January 01, 2024
As a general note, citizens of India must obtain a visa to enter and stay in Republic of Croatia. You can apply for a visa after the application for a residence and work permit is officially approved.
Work permit and temporary residence
Temporary residence for the purpose of work is issued as a residence and work permit for a period of validity of up to one year (with the possibility of extension).
An application for a residence and work permit may be submitted by a third-country national or the employer.
A citizen of India who intends to enter Republic of Croatia submits the application at the diplomatic mission/consular office of Republic of Croatia in India:
New Delhi, A-15 West End, 110021
Mumbai, A/52, Darshan Apartments, Mt. Pleasant Road, 4000006
Kolkata, Poddar Court 9th Floor, Gate No. 1, 18 Rabindra Sarani, 700001
The employer may submit this application for an employee at the police administration or police station according to:
- the place of intended residence of the worker,
- labor of a third-country national,
- the seat of the employer.
The general conditions for granting temporary residence for the purpose of work are as follows:
Proof of purpose of temporary residence
An employment contract with an employer in Croatia must be submitted as proof of purpose.
There is a minimum wage in Croatia and every employee must not have a monthly salary less than that amount. The Croatian minimum wage in 2024 is 840,00 eur gross.
Valid travel document
The period of validity of a foreign travel document must be at least 3 months longer than the period of validity of the temporary stay.
Means of support
The third-country national must have a monthly support allowance of at least 50% of the average monthly net salary paid in the previous year. The average monthly paid net salary per employee in legal entities in Republic of Croatia for May 2023 amounted to 1133,00 EUR.
This can be proved by some of the following documents:
- 6 consecutive payrolls, or
- tax report, or
- pension statement, or
- employment contract if employed less than 3 months, or
- a bank receipt with deposited money (x12).
4. Health insurance
It is necessary to enclose proof of private health insurance, including travel insurance (health and travel insurance contract), and after arriving in Republic of Croatia, after an approval of temporary residence permit, they are obliged to contact the competent Croatian Employment Service office to determine the right to health insurance.
It is advisable to sign an insurance contract with an insurance company in India and take this contract (insurance policy) to Croatia as proof before determining your right to health insurance with Croatian Employment Service.
Criminal non-conviction
It is necessary to enclose a certified excerpt obtained by the competent administrative or judicial body of the home country proving that the applicant has not been criminally convicted. This excerpt (proof of impunity) needs to be translated into Croatian and certified by an apostille.
There is no ban on entry and stay in Republic of Croatia and does not pose a threat to public order or national security
Evidence necessary for this is obtained by the competent police administration or police station.
Other mandatory conditions
Labor market test
In Republic of Croatia, two employment systems apply to foreign workers:
Issuance of a residence and work permit by conducting a labor market test,
Issuance of a residence and work permit without conducting a labor market test.
The labor market test, conducted by the Croatian Employment Service (CES), refers to the verification of the situation in the register of unemployed persons and the mediation procedure in order to employ workers from the national labor market. CES informs the employer about the result of this test within 15 days from when the application was submitted. Therefore, if there are unemployed workers in Croatia who correspond to the profile of workers from India, a Croatian worker will have an advantage in employment, which means a third-country national will not be able to stay and work in Croatia.
The labor market test is not conducted for:
Occupations that are on the list of the Croatian Employment Service (these are usually physical jobs such as bricklayer, stonemason, carpenter, baker, butcher, waiter, cook, locksmith, tinsmith, etc.),
Jobs in agriculture, forestry, catering and tourism for work lasting up to 90 days,
Special categories of work, such as key personnel in companies, self-employment in own company, EU blue card, persons transferred within the company.
Mandatory pinion of the Croatian Employment Service
In both cases of employment (with or without a labor market test), obtaining a residence and work permit in Croatia requires a positive opinion from the Croatian Employment Service, which is obtained if the following conditions are met:
That the employer’s company performs economic activity – company must be registered in the court registry in Croatia,
That the employer has settled obligations regarding income tax and contributions for compulsory insurance,
That in the last six months it has employed at least one worker who is a citizen of Republic of Croatia or a citizen of an EEA Member State or the Swiss Confederation for an indefinite and full-time period in Republic of Croatia,
That the employer has not been convicted of criminal offenses in the field of labor relations and social security,
That the number of employees who are citizens of Republic of Croatia or citizens of an EEA Member State or the Swiss Confederation must not be less that ¼ of the total number of employees.
All these five abovementioned conditions are obtained by the competent authorities.
Temporary residence for the purpose of stay of a digital nomad
A digital nomad is a third-country national 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 residence for the purpose of stay of digital nomads is granted for up to one year (with the possibility of extension).
If a citizen of India intends to enter Republic of Croatia, the application for temporary residence for the purpose of stay of a digital nomad is submitted to the diplomatic mission / consular office of the Republic of Croatia in India:
New Delhi, A-15 West End, 110021
Mumbai, A/52, Darshan Apartments, Mt. Pleasant Road, 4000006
Kolkata, Poddar Court 9th Floor, Gate No. 1, 18 Rabindra Sarani, 700001
The general conditions for granting temporary residence for the purpose of stay of digital nomads are as follows:
Valid travel document
The period of validity of a foreign travel document must be at least 3 months longer than the period of validity of the temporary stay.
Means of support
A digital nomad in Croatia must have at least 2.5 average monthly net salary paid for the previous year.
This can be proved by some of the following documents:
- bank account excerpt,
- 6 consecutive payrolls,
- employment contract,
- tax report,
- pension statement.
Proof of purpose of temporary residence
This can be proved by some of the following documents:
Employment contract with a foreign employer (India or a third country) or with an own company which is not registered in Croatia, or
a statement from the employer that the work is done through information technology.
Temporary residence for the purpose of stay of a digital nomad
A digital nomad is a third-country national 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 residence for the purpose of stay of digital nomads is granted for up to one year (with the possibility of extension).
If a citizen of India intends to enter Republic of Croatia, the application for temporary residence for the purpose of stay of a digital nomad is submitted to the diplomatic mission / consular office of the Republic of Croatia in India:
New Delhi, A-15 West End, 110021
Mumbai, A/52, Darshan Apartments, Mt. Pleasant Road, 4000006
Kolkata, Poddar Court 9th Floor, Gate No. 1, 18 Rabindra Sarani, 700001
The general conditions for granting temporary residence for the purpose of stay of digital nomads are as follows:
Valid travel document
The period of validity of a foreign travel document must be at least 3 months longer than the period of validity of the temporary stay.
Means of support
A digital nomad in Croatia must have at least 2.5 average monthly net salary paid for the previous year.
This can be proved by some of the following documents:
- bank account excerpt,
- 6 consecutive payrolls,
- employment contract,
- tax report,
- pension statement.
Proof of purpose of temporary residence
This can be proved by some of the following documents:
Employment contract with a foreign employer (India or a third country) or with an own company which is not registered in Croatia, or a statement from the employer that the work is done through information technology.
If you are in search for a Croatian lawyer feel fee to contact us at:
