Guide for workers
From India to Croatia
A quick guide for workers from India: how many already live here, and how to settle in fast.
In numbers
Citizens of India in Croatia
Official figures from the Croatian Ministry of the Interior, also published by Eurostat.
Citizens of India with a valid Croatian residence permit
10,804
on 31 December 2025-7% vs 2024
First residence permits issued to citizens of India in 2025
4,427
roughly the number of new arrivals that year
Work and residence permits issued to citizens of India in 2025
15,400
including renewals and seasonal work, so one person can hold more than one
Show the figures as a table
| Year | With a valid residence permit |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 810 |
| 2020 | 901 |
| 2021 | 1,300 |
| 2022 | 3,833 |
| 2023 | 7,389 |
| 2024 | 11,606 |
| 2025 | 10,804 |
How to settle in quickly
The steps that make the first weeks easier, in the order you’ll need them.
Before you travel
Permit first, then the visa
Your employer applies for your residence and work permit in Croatia. Once it’s approved, apply in person for a long-stay (D) visa at the Croatian Embassy in New Delhi or a VFS Global centre (New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru or Hyderabad), no earlier than three months before and no later than three months after your permit starts. The visa fee is €93, plus the VFS service fee.
Get your documents ready
For the visa you’ll need your passport, photos, a copy of your permit, travel health insurance covering at least €30,000 for your first 30 days, and an Indian police clearance certificate apostilled by the MEA.
Check anyone who recruits you in India
Croatia isn’t an ECR country, so you don’t need emigration clearance on eMigrate. But anyone recruiting in India for jobs abroad needs an MEA licence: look them up in the list of active recruiting agents on eMigrate. Indian law currently caps their fee at ₹30,000 plus GST, and Polaris charges candidates nothing.
Plan the journey
There are no direct flights between India and Croatia, so most workers change planes in Doha, Dubai or Istanbul. Keep your passport, visa, permit and contract in your hand luggage.
Your first days in Croatia
Register your address within 15 days
Go in person to the police station for the area where you live and register your address (form 16a) within 15 days of arriving. Bring your passport and your rental contract or the owner’s written consent. The police also give you your OIB, the personal identification number you’ll need for your bank, doctor and payslip.
Apply for your residence card
At the same police station, apply for your biometric residence card; if you came on a visa, do it at the latest within 30 days of the visa’s start date. Bring your passport and a 3 × 3.5 cm colour photo; your fingerprints are taken there. The fees are €31.85 (€59.73 for the fast service) plus €9.29. Once you have the card, carry it with you.
Need your OIB sooner?
If you need your OIB before you register, for example to open a bank account, you can request it from the Tax Administration by e-mail. It takes up to 8 days.
Your first month
Health insurance and a family doctor
Your employer must register you with the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO) within 8 days, and you’re insured from your first working day; ask your employer when your health card will arrive. Then choose a family doctor (liječnik obiteljske medicine) at their surgery or at an HZZO office: they write prescriptions, referrals and sick notes. Supplementary insurance (dopunsko) costs €15 a month and covers the co-payments.
Open a bank account
Your salary must be paid into a bank account, so open one as soon as you have your OIB. Banks usually ask for your passport, OIB and residence card or permit. Everyone living legally in the EU has the right to a basic account.
Know your pay day
Each month’s salary must be paid by the 15th of the following month, with a payslip showing how it was calculated. Your employer deducts income tax and contributions. Keep every payslip: one that shows unpaid pay can be enforced like a court order.
Life in Croatia
Register with the Indian Embassy
The Embassy of India in Zagreb asks Indians staying long-term to register with it by e-mail. It renews passports, issues emergency certificates and has a community welfare officer for workers in difficulty. For problems such as unpaid wages you can also file a complaint on the MEA’s MADAD portal.
Temples, churches and festivals
ISKCON has a temple in Zagreb that serves vegetarian prasadam, Bhakti Marga has one in Split, and Yoga in Daily Life and Art of Living run centres in many towns. Zagreb has held a Ratha Yatra every year since 2016, and St. Blaise’s Church in Zagreb has Masses in English and Malayalam.
Driving
Always carry your original Indian licence: digital licences and copies are not accepted. If you stay longer than a year, exchange it for a Croatian licence at the police within your first year.
Calling home
India is 3½ hours ahead of Croatia in summer and 4½ hours ahead in winter.
Learn some Croatian
A few words go a long way at work and in shops. The University of Zagreb has free online courses (levels A1 and A2), and the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) co-funds Croatian courses for workers through vouchers. From 4 June 2027, renewing a permit after a year in Croatia will require a basic Croatian exam (A1.1), paid for by your employer. Seasonal workers and speakers of South Slavic languages don’t need to take it.
Get ready for winter
Inland winters are cold: January in Zagreb averages around 0 °C, with frost on most nights. The coast is milder, around 8 °C in Split, but can be windy. A warm jacket and waterproof shoes make the first winter much easier.
Travelling in Europe
Your residence card lets you visit other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, but your work permit is valid only in Croatia.
Planning to stay longer?
After five years of continuous legal stay you can apply for long-term residence (dugotrajni boravak). You’ll need Croatian at B1 level, and time spent on seasonal permits doesn’t count.
Your rights
A written contract
Your employment contract must be in writing. If it isn’t in a language you understand, ask for a translation before you sign, and keep your own copy.
Minimum wage: €1,050
In 2026 the minimum wage for full-time work is €1,050 a month gross, roughly €800 after tax. Overtime, night work and work on Sundays and public holidays are paid extra.
Decent accommodation
Housing provided by your employer must meet minimum standards: at least 14 m² for one person and 6 m² for each additional person, no more than eight workers per flat, separate bedrooms for men and women, and water, heating and a kitchen. Rent can be at most 30% of your net pay and must never be deducted from your salary automatically.
You never pay for a job
By law, employment agencies in Croatia must not charge workers. If your employer paid the fee for your permit, they can’t ask you to pay it back, and the Croatian exam is paid for by the employer too.
Changing employer
After six months you can move to a new employer without a new permit, or sooner if your pay is late or your employer faces labour proceedings. If your job ends, tell the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) within 5 days, or your permit can be cancelled. You then have 3 months to find a new job, or 6 if you’ve had your permit for more than two years.
Where to get help
Report unpaid wages or unsafe work to the State Inspectorate; your identity is kept confidential. The Ombudsperson has a leaflet on your rights in 11 languages, including Hindi, Nepali, Bengali and Filipino, and the Centre for Peace Studies gives free legal advice in Zagreb.
Polaris does not charge candidates for employment mediation. If anyone asks you for money for a job in Croatia in our name, please tell us. How to check an offer
Useful contacts
Embassy of India, Zagreb
Bijenik 152B, 10000 Zagreb. Passports, emergency certificates and help for Indian citizens.
Emergency: 112
Any emergency, free and 24 hours a day. Operators speak English, and you can also send an SMS. Police 192, fire brigade 193, ambulance 194.
State Inspectorate (labour inspection)
Report unpaid wages, unpaid overtime or unsafe work. Your identity is kept confidential.
Centre for Peace Studies
Free legal advice on residence and work rights in Zagreb, also in English.
Polaris Recruiting
Questions about your job offer, documents or arrival? Write to us. We’re here after you start work, too.
Contact us
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check with the institution concerned or ask us before making important decisions. Information checked on 24 September 2026.
Let’s talk about your needs
Are you looking for workers for your business or interested in employment opportunities in Croatia? Get in touch with us.