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Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Croatian passport
A Croatian passport proves your identity and citizenship and is issued for travel abroad.
If your passport is lost or unavailable abroad, a consulate can issue a temporary document for your return to Croatia, normally for the time needed and no longer than 30 days.
Live in Croatia for life
Croatian citizenship gives you the right to live in Croatia indefinitely, with no waiting period.
You do not need to apply for permanent residence, and moving abroad does not by itself end your citizenship.
Study in Croatia
Croatian citizens can study in Croatia, although course requirements still apply.
Work in Croatia
Croatian citizens can work for an employer or run a business in Croatia without a work permit.
The usual rules for a particular profession still apply.
Get help abroad
Croatian missions and consulates offer passports and other help abroad.
Where Croatia has no accessible representation, you can also seek consular protection from another EU country.
Vote in elections
Croatian citizens can vote from age 18 in parliamentary, presidential, local, regional and European Parliament elections.
Use public healthcare
People with permanent residence and certain workers or residents must have Croatian health insurance.
It covers primary, specialist and hospital care, medicines, sick-pay-related payments and certain travel and accommodation costs.
Citizenship alone does not provide coverage.
How to apply
Applying at a local officeApplying at a local office
Find your police office
Find the police administration or police station responsible for the place where you are allowed to stay in Croatia.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Croatian police administration or police station handles citizenship applications for your city?”
Download the application form
Download the adult naturalisation application form and questionnaire from the Ministry of the Interior’s forms page.
Download the formsFill in the form
Fill in and sign the application form, choosing the reason that applies to you. Complete the questionnaire clearly.
Find form guidanceSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in the Croatian citizenship naturalisation application form and questionnaire as the spouse or life partner of a Croatian citizen?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the police office.
See required documentsHand in your application
Bring your signed application, questionnaire and documents to your police administration or police station and hand them in yourself. If you have a disability, a legal representative or authorised person can hand them in for you.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit a Croatian citizenship naturalisation application at the police office in your city?”
Wait for the decision
The Ministry of the Interior will consider your application. Respond to any requests for more information and wait for the police office to invite you in writing to collect the decision.
See what happens nextSearches DuckDuckGo for “What happens after I submit a Croatian citizenship naturalisation application at a police station?”
Pay the fee
If your application is approved, pay the €139.36 fee for the decision using a general payment slip at a post office, FINA or bank. Keep the proof of payment.
Find payment instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I pay the fee for a Croatian citizenship naturalisation decision at a police station?”
Collect your decision
Return to the police office with your proof of payment to collect your positive decision. You become a Croatian citizen on the day the decision is given to you.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I collect a Croatian citizenship naturalisation decision from the police office in your city?”
Get your citizenship certificate
After your positive decision is given to you, the registrar enters you in the citizens’ book. You can then obtain a Croatian citizenship certificate, called a domovnica, from a registrar’s office in Croatia.
Find certificate instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I get a Croatian citizenship certificate domovnica after naturalisation?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get an extract from your birth register, using the international form where applicable. If you include minor children in your application, bring a birth-register extract for each child too.
Marriage or partnership certificate
Get an extract from the marriage register or, for a registered life partnership, from the Croatian life-partnership register. For an application based on marriage to a Croatian citizen, your marriage must be entered in Croatia’s marriage register.
Spouse or partner’s citizenship
Bring your Croatian spouse or partner’s Croatian citizenship certificate, called a domovnica. If you are applying because your spouse acquired Croatian citizenship through admission considered to be in Croatia’s interest, also bring records showing how your spouse acquired it.
Considerations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Registration when living abroad
If you move abroad permanently, you must deregister your Croatian residence and return your Croatian identity card.
For a temporary absence, you must report it instead, renewing the report after five years and then every three years if you remain abroad.
Military service for men
In 2026, Croatian men born in 2008 or earlier who are not yet registered must register for military service, including those abroad, who must contact a Croatian mission or consulate.
Men are called for training in the calendar year they turn 19.
Those with religious or moral objections can do three months of civil service instead.
Citizenship can be lost
Citizenship can end if you apply to give it up, generally if you have another citizenship or a guarantee of one and meet the conditions.
It ends when the release decision is delivered or when you declare that you are giving it up, depending on the procedure.
It can also be taken away in limited cases.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Croatian Citizenship questions and answers
English Facebook group for people interested in Croatian citizenship
Join on FacebookCiudadanía Croata en Argentina ��
Spanish Facebook group for people interested in Croatian citizenship
Join on FacebookExpats in Zagreb [Official]
English Facebook group for people living in Croatia interested in Croatian local life
Join on FacebookConsultation
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