GRANTING STAY IN CROATIA

• is a member of the immediate family of a researcher or a third-country national coming to study
• applies for the temporary stay approval for humanitarian reasons
• is a family member of an “EU Blue card” holder.

The Foreigners Act stipulates that temporary stay may be granted to a third-country national for the following purposes:

• family reunification,
• secondary school education,
• study,
• research,
• for humanitarian reason,
• life partnership,
• work,
• secondment,
• stay of another EEA Member State’s long-term resident,
• for other purposes
• stay of digital nomads.

Temporary stay shall be granted to a third-country national who meets the requirements for issuing the approval of temporary stay, provided he/she:

1. proves the purpose of temporary stay,
2. has a valid travel document,
3. has means to support himself/herself,
4. has health insurance,
5. proves that he/she has no criminal record in his/her home state or in the state where   he/she stayed for more than one year prior to arriving in the Republic of Croatia      (required when applying for temporary stay for the first time), or
6. that he/she has not been banned from entering and staying in the Republic of    Croatia, or that no warning has been issued in the Schengen information system to     prohibit him/her from entering,
7. does not pose a threat to public order, national security or public health.

The period of validity of the foreign travel document must exceed the period of the requested temporary stay by three months.
Specific categories of third-country nationals are exempted from submitting proof of

• health insurance; or
• no criminal record; or
• having sufficient means to support himself/herself (for more information visit https://mup.gov.hr/).

An application for the approval of temporary stay accepted at a diplomatic mission/consular post shall be forwarded to the local police administration or station in charge that will decide on the application.
Work of third-country nationals
A third-country national in the Republic of Croatia may work on the basis of a residence and work permit or a work registration certificate, unless provided otherwise by the Foreigners Act.

Residence and work permit
An application for a residence and work permit may be submitted by:

• third-country national (see the part relating to where to apply for the approval of temporary stay); or
• employer, with the local police department or station according to the place of intended residence or work of the third-country national or the seat of the employer; or
• temporary employment agency.

A residence and work permit is a combined approval of temporary stay and work in the Republic of Croatia.
The decision on issuing a residence and work permit is made by the police department or station regardless of the place where the application was submitted.

Work registration certificate
Work registration certificate is issued to a third-country national by a police department or station for the purpose of carrying out a short-term work contract.
A work registration certificate for carrying out works under contract may be issued to specific categories of third-state nationals only i.e. those defined by the provisions of the Foreigners Act, for a period of up to 90 or 30 days in one calendar year.
Diplomatic missions or consular offices do not issue work registration certificates.

Work without a residence and work permit or a work registration certificate
Specific categories of third-country nationals may work in the Republic of Croatia without a residence and work permit or a work registration certificate.
For more detailed information visit https://mup.gov.hr/.

Long-term stay
Long-term stay may be granted to a third-country national who, until the date of submission of the application in the Republic of Croatia, has been granted temporary stay, asylum or subsidiary protection for a continuous period of five years.
A third-country national shall be considered as having continuously stayed in the Republic of Croatia even if within a period of five years he/she was absent from the Republic of Croatia  up to ten months intermittently, or up to six months at a stretch.
A third-country national shall submit the application for the approval of a long-term stay with the local police department or station by the place of stay, and it shall be decided by the Ministry of the Interior.
A long-term stay shall be approved for a third-country national who, until the date of submission of the application, has been granted temporary stay, asylum or subsidiary protection, provided that he/she meets the following requirements:
1. has a valid foreign travel document
2. has means to support himself/herself
3. has health insurance
4. speaks the Croatian language and uses the Latin script
5. does not pose a threat to public order or national security

Permanent residence
Permanent residence may be granted to a third-country national who:
1. is a family member or a life partner of a Croatian national, who - until the date of submitting the application - has been granted temporary stay for four years at a stretch for the purpose of family reunification or life partnership
2. is ethnic Croatian with foreign citizenship or without citizenship, who proves his/her status with a certificate from an authority responsible for relations with Croats living outside the Republic of Croatia, who is found to have returned with the intention of permanently living in the Republic of Croatia, and who - until the date of submitting the application - has been granted temporary stay for three years at a stretch
3. has been granted temporary stay for three years at a stretch until the date of submission of the application, and has had a refugee status for at least ten years, as proved with the certificate of an authority responsible for housing accommodation
4. is a minor who - until the date of applying for permanent residence - has been granted temporary stay for the purpose of family reunification, and one of his/her parents has an approved permanent residence or long-term stay
5. was resident in the Republic of Croatia as of 8 October 1991 and is a beneficiary of a programme for the return or reconstruction or housing accommodation, as proved with a certificate issued by an authority responsible for housing accommodation, and who is found to have returned with the intention of permanently living in the Republic of Croatia, with the requirement to provide proof that he/she has no criminal record in the home country or the country in which he/she stayed for more than a year prior arriving in the Republic of Croatia
6. a minor living in the Republic of Croatia:
- Whose one parent, at the time of birth of the child, was granted permanent residence or long-term stay, with the consent of the other parent
- Whose one parent, at the time of birth of the child, was granted permanent residence or long-term stay in the Republic of Croatia, and the other parent is unknown, has died, is proclaimed dead, deprived of parental care or completely or partially deprived of his/her legal capacity in relation to parental care
7. was born in the Republic of Croatia and has been living in the territory of the Republic of Croatia since his/her birth, but for justified reasons which he/she could not help, he/she has not regulated regulated his/her stay.
A third-state national shall apply for the approval of permanent residence with the local police department or station by place of residence, and the request shall be decided upon by the Ministry of the Interior.

NATIONALS OF EEA MEMBER STATES AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS
The Law on EEA Member States Nationals and Their Family Members prescribes the requirements for the entry, movement, stay and work of EEA Member States nationals and their family members.
These provisions also apply to the nationals of the Swiss Confederation.

Short-term stay
A national of an EEA Member State is entitled to stay in the Republic of Croatia for up to three months from the date of entering the Republic of Croatia, if he/she possesses a valid travel document or ID card, as long as he/she is not unreasonable burden to the social welfare system.
A national of an EEA Member State is not required to register a short-term stay with the local police department or station.
A family member who is not a national of an EEA Member State, and who is accompanying or joining a national of an EEA Member State, is entitled to stay in the territory of the Republic of Croatia for up to three months from the date of entering the Republic of Croatia, if he/she has a valid travel document, as long as he/she is not unreasonable burden to the social welfare system and is not required to register a short-term stay to the local police department or station.
A family member who is not a national of an EEA Member State and who is not accompanying or joining a national of an EEA Member State, is required to register his/or her accommodation address in accordance with the provisions of the Foreigners Act.

Temporary stay
A national of an EEA Member State who intends to stay in the Republic of Croatia for more than three months shall, no later than eight days after the expiry of his/her stay, register temporary stay with the local police department or station by place of stay.
A national of an EEA Member State may register temporary stay for the purpose of:
1. work
2. study or professional training
3. other purpose
4. family reunion
5. life partnership.
A family member who is not a national of an EEA Member State shall, no later than eight days after the expiry of the three months of his/her stay (short-term stay), apply with the local police department or station by place of stay, for a residence card that proves his/her entitlement to a temporary stay.
A residence card for a family member of an EU citizen” shall be issued to a family member who:
1. has a valid travel document
2. submits a document proving that he/she is a family member referred to in Article 4 paragraph 1 of the Law on Nationals of the EEA Member States and Their Family Members
3. submits a document issued by the responsible authority of the country of origin, officially certifying that he/she is a dependent or a household member of a EEA Member State national, submits proof of the existence of serious health reasons necessitating the he/she be personally tended to by an EEA Member State national, in case of a family member referred to in Article 4 paragraph 2 of the Law on Nationals of the EEA Member States and Their Family Members
4. poses no threat to public order or national security
5. has not been banned from entering and staying in the Republic of Croatia.

Permanent residence
A citizen of an EEA Member State is entitled to permanent residence after five years of continuous legal stay in the Republic of Croatia. The Law prescribes specific exceptions, that is, categories of persons who can exercise the right to permanent residence even if they have legally stayed in the Republic of Croatia for a shorter period of time.
An application for a residence card confirming the entitlement to permanent residence shall be submitted by a national of an EEA Member State with the local police department or station.
A family member who is not a national of an EEA Member State, and who has continuously legally stayed in the Republic of Croatia with a national of an EEA Member State for at least five years, shall be entitled to permanent residence. The Law prescribes certain exceptions, that is, categories of persons, family members who are not nationals of EEA Member States, who can exercise the right to permanent residence even if they have legally stayed in the Republic of Croatia for a shorter period of time.
The police department or station shall, at the request of a family member who is not a national of an EEA Member State and who is entitled to permanent residence, issue him/her a residence card.
For full information regarding the status of EEA Member States nationals and their family members visit www.mup.hr.

Work of EEA Member States nationals and their family members
A national of an EEA Member State and a member of his/her family may work in the Republic of Croatia without a residence and work permit or without a work registration certificate.