Entry and Residence Requirements
Short Trips for Business or Tourism
A valid passport is required for travel to Croatia. A visa is not required for U.S. passport holders for temporary tourist and business trips up to 90 days (during a six-month period, starting from the day of the first entry). All foreign citizens must register with local police within 24 hours of arrival. Foreigners staying in hotels or other accommodations through a rental company are automatically registered by the hotelier or the rental company. Foreigners can also register at the local Ministry of Interior (Ministarstvo unutarnjih poslova - MUP) office. In Zagreb, MUP office is located at Petrinjska Street 30, tel. +3851-4563-111. Failure to register constitutes a misdemeanor and a violator can be fined.
Temporary Residence
U.S. citizens intending to stay in Croatia for longer than 90 days must apply for temporary residence permit and should contact the Ministry of Interior minimum 30 days prior to expiration of 90 days.
The Law on Foreigners dated January 1, 2008, Amendments to the Law, published in the Official Gazette (“Narodne Novine”) No. 36/2009 on March 23, 2009 and No. 130/11 of January 1, 2012 are regulations pertaining to residence of foreigners in the Republic of Croatia.
Important: If you live in the US and you are planning on staying in Croatian longer than 90 days you must obtain your Initial Temporary Residence Permit at the Croatian Embassy or Consulate in the U.S. You can find more information by clicking here. U.S. citizens already in Croatia can apply for temporary residency for humanitarian reasons or reunification of family members with an asylee or participant in a Croatian government-approved science or education program. In these cases, foreigners must apply in person at the local MUP office and present a copy of their U.S. passport, two photos, birth certificate, marriage or divorce document, a criminal history report - all with Apostille stamp (click here for information on Apostille), and evidence of health insurance, housing, and adequate funding and required Croatian state fee (500,00KN local currency, subject to change).
Criminal history reports are required from the country of citizenship or legal permanent residence. U.S. citizens residing in the U.S. should contact the FBI for a criminal history report (also with Apostille) prior to departing for Croatia. U.S. citizens already in Croatia can mail request and their fingerprints to the FBI on Interpol fingerprint cards as long as the fingerprint sample includes rolled fingerprints of all ten fingers as well as press down prints of all fingers excluding thumbs. Finger printing service is available at the court appointed finger printing expert:
Mr. Tomislav Smolić
Predraga Heruca 6
10000 Zagreb
Landline: +385-1-3830194
Cell: +385-98-510944
Please note there is a fee for services.
You can find Information on the FBI records requests by clicking here.
Marriage of aliens to Croatian nationals or aliens who have been granted permanent stay in the Republic of Croatia, shall no longer be grounds for the acquisition of a permanent stay status.
Please note that further clarification of any regulation pertaining to the status of foreigners in the Republic of Croatia should be sought at the Department for Foreigners of the Ministry of Interior. The Aliens Act, residence application forms as well as explanations regarding all types of residence are available on the official Ministry of Interior website.
Disclaimer: The U.S. Embassy in Croatia takes no responsibility for the accuracy of information in this guide and recommends that applicants for Croatian visas or residency contact the nearest Croatian Embassy or Consulate or the Croatian Ministry of Interior.
For any further details regarding the law, applying for residence permits, list of documents, etc., please see the above Ministry of Interior website or contact the nearest Croatian Embassy/Consulate or police stations, if in Croatia. You may also wish to contact the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs directly at this email adress: stranci@mvep.hr (general inquiries), or the Ministry of Interior at pitanja@mup.hr or javnost@mup.hr (also general email addresses, gets distributed).