Before you start

A Croatian employer prepared to run the labour market test, or another qualifying ground
An OIB, obtained from the Tax Administration
Address registration with the police within three days of entering Croatia
Proof of accommodation, means of support and health insurance
Criminal record certificate, legalised and translated into Croatian

Step-by-step

1
Get the OIB early — it gates everything
The Osobni identifikacijski broj is issued by the Tax Administration and is required for a lease, a bank account, a utility contract and employment. Foreigners can obtain one, and doing it in the first days rather than the first month unblocks the rest of the sequence.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Register your address with the police within three days
Croatian law requires foreign nationals to register their address within three days of entry, and again on every move. Registered accommodation does it for you; in a private flat you and the landlord do it at the police administration with the lease and property documents.
In personWho: YouWithin 3 days of entry
3
Employer runs the labour market test and obtains the HZZ opinion
Unless the occupation is on the shortage list or another exemption applies, the employer must advertise and obtain a positive opinion from the Croatian Employment Service. Since June 2026 a permit granted on such a test is valid only in the administrative zone where the test was run.
Via employerWho: Your employer
4
Apply for the combined residence and work permit
The application goes to the police administration or, from abroad, through a Croatian mission. Standard processing lengthened to 90 days on 4 June 2026, extendable by a further 30 days for complex cases. Plan against that rather than against the older 30 to 60 days.
In personWho: You90 days standard
5
Book the A1.1 Croatian exam before your first renewal
Since June 2026, renewing a work and residence permit after a year of residence requires a Croatian language certificate at level A1.1. It is a basic level but it is a real examination with a fee and a booking queue, and it falls due precisely when your permit is expiring. Start it months ahead.
In personWho: You
6
Track the five-year permanent residence clock
Permanent residence follows five years of continuous lawful residence, with an examination in Croatian language, culture and social order. Keep the permits continuous; a gap resets the clock and the exam is more demanding than the A1.1 renewal test.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport
OIB certificate
Employment contract and the HZZ opinion
Lease and address registration confirmation
Criminal record certificate, legalised and translated into Croatian
Health insurance and proof of means
A1.1 Croatian language certificate, from the first renewal onward

Things most newcomers don’t know

The June 2026 amendments made work permits geographically bounded, which is entirely new.

A permit granted on the basis of a labour market test is now valid only in the administrative zone where that test was conducted, and shortage-occupation permits only in zones listing that occupation as short. Before June 2026 a Croatian work permit was a national document. Someone planning to take a Zagreb job and later move to Split, or to work remotely from the coast, needs to understand that the permit may not travel with them.

Source: Croatian Aliens Act amendments, in force 4 June 2026

The A1.1 language exam at renewal is new, basic, and consistently underestimated.

From June 2026 a foreign national renewing a work and residence permit after a year of residence must produce a Croatian language certificate at A1.1. That is a low level — greetings, numbers, basic transactions — but it is an examination administered by approved providers, with a fee and a waiting list, and it becomes due at the same moment your permit expires. Booking it in month eight rather than month eleven is the whole difference.

Source: Croatian Aliens Act amendments, in force 4 June 2026

The nomad permit's tax exemption is a statutory provision, not a policy — and it is narrower than the marketing.

Article 9 of the Personal Income Tax Act excludes from Croatian income tax the receipts of someone with digital nomad status from dependent or independent work for an employer not registered in Croatia. It survives the 183-day tax residence trigger, which is genuinely unusual. What it does not do is exempt passive income, exempt anyone without the status, or apply to a person on an ordinary work permit. The status also builds nothing toward permanent residence and requires six months out of Croatia before you can hold it again.

Source: Croatian Personal Income Tax Act, Article 9

Employer mobility improved sharply in June 2026 and it is one of the few unambiguously good changes.

Previously changing employer meant obtaining a new permit or a separate approval. Since 4 June 2026 a foreign worker may change employer after six months of employment. There are also grace periods after job loss — three months for someone with under two years on a permit, six months beyond that, and an additional three months for workers subjected to exploitation. That combination materially reduces the dependence on a single employer that makes work permits elsewhere in the region so precarious.

Source: Croatian Aliens Act amendments, in force 4 June 2026

Common mistakes to avoid

Missing the three-day address registration deadline on entry or after moving.
Assuming a work permit is valid nationwide after the June 2026 territorial restriction.
Leaving the A1.1 language exam booking until the permit is nearly expired.
Planning against the old 30 to 60 day processing time rather than the current 90 days.
Believing the nomad tax exemption extends to an ordinary Croatian job or to passive income.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.