Visa is an approval to enter Croatia and for a transit through the international transit area of the airport, for a stay of up to 3 months (in any 6-month-period from the day of the first entry to the country), or for transit through the territory of Croatia. Visas are issued by Croatian diplomatic missions or consular posts. A visa cannot be used as a work permit.
Foreigners who are subject to the visa requirement are obliged to apply for a visa prior to their entry into Croatia at a Croatian diplomatic mission/consular post. If there is no Croatian diplomatic mission or consular post in the applicant’s country, a visa application may be submitted at the nearest Croatian diplomatic mission/consular post.
As a general rule, a foreigner must lodge a visa application personally. Exceptionally, a foreigner does not need to lodge the application personally but needs to present him/herself in person when called upon by the diplomatic mission/consular post. A visa application may be lodged no earlier than six months before the date of the intended entry into Croatia. Visa is issued within fifteen days from the day of submitting the application.
Since the Croatian accession to the European Union on July 1st 2013, Croatia applies the European Union’s Common Visa Policy. This means that the classic visa regime will apply to the citizens of all those countries who need a visa for entering EU member states. Additionally, starting with January 1st 2014, until Croatia fully applies the provisions of the Schengen acquis, all foreigners who are holders of valid Schengen documents or visas and/or residence permits of Bulgaria, Cyprus or Romania, do not require an additional (Croatian) visa for entry and short-term stay in Croatia. All other nationals require a visa for entering Croatia and for a stay of up to 3 months, or for passing through the territory of Croatia unless stipulated otherwise by international agreements.
Foreigners who require a visa for Croatia can fill out the the visa requirements overview on the website of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
A foreign national submitting an application for a visa to a diplomatic mission or consular office of Croatia is obliged to prove that they have sufficient financial means to cover their subsistence during their stay in Croatia and the return to the country of origin or transit to a third country. When a foreign national enters Croatia, the body in charge of state border crossing control is authorised to request of them to present financial means necessary to cover their subsistence during his or her stay in Croatia and return to the country of origin or transit to a third country. The amount of financial means is fixed at the equivalent of 70 EUR per day of the estimated stay in Croatia.
If a foreign national is in possession of a certified letter of guarantee by a natural or legal person from Croatia, proof of a tourist booking, or a similar document, they are obliged to present proof that they possess the amount equivalent to 30 EUR per day of the estimated stay in Croatia.
Documents needed to apply for a visa are:
- Visa application form*
- Original and a copy of a valid travel document (the period of validity of the travel document in which the visa is entered must be at least three months longer than the period of validity of the visa, must include at least two empty pages, and must be issued in the last 10 years)
- Colour photograph 35x45 mm
- Supporting documents that prove:
- Purpose of the visit to Croatia (Hosting agreement or some other document, depending on the purpose of stay in Croatia)
- Means of support to cover stay in Croatia and for return to the home country or for travel to a third country**
- Means of transport and intention to return to the country of origin or to a third country (return plane ticket)
- Ensured accommodation (hotel reservation, private or other type of accommodation)
- Travel health insurance***
- Evidence of paid visa fee
* Application form is available in several languages and can also be filled in online and printed out for submission. It must be filled in the official language of the applicant’s country or in English; in Latin alphabet, clearly, and in block letters. In case the application form is printed out, it needs to be signed.
** Means of support can be proven with:
a) Appropriate certificate on the regular income of the applicant or the person responsible for allowance
b) Certified statement of a third legal or natural person-sponsor who agrees to take over the costs of maintenance, with proper proof of solvency
c) Letter of guarantee, with appropriate proof of solvency
d) Cash in local or foreign convertible currency, non-cash payment funds (travellers’ checks, credit cards, etc.), provided that it is not a short-term payment of higher amounts with the aim of misrepresenting the actual financial situation (credibility).
e) The amount of financial resources is determined in the equivalent of 70 EUR per day of estimated stay in Croatia.
*** Travel health insurance is an appropriate and valid travel medical insurance that covers the expenses that might occur during a foreigner’s stay in Croatia due to health reasons, urgent medical assistance, and/or urgent hospital treatment. Applicants are obliged to buy travel health insurance with an insurance company in the country of their stay. If this is not possible, travel health insurance needs to be taken out in another country. Natural or legal persons from Croatia inviting the applicant can, on their own behalf, take out travel health insurance with an insurance company from Croatia. The lowest sum insured must be equivalent of 30,000 EUR. Applicants for visas for one or two entries have to provide proof of health insurance and a policy of appropriate and valid travel health insurance covering the entire period of their stay in Croatia. Applicants for multiple-entry visas are obliged to provide evidence of medical insurance and an appropriate and valid travel medical insurance policy covering the period of their first stay in Croatia. For third-researchers, coming to Croatia for the purpose of scientific research, proof of health insurance is their hosting agreement since it should have provisions on mandatory health insurance. Third-country researchers should also have travel health insurance contracted for a period of two to three months, which is the length of a temporary residence permit, in practice.
Family members of a third-country researcher can, at the same time as the researcher, apply for a visa at the relevant diplomatic mission / consular office. The documents are the same as those previously described and each family member has to have his own set of required documents. The documents are the same as those previously described, except:
- A visa application for a foreign minor or a foreigner deprived of his/her legal capacity shall be submitted by his/her legal representative. In this case, a birth certificate of a minor (if the parents are legal representatives), or the decision of the competent authority on determining the legal representative must be submitted when applying for a visa. These documents must be translated into Croatian and certified (permanent court interpreters also certify the document when translating the document into Croatian, and an additional visit to a notary public to certify the document is not required)
- proof of paid visa fee in the amount of 60 EUR
- proof of health insurance.
Airport-transit visa (A), Short-term visa (C) – 80 EUR.
Long-term visa (D) - 93 EUR
Following categories of persons are exempted from visa application fees:
- Family members of a Croatian citizen (spouse and children)
- Family members of citizens of EEA Member States and the Swiss Confederation travelling with or joining them
- Children up to the age of 12
- Holders of diplomatic and service passports travelling in their official capacity
- Pupils, students, postgraduate students and teachers accompanying them when they come to attend school, study and professional training
- Researchers coming for research purposes as defined in Recommendation no. 2005/761/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 September 2005 to facilitate the issue by the Member States of uniform short-stay visas for researchers from third countries travelling within the Community for the purpose of carrying out scientific research.
- Foreign researchers who are hosted at scientific organizations for work on scientific research and who participate in the implementation of study programmes
- Visiting teachers and associates at higher education institutions who participate in the implementation of study programmes
- Representatives of non-profit organizations up to the age of 25, who are to attend seminars, conferences, sport, cultural or educational events organized by non-profit organizations.
By the Decision of the Government of the Republic of Croatia of 22 July 2014, the application of Decision no. 565/2014/EU has been determined. All foreigners who are holders of valid Schengen documents, as well as those who are holders of visas and residence permit of Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania, do not need an additional visa for Croatia. More information can be found at the following link: https://mvep.gov.hr/services-for-citizens/consular-information-22802/visas-22807/visa-requirements-overview-22879/22879.
A foreigner coming to Croatia for a business visit, invited by a legal person, must enclose a letter of guarantee to the visa application, filled out by the guarantor-legal person from Croatia. Guarantor must enclose a document proving its liquidity (“Bon 1” or “Bon 2” or certificate of the commercial court that no liquidation proceedings have been initiated, etc.) to the letter of guarantee. A letter of guarantee must be signed by the person authorised to represent the guarantor and certified with an official stamp. The applicant will receive a photocopy of the letter of guarantee, so that (s)he may present evidence of the purpose of his/her stay in Croatia if requested so by the national authority at the state border crossings.
A foreigner coming to Croatia for a private visit, invited by a natural person, must enclose along with the visa application a letter of guarantee to the visa application, filled out by a guarantor-natural person from Croatia. A guarantor may be a Croatian national or a foreigner with granted residence in Croatia, who has a steady income or financial means in Croatia. Guarantor’s signature on the letter of guarantee shall be certified by a notary public. If the guarantor is present when submitting the visa application, the signature on the letter of guarantee may also be notarised (certified) by the Croatian diplomatic mission/consular office (if the guarantor is a Croatian national) or by the competent authority of the receiving state (if the guarantor is a foreigner). The applicant will receive a photocopy of the letter of guarantee, so that they may present a proof of the purpose of his stay in Croatia if requested so by the national authority at the state border crossings.
More information on the Letter of Guarantee is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
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