Guide for workers
From the Philippines to Croatia
A quick guide for workers from the Philippines: how many already live here, and how to settle in fast.
In numbers
Citizens of the Philippines in Croatia
Official figures from the Croatian Ministry of the Interior, also published by Eurostat.
Citizens of the Philippines with a valid Croatian residence permit
13,235
on 31 December 2025+28% vs 2024
First residence permits issued to citizens of the Philippines in 2025
6,100
roughly the number of new arrivals that year
Work and residence permits issued to citizens of the Philippines in 2025
17,629
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 | 621 |
| 2020 | 931 |
| 2021 | 1,529 |
| 2022 | 4,028 |
| 2023 | 6,552 |
| 2024 | 10,369 |
| 2025 | 13,235 |
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, fill in the online visa form and apply in person at the VFS Global Croatia visa centre in Makati City, no earlier than three months before and no later than three months after your permit starts. VFS sends your file to the Croatian Embassy in Jakarta, which covers the Philippines. You pay the €93 visa fee plus the VFS and courier fees.
Get cleared by the DMW
Your job goes through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). Take the online Pre-Employment Orientation Seminar (PEOS) and the Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS), and get your Overseas Employment Certificate through your agency or the DMW. Direct hiring by a foreign employer generally needs a DMW exemption.
Memberships
As an OFW you need OWWA membership (US$25, valid for your contract or up to two years), and SSS, Pag-IBIG and PhilHealth coverage are compulsory.
No placement fee
In October 2025 the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Croatia signed an agreement on hospitality jobs under a government-to-government pilot programme, and news reports say workers hired through it pay no placement fee. Polaris charges candidates nothing for any job, and you can report anyone who asks you for a fee to the DMW.
Plan the journey
There are no direct flights between the Philippines and Croatia; the usual routes go via Doha or Istanbul. Keep your passport, visa, permit, contract and OEC 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
Your embassy and consulates
The Philippine Embassy in Vienna covers Croatia, and the Migrant Workers Office in Vienna has a desk for OFWs in Croatia. There are also Philippine honorary consulates in Zagreb and Rijeka.
Mass in English and Tagalog
Most Croatians are Catholic, so there are churches everywhere. Zagreb has Sunday Masses in Tagalog in three churches and in English in two, Split and Dubrovnik have Masses in English, and from October 2026 Rijeka has a Tagalog Mass every second Saturday. The Zagreb Archdiocese’s commission for migrants can tell you the current times.
English helps
Many Croatians, especially younger people, speak good English, so you can get by in English at first. Official matters are handled in Croatian, though, so learning the basics pays off.
Driving
You may drive on a foreign licence for up to a year after you arrive, but only if its country recognises Croatian licences in return; after that it must be exchanged for a Croatian one. Ask the police whether this applies to your Philippine licence before you drive.
Calling home
Manila is 6 hours ahead of Croatia in summer and 7 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
Philippine Embassy, Vienna
ARES Tower, Donau-City-Straße 11, 1220 Vienna, Austria. Covers Croatia: passports and consular services.
Philippine Honorary Consulate General, Zagreb
Ulica Nikole Tomašića 7, 10000 Zagreb. Open 10:00–14:00.
Migrant Workers Office Vienna, Croatia desk
Help for OFWs in Croatia with contracts, employers and welfare: mwo_vienna.croatia@dmw.gov.ph.
Zagreb Archdiocese commission for migrants
Kaptol 31, 10000 Zagreb. Masses and pastoral care in English and Tagalog: peregrini@zg-nadbiskupija.hr.
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.