Immigration
EU free movement plus a demand-led permit system for third-country workers
As an EU and Schengen member, Croatia applies free movement to EU nationals. Third-country nationals rely on the Aliens Act, which since 2021 replaced fixed quotas with a labour-market test administered by the employment service.
Key rules
- Stay and work permits for third-country nationals require a labour-market test unless exempted.
- Digital nomads may obtain temporary stay without a work permit for remote work for foreign employers.
- Permanent residence is generally available after five years of lawful continuous residence.
Governing law
- Aliens Act (Zakon o strancima) (2020)
- Act on Croatian Citizenship
In practice
The abolition of annual quotas made hiring faster, but the employer must still evidence that no suitable domestic candidate was available.