Ministarstvo vanjskih i europskih poslova

Applying for long-stay visa (D) and supporting documents

A long‑stay visa (visa D) is an authorization for stay in the territory of the Republic of Croatia for up to 30 days, issued to a third‑country national who has been granted temporary stay, or issued a stay and work permit, and who requires a short‑stay visa to enter the Republic of Croatia; or to a third‑country national who requires a short‑stay visa to enter the Republic of Croatia and may submit an application for temporary stay at a police department or police station pursuant to Article 58(3) of the Aliens Act (Official Gazette 133/2020, 114/2022, 151/2022, 40/2025, 55/2026). For these categories, a long‑stay visa (visa D) is issued for one or multiple entries, with a validity period of up to six months and an approved duration of stay of up to 30 days.
 
Exceptionally, a long‑stay visa (visa D) is also an authorization for stay in the territory of the Republic of Croatia for up to 365 days for a third‑country national who does not require a short‑stay visa to enter the Republic of Croatia, and it is issued to a driver of freight motor vehicles in international road transport of goods who delivers products or materials to the Republic of Croatia or from the Republic of Croatia to a third country, or to a bus driver in regular passenger transport on international bus routes between the Republic of Croatia and a third country. For these categories, a long‑stay visa (visa D) is issued for one or multiple entries, with an approved stay of up to 365 days.
 
INFORMATION LEAFLET FOR DRIVERS OF FREIGHT VEHICLES AND BUSES WHO HAVE BEEN ISSUED A CROATIAN LONG‑STAY VISA (VISA D)
 
An application for a long‑stay visa (visa D) shall be submitted prior to entering the Republic of Croatia, at competent embassy/consulate or at the  VFS Global Visa Application Center. If the Republic of Croatia does not have an embassy/consulate in a particular country, the applicant may submit the application at the nearest Croatian embassy/consulate.
 
The application shall be submitted in person, while applications for minors or persons deprived of legal capacity shall be submitted by their legal representatives.
 
A third‑country national who has been granted temporary stay shall submit the application for a long‑stay visa (visa D) no earlier than three months before, and no later than three months after, the beginning of validity of the temporary stay or the stay and work permit in the Republic of Croatia.
 
A third‑country national who submits an application for temporary stay at a police department or police station pursuant to Article 58(3) of the Aliens Act shall submit the application for a long‑stay visa (visa D) no earlier than six months before, and no later than 15 days before, the intended beginning of travel.
 
Drivers of freight motor vehicles in international road transport and bus drivers shall submit the application for a long‑stay visa (visa D) no earlier than two months before, and no later than 30 days before, the intended beginning of road transport of goods or passengers to the Republic of Croatia.
 
A third‑country national who has been issued a long‑stay visa shall, within 30 days from the beginning of validity of the visa, contact the competent police department or police station in order to register their place of residence and obtain a biometric residence permit, or to submit an application for temporary stay if the long‑stay visa (visa D) was issued for the purpose of submitting an application for temporary stay at a police department or police station. This obligation does NOT apply to drivers of freight motor vehicles in international road transport and bus drivers who have been issued a long‑stay visa (visa D).
 
When submitting the visa application, it is necessary to submit a completed and signed long‑stay visa (visa D) application form, the prescribed documentation and provide fingerprints.
 
Visa application form (visa D) 
 

DOCUMENTATION FOR A LONG STAY VISA (VISA D)


THIRD COUNTRY NATIONAL WHO HAS BEEN GRANTED TEMPORARY STAY OR ISSUED A STAY AND WORK PERMIT IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA, when submitting the application, the applicant shall provide:
  1. a completed and signed application form for a long‑stay visa (visa D);
  2. a valid travel document (at least two blank pages, issued within the last 10 years, valid for at least three months beyond the validity period of the requested visa);
List of travel documents recognized by Croatia as valid for crossing the state border and affixing a visa
  1. a colour photograph sized 35×45 mm, in accordance with ICAO standards;
  2. evidence of approved temporary stay or an issued stay and work permit in the Republic of Croatia;
  3. a travel medical insurance for a period of stay of 30 days in Croatia, covering emergency medical assistance, hospitalisation and repatriation (including in case of death). The insurance must be valid for the entire Schengen area. The minimum amount is EUR 30,000;
  4. evidence of means of transport;
  5. evidence of paid visa fee (EUR 93);
  6. if the application is submitted at a VFS Global Visa Application Centre, the so-called service fee is also paid;
  7. your fingerprints are taken when submitting the application. Certain categories of persons are exempt from providing fingerprints.
 
THIRD COUNTRY NATIONAL WHO MAY SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR TEMPORARY STAY AT A POLICE DEPARTMENT/POLICE STATION (Article 58(3) of the Aliens Act), when submitting the application, the applicant shall provide:
  1. a completed and signed application form for a long‑stay visa (visa D);
  2. a valid travel document (at least two blank pages, issued within the last 10 years, valid for at least three months beyond the validity period of the requested visa);
List of travel documents recognized by Croatia as valid for crossing the state border and affixing a visa
  1. a colour photograph sized 35×45 mm, in accordance with ICAO standards;
  2. documentation proving that the applicant:
  1. is a close family member of a Croatian national (marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.);
  2. is the life partner or informal life partner of a Croatian national;
  3. is arriving for higher education studies at undergraduate, graduate or postgraduate level (certificate of enrolment);
  4. is a researcher arriving on the basis of a hosting agreement;
  5. is a close family member of a third‑country national who is studying or conducting research in the Republic of Croatia (birth certificate, marriage certificate, and certificate of enrolment or hosting agreement of the family member);
  6. is submitting an application for temporary stay for humanitarian reasons pursuant to Article 79(1)(1-4) of the Aliens Act;
  7. is submitting an application for the issuance of an EU Blue Card, or is a family member of an EU Blue Card holder pursuant to Article 64(1) of the Aliens Act, or is the life partner or informal partner of an EU Blue Card holder (employment contract, proof of high professional qualifications, etc.);
  8. is submitting an application for temporary stay for the purpose of immigration and return of Croatian emigrants (certificate issued by the ministry responsible for demography and emigration);
  1. a travel medical insurance for a period of stay of 30 days in Croatia, covering emergency medical assistance, hospitalisation and repatriation (including in case of death). The insurance must be valid for the entire Schengen area. The minimum amount is EUR 30,000;
  2. evidence of means of transport;
  3. evidence of paid visa fee (EUR 93);
  4. if the application is submitted at a VFS Global Visa Application Centre, the so-called service fee is also paid;
  5. your fingerprints are taken when submitting the application. Certain categories of persons are exempt from providing fingerprints.
 
THIRD COUNTRY NATIONAL WHO DOES NOT REQUIRE A SHORT STAY VISA TO ENTER THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA AND WHO PERFORMS WORK AS A FREIGHT VEHICLE DRIVER IN INTERNATIONAL ROAD TRANSPORT OF GOODS, when submitting the application, the applicant shall provide:
  1. a completed and signed application form for a long‑stay visa (visa D);
  2. a valid travel document (at least two blank pages, issued within the last 10 years, valid for at least three months beyond the validity period of the requested visa);
List of travel documents recognized by Croatia as valid for crossing the state border and affixing a visa
  1. a colour photograph sized 35×45 mm, in accordance with ICAO standards;
  2. documentation proving:
  1. the driver’s professional qualification (C/CE driving licence);
  2. employment with a legal entity established in a third country (employment contract and proof of registration for pension insurance);
  3. business cooperation between the legal entity established in a third country and a legal entity in the Republic of Croatia (business cooperation agreement, delivery contract, etc.);
  4. that the third‑country national is engaged in the delivery of products or materials to the Republic of Croatia or from the Republic of Croatia to a third country (transport order, CMR - international consignment note, etc.);
  1. a travel medical insurance covering the entire intended stay in the Republic of Croatia, valid throughout the Schengen Area. Minimum coverage: EUR 30,000;
  2. evidence of paid visa fee (EUR 93);
  3. if the application is submitted at a VFS Global Visa Application Centre, the so-called service fee is also paid;
  4. your fingerprints are taken when submitting the application. Certain categories of persons are exempt from providing fingerprints;
  5. where applicable, additional documentation on business cooperation between the legal entity referred to in point 4(c) and the legal entity established in a third country performing the delivery of products or materials to or from the Republic of Croatia, as well as proof of registration for international road transport of goods (delivery contract, purchase order, CMR, extract from the transport operator register, transport operator licence, etc.).
 
THIRD COUNTRY NATIONAL WHO DOES NOT REQUIRE A SHORT STAY VISA TO ENTER THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA AND WHO PERFORMS WORK AS A BUS DRIVER IN INTERNATIONAL REGULAR PASSENGER TRANSPORT, when submitting the application, the applicant shall provide:
  1. a completed and signed application form for a long‑stay visa (visa D);
  2. a valid travel document (at least two blank pages, issued within the last 10 years, valid for at least three months beyond the validity period of the requested visa);
List of travel documents recognized by Croatia as valid for crossing the state border and affixing a visa
  1. a colour photograph sized 35×45 mm, in accordance with ICAO standards;
  2. documentation proving:
  1. the driver’s professional qualification (appropriate driving licence category: D/DE);
  2. that the third country national is an employee of a legal entity established in a third country registered for regular international passenger transport (employment contract, proof of registration for pension insurance, extract from the transport operator register, etc.);
  3. that the third country national is engaged in regular international passenger transport between the Republic of Croatia and a third country (timetable, route agreement, work order, etc.);
  1. a travel medical insurance covering the entire intended stay in the Republic of Croatia, valid throughout the Schengen Area. Minimum coverage: EUR 30,000;
  2. evidence of paid visa fee (EUR 93);
  3. if the application is submitted at a VFS Global Visa Application Centre, the so-called service fee is also paid;
  4. your fingerprints are taken when submitting the application. Certain categories of persons are exempt from providing fingerprints.