Nationals of EEA countries only need to register their stay if they plan to stay in Croatia for more than 3 months.
Upon the approval of temporary stay foreigners will get a PIN number or a personal identification number (osobni identifikacijski broj - OIB), needed for all dealings with any kind of officialdom, such as paying taxes and household bills, opening and accessing a bank account, or registering a vehicle. No special application is necessary. If a foreigner already received the OIB number from the Tax Department of the Ministry of Finance, it is advisable to submit a copy of the OIB confirmation while submitting the temporary stay application (to avoid duplications).
For more information on OIB please visit Croatian personal identification number (PIN) section.
EEA citizens intending to study or attend an occupational training in Croatia must obtain a certificate of registration of temporary residence for the purpose of studying or occupational training (international students, PhD students as well, coming to study to Croatia as regular students or in the framework of a student mobility programme or for occupational traineeships). EEA citizen who intends to stay in Croatia for more than 3 months is obliged to report his/her address/residence to the competent police station/administration within fifteen days after the expiration of his/her three-month stay in Croatia.
If they plan to stay up to 3 months, students from EEA countries do not have an obligation to report their stay and studies in Croatia, however they need to report their address at the competent police administration office or police station within two days from the date of entry to Croatia, if this is not done automatically by their accommodation provider.
An application for issuing a certificate of the registration of temporary stay for the purpose of studying or occupational training can be submitted by the foreigner himself, to the competent police directorate or a police station.
Documents needed to apply for a certificate of the registration of temporary stay for the purpose of study or occupational training are:
- Application form 1b
- Valid identity card or passport – original and a copy
- Proof of admittance to a higher education institution in Croatia for the purpose of studying or vocational training – (in Croatian)
- A statement on the means of support for themselves and their family members so that they do not become a burden to the Croatian Social System
- Proof of health insurance*
*Proof of health insurance: EEA students who have the European Health Insurance Card may use urgent health care services upon presentation of the card and submission of the printout copy of the card, if other instructions are not given, according to the Croatian legislation in force. EEA students that do not use the European Health Insurance Card are obliged to have a health insurance policy during their stay in Croatia. Croatian Health Insurance Fund, for example, offers health insurance for 417 HRK per month (approximately 55 EUR) and entitles the user to full healthcare coverage. A private health insurance policy from another EU Member State is also a valid proof of health insurance in Croatia.
Nationals of EEA countries may apply for a biometric stay card, but are not obliged to. In case they apply, EEA nationals pay only the issuance of a biometric stay card in the amount of 9,29 EUR. A biometric stay card will be issued within approximately three weeks from the submission of required documents. Documents required for the issuance of a biometric stay card are: passport, one colour photograph (30 x 35 mm), and the confirmation of address registration.
Members of the nuclear family of an EEA researcher who has already been granted temporary stay must regulate their stay on the basis of a family member’s permit. Family members may be EEA citizens as well as non-EEA citizens.
EEA nationals do not have an obligation to report their stay in Croatia up to 3 months from the day of entry to Croatia. If they plan to stay in Croatia longer than three months, within 8 days from the expiration of their three-month stay in Croatia, they need to apply for a certificate of the registration of temporary stay of a family member who is a citizen of the EEA Member State at the competent police directorate or a police station. Non - EEA nationals also need to apply for a biometric stay card within 8 days from the expiration of their three-month stay.
- Application form 1b(for family members who are EEA nationals)
- Application form 2b (for family members who are not EEA nationals)
- Valid identity card or passport – original and a copy*
- Proof of means of support
- A document proving that he or she is the family member of an EEA citizen
- Appropriate documents providing that due to his/her material and social situation in the country from which he/she comes from to provide basic needs, he/she is dependent on a citizen of an EEA Member State or is a member of his/her household or needs personal care of an EEA national, due to serious health reasons (for family members who are EEA nationals)
*Family members who are not EEA citizens need to bring original and a copy of a valid passport.
- A certified copy of the last three received salaries
- A tax ruling
- Pension excerpt
- Employment agreement or written confirmation on the employment agreement or a corresponding proof showing the amount of salary (if a third-country citizen works less than 3 months)
- Evidence of scholarship etc.
- For proving a marriage: a marriage certificate (not older than six months) or certified statement from both spouses on the existence of the marriage (if the marriage certificate is older than six months)
- For proving a common-law marriage: birth certificate not older than six months, or a certificate of free marital status if the marriage certificate does not show common-law marriage, or an extract from the register from common-law marriages if it is kept in the country where the common-law marriage existed Circumstances indicating a common-law marriage: a statement by the common-law spouses about living together, living together for the last three years before the application, witness statements about the existence and duration of the common-law marriage; if a joint child was born in a common-law marriage, a birth certificate for the child and common-law spouses not older than six months shall be attached, or a certificate of free marital status if the marital status is not visible from the birth certificate.
- For proving a child-parent relationship: a birth certificate (not older than six months) or a decision of a competent authority on child adoption
- For proving the relationship of the family member with a citizen of a Member State EEA which would indicate the need for the reunification due to the material needs of healthcare or by a national of a Member State EEA with whom reunification is sought: medical records, proof on the maintenance or custody, etc.
An application for registration of temporary stay of a family member can be submitted by the foreigner himself at the competent police directorate or police station according to his or her place of stay. If a family member who is a third-country citizen is subject to visa requirements, he/she does not need to obtain a visa before entering Croatia. He/She can travel without a visa to Croatia if he/she has a valid passport and a valid identification card called "Residence card of a family member of a Union citizen", issued by a competent police directorate or police station or another EEA Member State, unless otherwise provided by an international agreement, and if he/she travels with or joins the family member who is a citizen of European Union or EEA Member State. It is important that the entry of the said family member does not pose a threat to public order, national security or public health.
If a family member of EU or EEA Member State citizen does not have such card, he needs a Croatian visa and in that case, visa applications will be processed in the fast procedure, without charging visa fees, with minimum documentation: a visa application form, valid passport, photo and proof of family relationship with EU or EEA Member State citizen.
Nationals of EEA countries may apply for a biometric stay card but are not obliged to. In case they apply, the cost of a biometric stay card is 31,85 EUR. A biometric stay card will be issued within approximately three weeks from the submission of required documents. Non-EEA citizens need to apply for a biometric stay card.
Reasons for termination of temporary stay of an EEA national and non-EEA national differ:
a) EEA national
Temporary stay of an EEA national shall terminate if:
- He/She is prohibited to entry and to reside in Croatia.
- He/She obtained temporary stay by having provided false information or having concealed the true information and circumstances which were decisive for the registration of temporary stay.
- He/She no longer meets the conditions for a temporary stay.
- He/She cancels his/her stay in Croatia.
EEA Member State national and members of his/her family will not have their temporary stay terminated if they do not have sufficient means of subsistence during their stay in Croatia, or if the national of an EEA Member State is a worker or self-employes, if he continues to actively look for work and is reasonably assumed to find the employment.
b) Non-EEA national
Temporary stay of the family member who is not an EEA national shall cease if:
- His/Her entry and stay have been prohibited
- He/She no longer meets conditions for temporary stay
- He/She does not report his residence to the police administration/station within 30 days after the approval of the temporary residence
- He/She has emigrated from Croatia or has been staying abroad continuously for more than 30 days
- He/She resides in Croatia contrary to the purpose of the temporary residence permit
As an exception, a third-country national who is absent from Croatia for up to 90 days for justified reasons will not terminate his/her temporary stay if he/she notifies the competent police directorate or police station of his/her departure. Notice of departure may also be submitted by the employer on behalf of the foreigner, and it is a document in which the third-country national states the time of departure from Croatia, the reason for departure from Croatia, and the planned date of return to Croatia. If extraordinary circumstances arise after leaving Croatia, a foreigner is obliged to inform the diplomatic mission or consular office of Croatia within 30 days of the occurrence of these circumstances. The reason for termination of temporary residence referred above shall not apply to researchers and students if they reside in another EEA Member State on the basis of short-term or long-term mobility.
EEA nationals who have been legally residing in Croatia for an uninterrupted period of 5 years before the submission of the application, can apply for the approval of a permanent stay in Croatia.
Exceptionally EEA citizens are entitled to a permanent stay after less than 5 years if their absence from Croatia has not lasted longer than 6 months (in one year) or up to 12 months continuously, for justified reasons, such as pregnancy, childbirth, serious illness, studies, professional training, assignment to work in another country or for the duration of military service.
A family member who is not a citizen of an EEA Member State, and who has been legally residing in Croatia with the citizen of an EEA Member State for at least five years without interruptions, is entitled to permanent stay as well.
A request for permanent stay must be submitted at the competent police directorate or police station according to the place of registered stay.
Permanent stay shall be granted to EEA citizens who:
• have submitted Application form 3b
• have a valid foreign travel document
The administrative fee upon request for the issuance of a permit for permanent stay is 20 HRK, but there are no costs for granting the permit for a permanent stay. If an EEA citizen decides to apply for a biometric stay card, the cost is 13,27 EUR for the production of the card. A biometric stay card will be issued within approximately three weeks from the submission of required documents and needs to be returned to the police directorate or police station upon expiration of stay in Croatia. Documents required for the issuance of a biometric stay card are: passport, one colour photograph (30 x 35 mm), and confirmation of address registration.
Permanents stay of an EEA national shall cease if:
- His/Her entry and stay have been prohibited.
- He/She has resided in Croatia for more than two years for an interrupted period of time.
- He/She checks out her/his stay from the Republic of Croatia.
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