Croatia - Employed worker

The general rule is that the application for stay and work permit has to be submitted by the third-country national to the diplomatic mission/consular office of the Republic of Croatia.

A third-country national, who is not obliged to possess a visa to enter the Republic of Croatia, can submit an application to a competent police administration/station in the territory of Croatia, depending on the place of residence, the intended residence of the third-country national, the headquarters of the employer, or the place of work of the third-country national.

Exceptionally, some categories of third-country nationals who are required to have a visa to enter the Republic of Croatia may also apply for temporary stay at a police administration/police station in the territory of Croatia. Please see here for those categories.

An application for the issuance of a stay and work permit may be submitted also by the employer at a police administration or a police station competent for the intended place of stay or work of the third-country national, or the employer’s head office.

An application for the issuance of a stay and work permit is to be submitted by the employer online in the following cases:

1. Stay and work permits based on labour market tests and the opinion of the Croatian Employment Service - here.
2. Stay and work permits without labour market tests, but with the opinion of the Croatian Employment Service - here.

Applications for a stay and work permit must be submitted along with the following documents:

• a copy of the third-country national’s valid travel document;
• a colour photograph (30x35 mm);
• evidence of adequate means of supporting himself/herself;
• evidence of heath insurance;
• proof that they have not been convicted by a final ruling of any criminal offences in their home country or a country where they resided for more than one year immediately prior to arriving in the Republic of Croatia (for first permit, dully legalised);
• the employment contract or another relevant contract;
• evidence of the third-country national’s acquired academic qualifications and skills (diploma, school certificate, master craftsman’s exam, vocational training certificate) if needed;
• evidence of the recognition of professional qualification from the competent authority pursuant with special leglation, in the case of regulated professions.

When a labour market test or the opinion of the Croatian employment service is required, additional documents are needed:

• evidence of fullfilling the employers' requirements requested in the labour market test, which refer to the level of education, educational qualification, work experience and all other conditions required by the employer.

Other additional documents may be needed for stay and work permits that do not require a labour market test or the opinion of the Croatian Employment Service pursuant to Article 110 of the Aliens Act (e.g. key personnel in companies, self-employment in a company/sole trade in which they hold an ownership share of at least 51%, EU Blue Card, intra-corporate transferees, service providers, volunteers, trainees, crew members, etc.).

More information can be found here.

Third-country nationals must not be subject to an entry and stay ban in the Republic of Croatia and must have no alert been issued in SIS for the purpose of banning their entry. Third-country nationals must not be considered to constitute a threat to public policy, national security or public health.

Third-country nationals may work in the Republic of Croatia only for the jobs for which they have been granted a stay and work permit or a work registration certificate and only with the employers with which they have entered into employment.

If a third-country national requires a visa to enter the Republic of Croatia after the stay and work permit has been approved, he/she needs to apply for a long-term visa (visa D) in a diplomatic mission/consular office of the Republic of Croatia, or at a diplomatic mission, namely the Consulate office of another State with which the Republic of Croatia has concluded a visa representation agreement.

3 days after the entry into the territory, third-country nationals need to register their stay and provide an address at the police station/police administration.

Third-country nationals will be invited to give biometric data at the police station/police administration once on the territory of Croatia in order to be issued a biometric residence permit (within 30 days after the issuance of a long-stay visa).

In the event of termination of an employment contract or another relevant contract and when the conditions on the basis of which the residence permit was granted no longer exist, the third-country national has to inform the police administration, or the police station, within 15 days from the date of the occurrence of these circumstances.

No appeal shall be admissible against the decision of the Ministry.

However, an administrative judicial dispute may be instituted against all decisions (first application, non renewal or revocation) in line with the Act on Administrative Disputes, Official Gazette, 20/10, 143/12, 152/14, 94/16, 29/17 and 110/21.

All written negative decisions shall include instructions on the legal remedy that shall inform: of the possibility to lodge an administrative judicial dispute against the decision, before which body, in what time limit and in which manner.

Which are the competent courts?

Administrative courts (Administrative court in Zagreb, Administrative Court in Split, Administrative court in Rijeka, Administrative court in Osijek).

In line with the Act on Administrative Disputes, Official Gazette, 20/10, 143/12, 152/14, 94/16, 29/17 and 110/21, the administrative dispute shall be submitted to the court within 30 days after the delivery of the written individual decision (first application, non renewal or revocation), if not otherwise prescribed.

In the event of termination of an employment contract or other relevant contract and when the conditions on the basis of which stay and work permit was granted no longer exist, the employer and the third-country national are obliged to inform the police administration or police within 15 days from the date of the occurrence of those circumstances.

The police department or police station will take a decision on the termination of the work and stay permit if the conditions under which the work and stay permit was granted ceased to exist.

In the procedure of extending the stay and work permit, third-country nationals can request a different type of permit (from employed worker to self-employed, from work to family reunification, etc.) and the application can be submitted within the territory if the stay and work permit is still valid.

Third-country nationals who are granted a permanent stay status may work in the Republic of Croatia without a stay and work permit.

Temporary residence for family reunification may be granted to a member of the family of a third-country national who has been issued a stay and work permit (except for family members of holders of a residence and work permit issued on the basis of the opinion of the Croatian Employment Service (there is a waiting period of 1 year)).

Further information and procedure on family reunification can be found here and here.

A long-term residence may be granted to a third-country national under general conditions for acquiring long-term residence.

The following periods shall not be included in the time required for granting long-term residence: 1. stay on the basis of an issued stay and work permit for seasonal workers; 2. stay on the basis of an issued stay and work permit for service providers; 3. temporary stay granted to posted workers; 4. stay on the basis of an issued stay and work permit for volunteers; 5. stay on the basis of an issued stay and work permit for trainees; 6. stay on the basis of an issued stay and work permit for intra-corporate transferees and their family members; 7. stay on the basis of an issued stay and work permit for other essential personnel, as defined by the Protocol of Accession of the Republic of Croatia to the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade Organisation, as well as their family members; 8. stay on the basis of an issued stay and work permit for frontier workers.