Temporary stay of digital nomads

A DIGITAL NOMAD IS a third-country national (this means a non EU/EEA/Swiss citizen) who is employed or performs work through communication technology for a company or his own company that is not registered in the Republic of Croatia and does not perform work or provide services to employers in the Republic of Croatia.
 
Temporary stay is granted for up to a year (possibly even less) and it cannot be extended. A new application for regulating a stay of digital nomads can be submitted 6 months after the expiry of the previously granted temporary stay of digital nomads.
 
Close family members of a digital nomad who has been granted temporary stay in the Republic of Croatia may join them in the Republic of Croatia (see temporary stay for the purpose of family reunification). 

This includes “common law marriage” partners (non married couples who have been together for longer than 3 years in a childless couple, and shorter if they have a child together). Proof must be provided that they have been together for at least 3 years, through a statement, joint rental agreements, witness statements and other supporting documentation that clearly shows your long term relationship.
 
APPLYING FOR TEMPORARY STAY

You can submit the application online. It will be forwarded to the competent police administration/station according to the location of your intended stay in the Republic of Croatia. 

You will receive automatic confirmation that we have received your application and will then hear later from your case worker who will review the application and may request further documentation.

The application can also be submitted to the competent authority depending on whether a third-country national is or isn’t required to hold a visa to enter the Republic of Croatia (see Information on the visa system).
 
IF YOU ARE REQUIRED TO HOLD A VISA TO ENTER THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA:

If you are submitting your application in person, you can submit it abroad at the embassy or consulate of the Republic of Croatia (see list of diplomatic missions/consular posts).
We advise you to contact the competent embassy or consulate in advance for more information on potential restrictions in the work of diplomatic missions/consular posts due to the epidemiological measures in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

IF YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO HOLD A VISA TO ENTER THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA:

If you are submitting your application in person, you can submit it at the embassy or consulate of the Republic of Croatia or at the competent police administration/police station according to your temporary residence address (see the list of police administrations/police stations or you can contact the competent police administration/police station for further information on submitting your application in compliance with the epidemiological measures in force due to the COVID-19 epidemic). 
 
APPLICATION AND DOCUMENTATION

Copies of documents should be submitted in the Croatian or English language.
 
1. If you are submitting your application in person, you have to fill in Form 1a (bilingual form), or you can submit your application online.

The following should be enclosed to the application:

2. copy of a valid travel document (i.e. passport) (period of validity of a travel document must be three months longer than the period of validity of intended stay)

3. proof of health insurance for the period of time that you plan to be in Croatia (travel or private health insurance must cover the territory of the Republic of Croatia)

4. proof of purpose (a contract of employment or other document such as a signed official letter proving that the person performs work through communication technology for a foreign employer or your own company which is not registered in the Republic of Croatia), that is

● statement from the employer or third-country national (as proof that the person performs work through communication technology), and          

● contract of employment or service contract with a foreign employer, or

● copy of the registration of your own company with the relevant bodies (either tax or business court) and proof that you perform the said tasks through your own company          

5. proof of means of subsistence (money to support yourself) during your stay in the Republic of Croatia

You can submit:

a bank statement showing you have the total amount required for the year OR

a bank statement showing proof of regular income to the required monthly amount OR

payslips for the last six months showing the required monthly amount 

These must be clearly labelled and submitted as a .pdf file.

Pursuant to the Regulation on the manner of calculating and the amount of means of subsistence for third-country nationals in the Republic of Croatia (Official Gazette no. 14/21), which entered into force on 13 February 2021, third-country nationals who are regulating their temporary stay as digital nomads are required to have the amount corresponding to at least 2.5 average monthly net salaries paid for the previous year, in accordance with the official data published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics. 

This amount is increased by 10% of the average monthly net salary for each additional family member or life partner or informal life partner. 

Currently, the amount required on a monthly basis is a minimum of 2.870,00 EUR which can be shown through a bank statement showing proof of regular income or payslips for the last six months. 

Alternatively, if you intend to stay in the Republic of Croatia for 12 months, you can provide proof that you have a minimum of 34.440,00 EUR already available in your account.

6. proof that you have not been convicted of criminal offences from your home country or a country in which you have resided for more than one year immediately before arriving in the Republic of Croatia - this must be a legalised document (see Information on the legalization of documents). 


7. provide address in the Republic of Croatia.


When submitting your application and filling in your form, you will be required to provide your address of stay or of intended stay in the Republic of Croatia. 

This is important for determining the police administration/police station which is locally competent for processing your application. If this is the first time you are applying and you do not have an address in the Republic of Croatia, you can provide a temporary address as the address of your intended stay (hostel/hotel if you have a reservation/confirmed reservation of accommodation).
 
Documents attached to the application for temporay stay for digital nomads (proof of health insurance, proof of means of subsistence, proof of purpose, proof that you have not been convicted of criminal offences) must be submitted in Croatian or English (the translation into Croatian or English must be by an authorized translator) and must clearly state the currency in which funds are stated.   
 
 
AFTER YOU RECEIVE NOTIFICATION ON GRANTED TEMPORARY STAY

IF YOU ARE REQUIRED TO HOLD A VISA TO ENTER THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA:

Once you are informed that your temporary stay was granted, you have to contact the embassy or consulate once again to obtain a visa to enter the Republic of Croatia or a biometric residence permit (please inquire beforehand about this possibility at the embassy/consulate). You can also submit your visa application online. All other information about visas is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

You will have to submit an application for a Category D visa
 
NOTE: Third-country nationals are obligated to register their temporary residence address at a police administration/police station within 30 days from being granted temporary stay or obtaining the Category D visa, or otherwise their temporary stay will be revoked.

IF YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO HOLD A VISA TO ENTER THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA: 

You are not required to take the steps described above and you can enter the Republic of Croatia in line with the provisions of the Aliens Act.  
 
UPON ARRIVAL IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA - REGISTERING TEMPORARY RESIDENCE ADDRESS AND ISSUANCE OF A BIOMETRIC RESIDENCE PERMIT 

REGISTERING TEMPORARY RESIDENCE ADDRESS

Third-country nationals are obligated to register their temporary residence address within 3 days from their entry in the Republic of Croatia at the competent police administration/police station according to the location of their stay.

You can do this by filling in Form 16a and enclosing one of the following:

- a lease contract (with the landlord)

- a title deed

- a statement from the property owner for his/hers family members to register their residence.

This either has to be done with the landlord present or by having the documents notarised.
 
ISSUANCE OF A BIOMETRIC RESIDENCE PERMIT

All third-country nationals have to obtain a residence permit - biometric card (must provide photos and biometric data) in person at a police administration/police station (see more information about the rules on photo size and quality).

COSTS 

If the application is submitted at a diplomatic mission/consular post - the costs are paid when applying

● 55,74 EUR  for granting temporary stay, and

● 93,00 EUR for the long-term visa (visa D) (if you submit your visa application through the VFS visa center, you will be charged an additional fee for the service) or

● 41,14 EUR for the biometric residence card (check with the diplomatic mission/consular post about the possibility of obtaining the card).
 
If the application is submitted at a police administration/police station - the costs are paid after the stay is granted

● 46,45 EUR for granting temporary stay, and

● 9,29 EUR for administrative fees for the issuance of the biometric residence permit and 31,85 EUR for the biometric residence card (59,73 EUR for accelerated procedure). 

PAYMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE FEES ONLINE

ADMINISTRATIVE FEE FOR TEMPORARY RESIDENCE

The payment of administrative fees for temporary stay via Internet banking (46,45 EUR) is made to the state budget account, IBAN: HR1210010051863000160, model: HR64, reference number: 5002-713-OIB (OIB of the person for whom the administrative fee is being paid, if OIB has been assigned).

Persons who have not been assigned an OIB will have to enter the following reference number: 5002-713-number of a valid travel document.

IMPORTANT: a maximum of 10 numbers, and if the number initially contains zeros (0), they are omitted. NO letter marks, slashes, full stops, commas, etc. are entered.

For example, if the number of the travel document / identity card of a foreign national is AZ004586, then the reference number is: 5002-713-4586 (without letters and zeros, a maximum of ten numbers).

FOR INTERNATIONAL PAYMENTS YOU WILL NEED THE BIC/SWIFT CODE WHICH IS NBHRHR2XXXX
 
FEES FOR BIOMETRIC RESIDENCE PERMIT

a) The payment of a fee for a biometric residence permit via Internet banking in the amount of 31,85 EUR (59,73 EUR  for accelerated procedure) is made to the state budget account, IBAN: HR1210010051863000160, model: HR65, reference number: 7005-485-OIB (OIB of the person for whom the payment is being made). 

Those who have not been assigned an OIB will have to enter the following reference number: 7005-485-RKP-case number.

b) The payment of an administrative fee for the biometric residence permit via Internet banking in the amount of 9,29 EUR is made to the state budget account, IBAN:  HR1210010051863000160, model: HR64, reference number: 5002-713-OIB.

Those who have not been assigned an OIB will have to enter the following reference number: 5002-713-number of a valid travel document.

IMPORTANT: a maximum of 10 numbers, and if the number initially contains zeros (0), they are omitted. NO letter marks, slashes, full stops, commas, etc. are entered.
 
FOR INTERNATIONAL PAYMENTS YOU WILL NEED THE BIC/SWIFT CODE WHICH IS NBHRHR2XXXX

Proof of online banking payment can then be sent to your case worker in the form of a .pdf document.