The legal conditions for granting temporary or permanent stay to both EEA and non-EEA nationals are regulated by the Foreigners Act (Official Gazette no. 130/11, 74/13, 69/17, 46/18, 53/20).
- Short-term stay (tourist stay) – Allows the person to stay in the Republic of Croatia for up to 3 months (i.e. 90 days) from the day of their entry into the Republic of Croatia in any period of 180 days, on the basis of visa of without the visa. Non-EU nationals must register at the competent police station for the short-term stay in the first two days upon entering to Croatia, while EEA nationals and members of their families do not have this legal obligation.
- Temporary stay - EEA nationals who intend to stay in the Republic of Croatia for more than 3 months shall have to register their temporary stay not later than 8 days following the expiration of their 3-month stay period in an administrative procedure held before the competent police station. Non-EEA nationals who do not need a visa for entering Croatia can submit their temporary residence application to the police administration/police station according to the intended place of residence, employer’s location or place of work, while non-EEA nationals who do need a visa for entering Croatia submit their temporary residence or work and residence application to a diplomatic mission/consular post of Croatia. There are several legal grounds for gaining temporary stay residence: family reunification, work, secondary education and study, scientific research, humanitarian reasons, work of allocated workers and other purposes.
- Permanent stay – Both EEA and non-EEA nationals are entitled to permanent stay after five years of uninterrupted legal stay in the Republic of Croatia, with some exemptions Foreigners’ Act prescribes and grants EEA nationals shorter uninterrupted stay prior to gaining permanent residence permit. It is considered that the applicant for permanent residence permit has resided continuously in Croatia, if during a period of five years (s)he was absent for up to 10 months or up to 6 months at once.
- Residence for EU blue card holders (Highly qualified non-EEA nationals) - the EU Blue Card grants both temporary residence and work permit for Croatia for non-EEA nationals who have employment contract or some other corresponding contract for performing highly-qualified labour, lasting for at least a year and proof of high school education or completed undergraduate and graduate studies or integrated undergraduate and graduate studies or specialist graduate studies.
- Residence permit for non-EEA nationals having permanent residence in another EEA state