Croatia - Highly-qualified worker - European Commission

Where and how to apply	A highly qualified third-country national may submit an application for the issuance of a stay and work permit - EU Blue Card at a diplomatic mission or a consular post of the Republic of Croatia or at a police administration or a police station according to his/her place of stay. The application may also be submitted by the employer of the highly qualified third-country national at a police administration or a police station according to the employer’s head office or the third-country national’s place of work.
Fees	The administrative fee for issuing a decision on a residence and work permit is EUR 74,32. The cost for issuing a biometric residence permit (in the form of a card) is EUR 31,85 for the normal procedure or EUR 59,73 for the accelerated procedure. An additional fee of EUR 9,29 should be added when issuing a biometric residence card, both for the normal and accelerated procedure. For the issuance of a stay and work permit (EU Blue Card), the following documents must be enclosed with the application:
Documents required	a copy of the third-country national’s valid travel document; a colour photograph (30x35 mm); evidence of adequate means of supporting himself/herself; 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); a contract of employment for performing highly qualified jobs for and under the direction of another person, in the duration of at least one year, which has been concluded with a company, branch office, representative office, sole trader, family farm, cooperative, association or institution registered in the Republic of Croatia. The enclosed contract of employment shall also include the gross annual salary in the amount of at least 1.5 times the average gross annual salary according to the official data published by the state administration authority competent for statistics; proof of higher education, that is, a diploma, certificate or other proof of formal qualifications issued by a higher education institution recognised in his/her home country (not applicable if the recognition of professional qualifications procedure for regulated professions is needed, pursuant to special legislation); proof that he/she meets the conditions to exercise a regulated profession stipulated in the contract of employment in line with special legislation on professional qualifications, if employing in regulated profession.
Further requirements	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 pose a threat to public policy, national security or public health. The biometric residence permit (card) is issued only on the territory of the Republic of Croatia, in a competent police station/police administration. If a third-country national requires a visa to enter the Republic of Croatia after the stay and work permit was granted, he/she needs to apply for a long-term visa (visa D) in a diplomatic mission/consular office of the Republic of Croatia, or it may be issued by a diplomatic mission, namely the Consulate office of another State with which the Republic Croatia has concluded a visa representation agreement. 3 days after the entry into the territory, third-country nationals need to register a short-term stay and provide their address in a police station/police administration. Third-country nationals will be invited to give biometric data in a police station/police administration once on the territory of Croatia in order to be issued with a biometric residence permit (within 30 days after the issuance of a D-visa).
Duration of validity of permits (EU Blue Card)	A stay and work permit (the EU Blue Card) shall be issued with the term of validity of two years. If an employment contract was concluded for a period of less than two years, the stay and work permit shall be issued for the term of the employment contract increased by three additional months.
Conditions for renewal	A request for renewal of an EU Blue Card is to be submitted at the jurisdictional police administration/station according to the EU Blue Card holder’s place of residence at least 30 days before the expiry of the valid permit.
Appeals	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). The High Administrative Court decides on appeals against judgments and decisions of administrative courts against which appeal is admissible. What are the timelines for making use of the dispute procedures? 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, family reunification, non renewal or revocation), if not otherwise prescribed.
Further information	Where the employment contract or other relevant contract terminates and where other conditions based on which a residence and work permit was issued ceases to exist, an employer and the “EU Blue Card” holder shall be obliged to notify the Police Administration or Police Station within eight days of the occurrence of the circumstances which form the grounds for termination of a residence and work permit.

	EU Blue card holder shall be entitled to: working conditions (the prescribed maximum work periods and minimum rest periods – minimum paid annual leave – increased salary for overtime work – the prescribed protection of health and safety at work – the prescribed prohibition of discrimination – the prescribed protection measures for the work of pregnant women, women who have recently given birth and who are breastfeeding, and minor workers, whereby the said working conditions are guaranteed at the level of rights laid down by the legislation of the Republic of Croatia or collective agreements which are expanded to include all employers); professional development; education and student scholarship, except for state scholarship; social welfare, child benefit; tax relief; access to goods and services market; freedom to associate and affiliate with or to become a member of organisations which represent workers or employers, or organisations whose members perform specific professions including the remunerations by those organisations. An EU Blue Card holder shall be entitled to recognition of his/her diploma and professional qualifications in line with the legislation governing the recognition of foreign qualifications.
Change of employment	An EU Blue Card holder who changes his/her employer within the first two years of his/her stay in the Republic of Croatia shall submit an application for the issuance of a stay and work permit - EU Blue Card at the competent police administration or police station within eight days from the day of termination of employment with his/her initial employer. After a period of 2 years, the EU Blue Card holder shall notify the competent police administration or police station of the change of job within eight days of the change and submit the new employment contract or other relevant contract with the new employer.
Unemployment	In the event of termination of an employment contract when the conditions on the basis of which the temporary stay was granted no longer exist, the employer and the holder of the "EU Blue Card" shall inform the police administration or police within 8 days from the date of occurrence of the circumstances which constitute the reason for the cessation of the work and stay permit. If unemployment occurs up to 3 months at most, the EU Blue Card will not cease, and the third-country national EU Blue Card holder has the right to seek another employment. The work and stay permit issued to the holder of the "EU Blue Card" shall cease if he/she is, during the validity of the "EU Blue Card“, continuously unemployed for more than 3 months or has remained unemployed two or more times.
Change of status	The third-country national to whom the “EU Blue Card” has been issued may change the purpose of the temporary stay, e.g. to family reunification.
Family members	The request for family reunification can be submitted in a diplomatic mission, namely the Consular Office of the Republic of Croatia or in the police administration/police station according to the place of residence. Temporary residence for familiy reunification shall be granted on the same period on which the "EU Blue Card" is issued to the third-country national with whom the reunification in the Republic of Croatia is sought. When applying for temporary stay for the purpose of family reunification, the following documents have to be enclosed: a photograph, a copy of a valid foreign travel document, a residence permit to prove that they resided in the territory of another Member State as family members or life partners (if applicable), proof of health insurance, proof of sufficient means of subsistence, proof that they have not been convicted by a final ruling of any criminal offences in a country where they resided for more than one year immediately prior to arriving in the Republic of Croatia, and to prove marriage: extract from the marriage register; to prove common law partnership: an extract from the birth register for a common child or an adoption decision issued by the competent authority, or an extract from the birth register or a single status certificate, or an extract from the register of common law partnerships, a statement made by the common law partners on their life together, statements made by witnesses about the existence and the duration of the common law partnership, proof of living together in a shared household in the Republic of Croatia or abroad for at least three years immediately prior to submitting the application, or some other proof indicating the existence of a common law partnership and the intention to continue living together; to prove a parental relationship: extract from the birth register or an adoption decision issued by the competent authority. In order to prove the existence of serious personal or humanitarian reasons for family reunification, third-country nationals have to enclose the relevant documents that clearly show their kinship with the person in the Republic of Croatia with whom family reunification is requested and prove the existence of serious personal or humanitarian reasons (extract from the birth register, medical and other documents). The documents required to prove the existence of marriage or common-law partnership equally apply to life partnership or informal life partnership (extract from the birth register or a certificate proving that the applicant is not in a life partnership with another partner, or extract from the register of informal life partnerships). Family members that have been granted a residence permit for the purpose of family reunification with the EU Blue Card holder can work without the need to obtain additional work permits.
Long-term residence	Long-term residence may be granted to an EU Blue Card holder if he/she: possesses an approved EU Blue Card for an uninterrupted period of five years in the Republic of Croatia before submitting the application - exceptionally, long-term residence may be granted to a non-EU national who resided in the territory of another EU country for an uninterupted period of five years as an EU Blue Card holder, out of which at least two years prior to the submission of an application were as an EU Blue Card holder in the Republic of Croatia; possesses a valid foreign travel document; possesses adequate means of supporting himself/herself and health insurance; proves the knowledge of the Croatian language and the Latin script; does not represent any threat to the public order, national safety or public health. Absence from the EEA of up to 12 consecutive or separately up to 18 months shall not affect the uninterrupted period of residence.