Croatia

Croatia visa and residence permit guide

  • 15 visa types
  • checked 24 October 2026

How visas for Croatia work

Croatia has applied the Schengen rules in full since 1 January 2023. Short trips of up to 90 days in any 180-day period therefore use the common Schengen visa (type C), issued by Croatian embassies and consulates for tourism, private visits, business, transit and other short purposes, and the days spent in Croatia are added to days spent in every other Schengen state. The visa fee is EUR 90, decisions are normally taken within 15 calendar days, and travellers must be able to show EUR 70 a day for their stay, or EUR 30 a day if they hold a notarised letter of guarantee or a tourist booking.

Stays longer than 90 days are not visas in Croatian law but residence statuses granted by the Ministry of the Interior (MUP): temporary stay for a stated purpose (family reunification, studies, research, digital nomads, humanitarian or other purposes), a stay and work permit for employment, long-term residence after five years and permanent stay for a few special groups. Nationals who need a visa usually apply at a Croatian mission before travelling and, once the stay is approved, collect a national long-stay visa (type D, EUR 93) to enter and pick up a biometric residence card in Croatia.

Employment almost always starts with the employer. For most jobs the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) runs a labour market test and issues an opinion before the police administration grants the stay and work permit, which can be valid for up to three years. Highly qualified staff (EU Blue Card), intra-corporate transferees, key personnel and owners of at least 51 percent of a Croatian company are exempt from the test but must meet salary, capital or staffing conditions.

Nationals on the EU visa list need a visa for every purpose. Short-stay applications are lodged in person at the Croatian embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence or at a VFS Global visa application centre, which MVEP lists for many countries; where there is neither, at the nearest Croatian mission in another country. Where VFS takes the file, it charges a service fee on top of the visa fee, and the online application form at crovisa.mvep.hr is available in English and several other languages.

Which visa do I need?

Holiday, visiting relatives or friends, meetings, fairs or short medical treatment for up to 90 days: Schengen C visa, EUR 90.

Job offer from a Croatian employer: stay and work permit requested by the employer, usually after an HZZ labour market test; seasonal jobs in tourism, hospitality, agriculture and forestry have their own seasonal permit. Degree-level jobs paying at least 1.5 times the average gross salary: EU Blue Card. Transfer within a multinational group: intra-corporate transfer permit.

Running your own Croatian company or trade (at least 51 percent ownership, EUR 26,544.56 invested, three Croatian employees): stay and work permit for self-employment. Working remotely for a foreign employer or your own foreign company: temporary stay of a digital nomad.

University studies or research under a hosting agreement: temporary stay for studies or research, with no D visa fee. Joining a spouse, partner or parent who lives in Croatia: temporary stay for family reunification.

Owning property in Croatia, attending a Croatian language course or long medical treatment without work: temporary stay for other purposes, up to one year. After five years of legal stay: long-term residence. Fleeing persecution: international protection, claimed at the border or inside Croatia.

Visa types for Croatia

Visits and short stays

  • Tourist visa Short-stay Schengen visa (type C) for tourism

    A holiday in Croatia needs a Schengen C visa if your nationality is on the EU visa list.

    Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted together with all other Schengen states.
  • Family and friends visit visa Short-stay Schengen visa (type C) for a private visit with a letter of guarantee

    Visiting relatives or friends who live in Croatia uses the same Schengen C visa as tourism, but the purpose is proven with a letter of guarantee signed by your host and certified by a notary.

    Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area.

Business and self-employment

  • Business visa Short-stay Schengen visa (type C) for business with a legal-person letter of guarantee

    Meetings, negotiations and visits to Croatian partners use a Schengen C visa backed by a letter of guarantee from the inviting Croatian company.

    Maximum stay: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
  • Self-employed and freelancer visa Stay and work permit for self-employment in one’s own company or trade (samozapošljavanje)

    A foreign national who owns at least 51 percent of a Croatian company or sole trade (obrt) and works in it needs a stay and work permit for self-employment.

    Maximum stay: Stay and work permits are issued for up to three years, depending on the permit; renewable.

Study and training

  • Student visa Temporary stay for the purpose of university studies (privremeni boravak u svrhu studiranja)

    Students admitted to a Croatian higher education institution need temporary stay for the purpose of studies, granted by the Ministry of the Interior for up to one year or for the length of the programme, at most three years.

    Maximum stay: Up to one year or the length of the study programme, at most three years; renewable while studies continue.
  • Researcher visa Temporary stay for the purpose of research (privremeni boravak u svrhu istraživanja)

    Researchers invited by a Croatian research organisation receive temporary stay for research on the basis of a hosting agreement.

    Maximum stay: Up to one year; up to two years for researchers in EU or multilateral mobility programmes; renewable.

Work

  • Work visa Stay and work permit based on the HZZ labour market test (dozvola za boravak i rad)

    Most foreign employees in Croatia work on a single stay and work permit, which covers both residence and a specific job with a specific employer.

    Maximum stay: Up to three years, depending on the contract and type of permit; renewable.
  • Seasonal work visa Stay and work permit for seasonal work (dozvola za boravak i rad za sezonski rad)

    Seasonal jobs in agriculture, forestry, hospitality and tourism are covered by a special stay and work permit.

    Maximum stay: Up to 90 days or up to nine months in a calendar year; multi-season permit valid up to three years.
  • EU Blue Card Stay and work permit – EU Blue Card (plava karta EU-a)

    The EU Blue Card is Croatia’s stay and work permit for highly qualified employees.

    Maximum stay: Up to 48 months; for shorter contracts, the contract period plus three months.
  • Intra-company transfer visa Stay and work permit for intra-corporate transfer (dozvola za boravak i rad za premještaj unutar društva)

    Managers, specialists and trainee employees of a company outside the EU can be transferred to a Croatian branch or group company on an intra-corporate transfer permit.

    Maximum stay: Up to three years for managers and specialists, one year for trainees.
  • Digital nomad visa Temporary stay of digital nomads (privremeni boravak u svrhu boravka digitalnih nomada)

    Croatia grants temporary stay of up to 18 months to digital nomads: non-EU nationals who work through communication technology for a foreign employer or their own company not registered in Croatia, and who do not work for Croatian clients.

    Maximum stay: Up to 18 months; if granted for less, one extension up to 18 months in total.

Family

  • Family reunification visa Temporary stay for the purpose of family reunification (privremeni boravak u svrhu spajanja obitelji)

    Spouses, common-law and life partners, minor children and some parents can join a Croatian citizen or a foreign resident in Croatia on temporary stay for family reunification.

    Maximum stay: Up to two years; for family of other temporary residents, no longer than the sponsor’s own stay.

Residence

  • Residence permit Temporary stay for other purposes (privremeni boravak u druge svrhe)

    Temporary stay for other purposes covers people who want to live in Croatia for more than 90 days without working, studying or joining family: owners of Croatian property, guests staying in licensed accommodation, students of an authorised Croatian language course or patients under treatment.

    Maximum stay: Up to one year; not extendable except for three groups.
  • Permanent residence Long-term residence (dugotrajni boravak, EU long-term resident) and permanent stay (stalni boravak)

    After five years of uninterrupted legal stay, a foreign national can apply for long-term residence, Croatia’s EU long-term resident status, which has no expiry date.

    Maximum stay: Unlimited; the residence card itself is renewed periodically.

Asylum and international protection

  • Asylum and international protection International protection: asylum and subsidiary protection (međunarodna zaštita)

    People who fear persecution or serious harm in their home country can seek international protection in Croatia under the Act on International and Temporary Protection.

    Maximum stay: Right to stay until the procedure ends; asylum residence permit 5 years, subsidiary protection 3 years.

Frequently asked questions

Who needs a visa for Croatia?

Nationals of countries on the EU visa list need a Schengen visa for any stay of up to 90 days, while visa-exempt nationals can stay up to 90 days in 180 without one. Longer stays need a residence approval and, for visa-required nationals, a D visa. A valid two- or multiple-entry Schengen visa, long-stay visa or residence permit issued by another Schengen state also allows a short stay in Croatia within the 90/180-day limit.

Where do I apply for a Croatian visa?

In person at the Croatian embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence or at a VFS Global visa application centre, which MVEP lists for many countries; where there is neither, at the nearest Croatian mission in another country. Apply to Croatia when it is your main destination; the 90/180-day limit counts days in all Schengen states together.

How much does a Croatian visa cost?

EUR 90 for a Schengen C visa or airport transit visa and EUR 93 for a long-stay D visa, according to the MVEP fee table checked on 24 October 2026. Children up to 12 and some other groups are exempt. A VFS service fee is charged on top and the visa fee is not refunded after a refusal.

How much money do I need to show?

Croatia sets EUR 70 per person per day for a short stay, reduced to EUR 30 per day when you hold a notarised letter of guarantee from a Croatian person or company, a tourist booking or a similar document. For residence statuses the amount depends on the purpose; digital nomads, for example, must show EUR 3,622.50 a month.

Can I work in Croatia on a Schengen visa?

No. A visa does not give the right to work. Short assignments such as fair stands, machine installation, lectures or training may require a work registration certificate for up to 30 or 90 days a year, issued by the police administration before work starts; longer employment needs a stay and work permit.

Who decides on residence permits in Croatia?

The Ministry of the Interior through the police administrations and police stations. Applications are lodged at a Croatian mission abroad or, where the law allows, at the police administration responsible for your address in Croatia, which also takes your biometric data and issues the residence card.

Embassies and consulates

Last checked 24 October 2026. Each visa page lists the official sources it is based on.