EuropeSelect the passports you hold to see short-stay access and per-route eligibility for Croatia.
Short stays: tourism, transit, business trips, medical, pilgrimage.
Tourist Visa
Electronic travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationals (e.g. US, UK, Canada, Japan). Valid 3 years for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. We apply on your behalf end-to-end. Fees illustrative.
Tourist Visa
Short-stay visa for tourism: up to 90 days within any 180-day period. We prepare your forms and documents; you attend the consulate/VFS appointment to submit biometrics. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
Transit Visa
Required by some nationalities to pass through the international transit area of a Schengen airport without entering. Whether you need one depends on your nationality. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
Business Visitor Visa
Short-stay visa for business trips (meetings, conferences, negotiations): up to 90 days within any 180-day period. We prepare forms and documents; you submit at the consulate/VFS. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
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Universities, language courses, internships and exchanges.
Student Visa
For stays over 90 days to study. Issued under national rules -- apply at the consulate of your destination country. We guide you; submission is in person. Fees and processing times vary by country.
Student Visa
For third-country nationals enrolled at a Croatian secondary school or higher-education institution. Since the June 2026 amendments the permit can cover the full study programme (up to 3 years) instead of annual renewals, with proof of continued enrollment due each 31 October; students may work up to 20 hours per week during term (full-time in holidays). Requires proof of enrollment, funds, health insurance; fee EUR 46.45 plus biometric card fees.
Language Course Visa
Enrollment in a Croatian language programme (e.g. Croaticum at the University of Zagreb) qualifies for a temporary stay on 'other purposes' grounds, distinct from student residence. Granted for up to 1 year, with no right to work; a new 'other purposes' application is only possible 6 months after the permit expires, and time on it does not count toward permanent residence. Requires proof of enrollment, funds, insurance and accommodation.
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Digital nomad, freelance, skilled employment and company transfers.
Digital Nomad Visa
For third-country nationals working remotely (employed or self-employed) for companies not registered in Croatia. Requires monthly income of at least EUR 3,622.50 (2.5x the average Croatian net salary; +10% per family member) or a lump sum of EUR 65,205 for an 18-month stay. Granted for up to 18 months, not consecutively renewable: a new application is possible only 6 months after the permit expires; consular fee EUR 55.74 (EUR 46.45 if filed at a Croatian police station, plus EUR 31.85-59.73 biometric card fees and EUR 93 for a long-stay D visa where needed).
Self-Employment Visa
For third-country nationals owning at least 51% of a Croatian company (d.o.o.) or craft business (obrt). Requires roughly EUR 26,545 invested in the business (formerly HRK 200,000; real estate capped at 50% of assets), self-employment income of at least 1.5x the average Croatian net monthly salary, and per the EU Immigration Portal the company route also requires employing at least 3 Croatian citizens full-time at the average gross wage. Granted without a labour market test, issued for up to 1 year and renewable; counts toward long-term residence.
Skilled Work Visa
For stays over 90 days to work. Requires employer sponsorship / a work permit before you can apply, so eligibility is conditional. Issued under national rules -- apply at the consulate of your destination country. Fees and processing times vary by country.
Skilled Work Visa
Residence and work permit for highly qualified third-country nationals with a higher-education degree (or equivalent professional experience for some IT roles) and an employment contract of at least 1 year with a Croatian employer. Gross salary must be at least 1.5x the average gross annual salary published by official statistics (EUR 24,845.64/year when last fixed in 2023; updated annually). No labour market test; issued for up to 4 years since March 2025, with a path to EU long-term residence after 5 years (cumulable across member states).
Skilled Work Visa
Employer-sponsored single permit combining residence and work rights; the 2021 Aliens Act abolished the old annual quota system and replaced it with a labour market test by the Croatian Employment Service (waived for shortage occupations and permit extensions). Since March 2025 permits can be issued for up to 3 years, and workers may change employers after the first year without a new permit. Fee EUR 74.32 plus biometric card fees (EUR 31.85 + EUR 9.29); time on this permit counts toward the 5-year EU long-term residence track.
Seasonal Work Visa
For seasonal jobs in agriculture, forestry, hospitality and tourism — a major route given Croatia's tourism sector. Permits up to 90 days need no labour market test; longer seasonal permits (extended from 6 to 9 months by the March 2025 amendments) require a Croatian Employment Service test. Employer must provide a contract and adequate accommodation (min. 14 m2/person, housing cost capped at 30% of net salary); from June 2026 a multi-year framework allows seasonal permits covering up to 3 consecutive seasons with the same employer.
Intra-Company Transfer Visa
For managers, specialists and trainees transferred for more than 90 days from a non-EU entity to a Croatian entity of the same group. Managers/specialists need at least 9 months of continuous prior employment in the group (trainees 6 months and a university degree); permits run up to 3 years for managers/specialists and 1 year for trainees, followed by a 6-month cooling-off period before a new transfer. Mobile ICT rules allow holders of ICT permits from other EU states to work in Croatia.
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Golden visas, real estate, citizenship by investment, passive income.
Golden Visa (Residence by Investment)
Croatia has never operated a golden visa, residence-by-investment or citizenship-by-investment program; claims by some agencies are marketing of standard business/property permits. Verified June 2026.
Residence by Real Estate
Owners of residential property in Croatia can obtain a 1-year temporary stay on 'other purposes' grounds — there is no minimum purchase price, but this is not a golden visa: no work rights, the year does not count toward permanent residence, and reapplication normally requires a 6-month break outside the status. Since the 2024/2025 amendments, retired third-country nationals over 60 who own Croatian property (and their spouses/partners) may renew consecutively without the 6-month gap. Applicant must live in the property and show funds, insurance and a clean record.
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Retirement visas and working holiday schemes.
Working Holiday Visa
Croatia operates a Youth Mobility MoU with Canada for citizens aged 18-35: stays of up to 12 months, usable twice with a break between participations, in categories including working holidaymakers (no job offer needed), young professionals and students on work placements (job/internship offer required). A reciprocal working holiday scheme with New Zealand (around 100 places a year) has also been agreed. Applicants need a return ticket or funds, insurance, clean record and proof of finances; MVEP lists a consular fee of about USD 100 and processing of up to 2 months.
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Reunification, spouse routes and ancestry-based repatriation.
Family Reunification Visa
For close family members (spouse, common-law partner, minor children, parents of a minor child) of Croatian nationals or of third-country nationals holding temporary stay, permanent stay, long-term residence or international protection. Family members of Croatian citizens receive permits of up to 2 years and may work without a separate work permit; the sponsor must show adequate funds and accommodation. Leads to permanent stay after 4 years of temporary stay for family of Croatian citizens.
Spouse / Partner Visa
A distinct temporary-stay purpose for registered and informal life partners (including same-sex partners) of Croatian citizens or residence holders, alongside common-law partners under family reunification. Informal/common-law partnerships require proof of at least 3 years of shared household (or a common child). Conditions otherwise mirror family reunification: funds, insurance, accommodation, clean criminal record.
Ancestry / Repatriation
Generous naturalization route for the Croatian diaspora: emigrants who left the territory of Croatia before 8 October 1991 and their descendants can naturalize under Article 11 with no generation limit, no residence requirement and generally no language exam; ancestors who merely moved within former Yugoslavia are excluded. Applications are filed at police administrations in Croatia or Croatian diplomatic missions abroad with civil-status documents proving the lineage. Article 16 separately covers members of the Croatian people who can prove declared Croatian nationality. Related residence benefit: persons of Croatian descent qualify for permanent stay after only 3 years of temporary stay.
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Talent, religious, humanitarian, media, official and permanent residence.
Long-Term Residence Permit
EU long-term resident status after 5 years of uninterrupted legal stay in Croatia (temporary stay or international protection), with stable funds, health insurance and a mandatory exam in Croatian language and Latin script (exempt: under-school-age children, those schooled in Croatia, and persons over 65 not in work). Status is open-ended and confers free labour-market access; decision fee EUR 83.62 plus biometric card fees. Time on digital-nomad and 'other purposes' permits does not count toward the 5 years.
Permanent Residence
National permanent residence with shorter qualifying periods than EU long-term residence for specific groups: family members and life partners of Croatian citizens after 4 years of temporary stay, persons of Croatian descent after 3 years, refugees with 10+ years of protection, and certain children. Grants open-ended residence and full labour-market access; decision fee EUR 83.62. Distinct from the EU long-term residence status acquired after 5 years.
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