Croatia business visa (Schengen C)

Croatian law treats short assignments for a client as work. A work registration certificate valid up to 30 days a year is needed, among others, for staff of an exhibitor working at a fair, employees of a foreign machine manufacturer who deliver, install or service equipment under warranty, trainers who train employees of Croatian companies, and auditors and consultants. A certificate valid up to 90 days covers groups such as lecturers at organised conferences, journalists, crew members and people supervising shipbuilding under export contracts.

The certificate is requested by you or by the Croatian company using your services at the police administration where the work will take place, before the work starts, with the contract and your passport. The administrative fee is EUR 39.82. Simply attending meetings, negotiating or visiting a fair as a visitor does not need it.

The inviting Croatian company completes the letter of guarantee of a legal person on the MVEP form. It is signed by the person authorised to represent the company and bears the company seal. If that representative is a foreign national, they must hold temporary or permanent stay in Croatia covering the period of your visit.

The company attaches proof of its liquidity: the BON 1 or BON 2 financial reports, or a commercial court certificate that no liquidation proceedings have been opened. The mission keeps the original and gives you a copy for the border; alternatively the company deposits the original with MVEP in Zagreb for EUR 18.58.

The visa fee is EUR 90, plus the VFS service fee where applicable, and is not refunded after a refusal. With a certified letter of guarantee you need to show EUR 30 per day; travel medical insurance of at least EUR 30,000 is required for the first trip, and for a multiple-entry visa you sign a statement that you will be insured on later trips.

Book an appointment at the Croatian mission or VFS Global centre responsible for your place of residence, complete the form on crovisa.mvep.hr and bring the guarantee letter, your employer’s letter describing the trip, proof of your position and company, insurance and a return booking. You can apply up to six months ahead and should apply at least 15 days before travel; the decision normally takes 15 calendar days.

Drivers carrying goods or passengers internationally in vehicles registered in a member state attach a request from their national association or trade union stating the purpose, duration and frequency of the journeys.

Appeals are filed in writing through the mission within 15 days of receiving the refusal, in Croatian or, if no Croatian court interpreter exists in the country, in English. The MVEP fee table lists EUR 130 for an appeal. The visa division decides within 60 days; the Administrative Court in Zagreb can review that decision if a claim is filed within 30 days.