Improving authentication services in Canada (news release of 12 December 2023), Government of Canada (Global Affairs Canada). Checked 16 October 2026. Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan issue apostilles for their own documents; Global Affairs Canada issues them for the rest.
19. Agreement between Canada and Croatia for the avoidance of double taxation (1997), text (CTS 1999 No. 46), Government of Canada (Treaty Law Division, Global Affairs Canada). Checked 16 October 2026. Tie-breaker for residence (Article 4); independent services (Article 14); employment income and the 183-day rule (Article 15); pensions (Article 18); withholding caps on dividends, interest and royalties (Articles 10 to 12); relief from double taxation (Article 23).
20. Tax treaties in force: Croatia, Department of Finance Canada. Checked 16 October 2026. Lists the Canada-Croatia agreement, signed 9 December 1997, among Canada's income tax treaties in force; the page gives no date of entry into force.
21. International social security agreements: countries, forms and maximum detachment, Canada Revenue Agency. Checked 16 October 2026. Croatia: effective 1 May 1999, form CPT115, maximum initial detachment 60 months; certificate of coverage from the CRA.
22. Croatia: pensions and benefits (Canada-Croatia social security agreement), Government of Canada (Service Canada). Checked 16 October 2026. Agreement in force 1 May 1999; covers CPP and OAS, not the Quebec Pension Plan; combines periods for old age, disability and survivor benefits.
23. Working Holiday Maker visa program report, 31 December 2025, Australian Department of Home Affairs. Checked 16 October 2026. Its table of Australia's 50 Working Holiday Maker arrangements has no entry for Croatia; Croatia is on its list of countries with which Australia is currently negotiating a Work and Holiday (subclass 462) arrangement (list headed as at 30 June 2025); the report says arrangements are largely reciprocal.
24. Working holiday for Australians (Working Holiday Maker program), Australian Department of Home Affairs. Checked 16 October 2026. Says Australians can work and holiday in over 40 countries or jurisdictions, each with its own eligibility criteria, and to ask the partner country's representation in Australia; the page text lists no countries (last updated 23 September 2024).
25. Visas (Embassy in Canberra), Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (Embassy in Canberra). Checked 16 October 2026. Says Australian and New Zealand citizens with valid passports need no visa for a short stay of up to 90 days in a 6-month period.
26. Stay and Work of Foreigners (Embassy in Canberra), Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (Embassy in Canberra). Checked 16 October 2026. Sends readers to the Interior Ministry; the Embassy page carries no checklist or figure of its own.
27. Apostilles and Authentications 'Legalisation', Australian Embassy, The Netherlands (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). Checked 16 October 2026. Says DFAT is the only authority that can apostille Australian public documents; the country receiving the document decides which certificate it accepts.
28. National Police Checks, Australian Federal Police. Checked 16 October 2026. The AFP issues National Police Checks, including for working overseas; the page does not say which check Croatia accepts.
29. Consular Section of the Embassy (Canberra), Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (Embassy in Canberra). Checked 16 October 2026. Canberra covers the Australian Capital Territory, the bordering parts of New South Wales and New Zealand; Sydney covers NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory; Melbourne covers Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania; Perth covers Western Australia; appointments are mandatory; consular fees are paid into the Embassy account at the Commonwealth Bank.
30. Social Security Agreement between Australia and Croatia: frequently asked questions (archived copy), Department of Social Services (Australian Government), Internet Archive copy of 7 October 2024. Checked 16 October 2026. Agreement started on 1 July 2004; covers the Age Pension and Disability Support Pension for the severely disabled and Croatian pension insurance benefits; 12 months of Australian working-life residence needed to use it from Croatia; Croatia's 17 years of insurance; seconded workers; proportional rate abroad (35 years of working-life residence for a full pension). The live DSS address now redirects to the agreements overview.
31. International Social Security Agreement between Australia and Croatia (archived copy), Services Australia, Internet Archive copy of 9 July 2025. Checked 16 October 2026. Page last updated 27 June 2025: Australia has agreements with a number of countries to share responsibility for social security coverage; links the agreement in Croatian.
32. Income tax treaties: treaties in force (Australia), Australian Treasury. Checked 16 October 2026. Page last updated 24 March 2026; the table runs from Chile to China to the Czech Republic with no entry for Croatia, so no income tax treaty with Croatia is in force.
33. Arrangement on a Working Holiday Scheme between New Zealand and Croatia (NRA 2014/07), New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (New Zealand Treaties Online). Checked 15 October 2026. Signed and effective 14 March 2014; status "In Effect", with a note "Suspended via diplomatic note 09 April 2021".
34. Croatia, New Zealand to ink working holiday scheme agreement (27 February 2014), Government of the Republic of Croatia (Vlada). Checked 15 October 2026. Reciprocal scheme: people aged 18 to 30, up to one year, up to 100 from each country a year, no permanent work contract, no more than three months with one employer, courses up to six months.
35. Countries and regions: working holiday visa schemes (New Zealand's arrangements with over 40 countries), New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Checked 15 October 2026. The list of working holiday schemes for New Zealand citizens includes Croatia: up to 1 year, ages 18 to 30.
36. Aliens Act (NN 133/2020), article 110 point 11, Internet Archive copy of 14 February 2026, Croatian Parliament, Narodne novine 133/2020. Checked 15 October 2026. Article 110 point 11 lets the Ministry issue a residence and work permit without a labour market test for the programmes for children and youth mobility that Croatia runs with other countries; the 2020 text as published, before the later amendments.
37. Croatia Working Holiday Visa, Internet Archive copy of 27 August 2026, Immigration New Zealand. Checked 15 October 2026. New Zealand's side for Croatian citizens (aged 18 to 30, 100 visas a year, open for applications); the live page returned an error today, so this dated archive copy is cited.
38. Vetting process for visas, New Zealand Police. Checked 16 October 2026. Police clearance has no official meaning in New Zealand; the closest is a Ministry of Justice criminal record check; the Department of Internal Affairs Authentication Unit does the apostille for a fee.
39. Consular Section of the Embassy (Embassy of Croatia in Canberra), Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. Checked 15 October 2026. The Canberra embassy covers New Zealand; a dedicated email for New Zealand enquiries; consular fees are paid into the embassy account at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (currency not stated); appointments through the Croatian Consular Portal.
40. Embassy of the Republic of Croatia (New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade directory), New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Checked 15 October 2026. Lists the Canberra embassy and two honorary consulates, Auckland and Nelson; no Wellington post is listed.
41. Croatia 2025 agreement (status page), Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Tax Policy. Checked 15 October 2026. Status: pending; signed 20 November 2025; in force, effective and legislation all pending.
42. Tax treaties (New Zealand double tax agreements in force, signed and under negotiation), Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Tax Policy. Checked 15 October 2026. 41 agreements in force; Croatia is under "signed, but not yet in force" (with Belgium, Iceland and the United Kingdom protocols).
43. Social security agreements, Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development). Checked 15 October 2026. Lists the countries New Zealand has social security agreements with (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Greece, Guernsey, Ireland, Jersey, Malta, Netherlands, South Korea, United Kingdom); Croatia is not among them.
44. Pensions according to EU regulations and international social security agreements, Croatian Pension Insurance Institute (HZMO). Checked 15 October 2026. Croatia applies agreements with Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Canada (and Quebec), North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Korea; New Zealand is not listed.
45. Act amending the Aliens Act (Zakon o izmjenama i dopunama Zakona o strancima), Narodne novine 40/2025, Republic of Croatia, Narodne novine (official gazette). Checked 17 October 2026. Articles 57, 58, 61 to 63, 67, 69, 88 to 98, 100, 126 and 128 of the Aliens Act as this act rewrote them (in force from 15 March 2025); articles 58, 63, 91, 98 and 99 were changed again by NN 55/2026. Croatian-language text.
46. Act amending the Aliens Act (Zakon o izmjenama i dopunama Zakona o strancima), Narodne novine 55/2026, Republic of Croatia, Narodne novine (official gazette). Checked 17 October 2026. Articles 58, 63, 91, 98, 99, 103.a and 103.d of the Aliens Act as this act rewrote them (in force from 4 June 2026): decision deadlines, employer conditions, unemployment periods within a permit, change of employer, family reunification with a work-permit holder. Croatian-language text. Employer account minimum in the last 12 months: 100,000 euros for a company, 40,000 euros for an individual.
47. Temporary stay of third-country nationals, Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP). Checked 16 October 2026. General conditions, purposes, where to apply, deadlines and fees; the page gives no processing time.
48. Regulation amending the Regulation on the amount of funds for maintaining a third-country national (NN 3/2026), article 2, Croatian Government, Narodne novine 3/2026. Checked 16 October 2026. General means of subsistence set at 57% of the previous year's average monthly net salary; 60% for temporary stay for other purposes; in force from the eighth day after 9 January 2026.
49. Notice of the 2025 average wage (NN 21/2026), Croatian Bureau of Statistics, published in Narodne novine 21/2026. Checked 15 October 2026.
50. Aliens Act (Official Gazette 133/2020), English translation, Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP), English translation of the 2020 text. Checked 17 October 2026. Articles 3, 57, 59, 62, 64 to 66, 68, 71, 89 and 90 in the original 2020 text. The cited paragraphs are not among those rewritten by the later amending acts (NN 114/22 euro conversion, 151/22, 40/25, 55/26).
51. Long-term residence and permanent stay, Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP). Checked 16 October 2026. Years, absences, language test, fees. One paragraph on absences uses three and four year limits that do not match the five year rule stated elsewhere on the page.
52. Determination of residency status, Croatian Tax Administration (Porezna uprava). Checked 15 October 2026.
53. Income tax: rates and bands, Croatian Tax Administration (Porezna uprava). Checked 15 October 2026.
54. Act amending the Income Tax Act (NN 138/2020), article 2: new points 25 and 26 of article 9(1), Croatian Parliament, Narodne novine 138/2020. Checked 15 October 2026.
55. Tax changes from 1 January 2021, Croatian Tax Administration (Porezna uprava). Checked 15 October 2026.
56. Foreign person: personal identification number (OIB), Croatian Tax Administration (Porezna uprava). Checked 15 October 2026.