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HREntry · residence · long-term status

Legal ways to live in Croatia.

Croatia currently offers 5 active paths relevant to remote workers, including a digital nomad visa (income requirement 3,623 EUR/month). Conditions below come from official immigration sources — filter by your citizenship.

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5 legalization paths · 9 sources · official immigration sources only

passport-specific

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5 legalization paths

01

Choose your route

A compact map of every documented option for Croatia. Start with eligibility and duration, then open the full conditions below.

  1. 01Visa-free stay (Schengen 90/180)Getting in · Visa-free stayWho qualifiesUS citizens, UK citizens, Ukrainian citizensDuration3 moNo direct PR path
  2. 02Digital nomad temporary stay (boravak digitalnih nomada)Staying long-term · Digital nomad visaWho qualifiesAll except EU citizensDuration18 moNo direct PR path
  3. 03EU/EEA/Swiss citizens — registration of temporary stayStaying long-term · Special programWho qualifiesEU citizensDuration5 yrs +→ PR path
  4. 04Third-country nationals — temporary stay and work for self-employment / own companyStaying long-term · Business visaWho qualifiesAll except EU citizensDuration1 yr +→ PR path
  5. 05Temporary protection for displaced persons from UkraineStaying long-term · Special programWho qualifiesUkrainian citizensDuration8 mo +No direct PR path

02

Getting in

Who can enter Croatia and on what terms — visa-free windows and entry visas.

01Getting in
Visa-free stayactive

Visa-free stay (Schengen 90/180)

For: US citizens, UK citizens, Ukrainian citizens

Duration
3 months
Path to PR
No

Requirements (3)

03
  1. 01Passport of an EU Annex II visa-exempt country (Reg. 2018/1806); Ukraine and other Eastern Partnership states: biometric passports only
  2. 02Croatia is in the Schengen area (since 2023) — 90 days within any rolling 180-day window, counted across the whole Schengen zone
  3. 03Sufficient funds, accommodation and no entry ban; visa-free entry is conditional, not an unconditional right

03

Staying long-term

Grounds for residence — business, employment, special programs — with the conditions to qualify.

02Staying long-term
Digital nomad visaactive

Digital nomad temporary stay (boravak digitalnih nomada)

For: All except EU citizens

Duration
18 months
Path to PR
No
Family
Included
Fee
56 EUR
Processing
15–60 days
Income requirement
3,623 EUR/month

Requirements (4)

04
  1. 01Third-country national (non-EU/EEA/Swiss) working remotely via technology for an employer or own company NOT registered in Croatia
  2. 02Proof of income ≥ €3,622.50/month for the intended period (6+ months of bank statements or payslips) OR the equivalent savings
  3. 03Valid passport (3+ months beyond intended stay), health insurance covering Croatia, criminal-record clearance (legalised/apostilled), and proof of a Croatian address
  4. 04Apply at a Croatian diplomatic mission/consulate abroad (visa-required nationals, via a long-stay D visa) or in-person/online at a police administration in Croatia (visa-exempt nationals)
03Staying long-term
Special programactive

EU/EEA/Swiss citizens — registration of temporary stay

For: EU citizens

Duration
5 years, renewable
Path to PR
Yes
Family
Included

Requirements (5)

05
  1. 01No visa or permit needed; full labour-market access and self-employment/business (obrt or d.o.o.) on the same terms as Croatian citizens
  2. 02Stays up to 3 months: no registration required (only the general address registration)
  3. 03Stays over 3 months: register temporary stay (Form 1b) at the competent police administration within 8 days of the 3-month mark; a free 'Potvrda o prijavi privremenog boravka' is issued
  4. 04Provide ID/passport, proof of purpose (work/self-employment/study/means), health insurance, sufficient means and accommodation
  5. 05Non-EEA family members apply for a residence card of a family member of a Union citizen (Form 2b)
04Staying long-term
Business visaactive

Third-country nationals — temporary stay and work for self-employment / own company

For: All except EU citizens

Duration
1 year, renewable
Path to PR
Yes
Family
Not included
Fee
74 EUR
Processing
30–90 days
Income requirement
1,449 EUR/month

Requirements (4)

04
  1. 01Establish and majority-own (≥51%) a Croatian company (d.o.o./j.d.o.o.) or register as a sole trader (obrt), with documented investment and local job creation
  2. 02Business plan / corporate-structure audit passed by MUP; declared purpose, address, health insurance and means-of-support checks
  3. 03Stay+work permit combined ('dozvola za boravak i rad'); granted for up to 1 year, renewable
  4. 04Apply at a Croatian mission abroad (visa-required nationals) or in-country where eligible
05Staying long-term
Special programactive

Temporary protection for displaced persons from Ukraine

For: Ukrainian citizens

Duration
8 months, renewable
Path to PR
No
Family
Included

Requirements (3)

03
  1. 01Displaced persons from Ukraine (and certain family members) who left due to the war
  2. 02Register for temporary protection with MUP (Croatia4Ukraine / competent police administration); a temporary-protection ID card is issued
  3. 03Currently extended EU-wide until 2027-03-04; ID-card validity re-verified in person at the police administration

Croatia

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