How to regulate the status of minor children – third-country nationals in the Republic of Croatia

Pursuant to the provisions of the Aliens Act, minor children – third-country nationals may be granted temporary stay in the Republic of Croatia if they meet the requirements laid down by the Aliens Act and by-laws, for the following purposes:

• Family reunification (for example, minor children whose parents or adoptive parents have been granted temporary/permanent stay or long-term residence are third-country nationals who have been granted protection based on special regulation laying down international protection, or are Croatian nationals). A Parent or a guardian of a child born in the Republic of Croatia has to submit an application for the child’s temporary stay by his or her age of three months. 
  • ATTENTION: Minor children of a third-country national staying in the Republic of Croatia based on a valid stay and work permit granted for a period of one year in line with Article 97 of the Aliens Act (a stay and work permit issued on the basis of the opinion provided by the Croatian Employment Service) may be granted temporary stay for the purpose of family reunification only if a third-country national with whom family reunification in the Republic of Croatia is requested has already been granted temporary stay for at least 1 years.
• Secondary school education (it can be granted to a minor arriving under the student exchange programme approved by the ministry competent for education and science),
• Humanitarian grounds (it can be granted to a minor – a human trafficking victim or a minor – a foreign national who has been abandoned or is a victim of organised crime or has otherwise been deprived of parental protection and care, or has become unaccompanied). Note: an application for temporary stay for this category of minors is submitted by the minor’s guardian in his or her presence
• Other purposes (for example, medical treatment and others – this has to be proved by providing the relevant documentation).

Consent of the other parent is required for granting temporary stay to a minor child, which is given when the parent signs the request and the responsible officer notes down that the parent’s identity has been established. If one of the parents is not present, the consent may be given in a form of a written statement certified by a notary public. No consent is required if only one parent has been given parental care rights.