Before coming to Zagreb

Before coming to Croatia, please read the current health recommendations of the Croatian Ministry of Health, also available at www.hzjz.hr .

VISA

EU/EEA citizens need only a valid ID card (or passport) to enter Croatia and are then required to register at the Central police station if staying for more than 3 months in order to regulate their residence permit.

Third-country nationals that do not need a Schengen visa can enter Croatia with a valid passport and then apply for the temporary residence permit in Zagreb. Please check at the website of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs if you need a Schengen visa to enter Croatia.

Third-country nationals that need a Schengen visa to enter Croatia (please check the website of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) need to apply for it at the Croatian embassy / VFS visa application center before departing for Croatia.

You can find more information at the website of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, VISAS.

Visas CANNOT be applied for or extended in Croatia! Please contact the Croatian embassy in your country of residence for more information. You will receive an acceptance letter that covers some of the documentation needed for your visa application as soon as your complete application has been approved by the faculty/academy of the University of Zagreb that will host you.

IMPORTANT! Please bear in mind that the visa application process might take up to several weeks or more than a month so do try to file your application as soon as possible. 

You might need the originals of your "Letter of Acceptance" for your visa application; if so, please let us know as early as possible so that we can send it to you via mail in time and do also provide a shipping address. 

TEMPORARY RESIDENCE PERMIT

EU/SWISS CITIZENS

MOBILITY PERIOD LONGER THAN 90 DAYS

EU citizens who plan to study in Croatia for more than 90 days are obliged to apply for the approval of the temporary stay for the purpose of studies (dozvola boravka). You should submit your application for the issuance of the residence card within 90 days of your arrival in Croatia at the Foreigners’ Office, Central Police Station (Odsjek za strance, Policijska uprava Zagrebačka) in Petrinjska ulica 30, HR-10000 Zagreb, WORKING HOURS: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

MOBILITY PERIOD SHORTER THAN 90 DAYS

EU citizens are not obliged to apply for the approval for temporary stay or to register their address if they are staying in Croatia shorter than 90 days.

MOBILITY within EU – NON-EU citizens

Article 73 (paragraphs 5 and 6) of the Aliens Act, states as follows:

- A student who has a valid authorisation issued by another EEA Member State and who is covered by a Union programme or a multilateral programme that comprises mobility measures or by an agreement between two or more higher education institutions may spend a part of his studies at a higher education institution in the Republic of Croatia in a period of up to 360 days without an obligation to regulate his temporary stay for the purpose of university studies if he does not pose threat to public policy, national security and public health. When registering his short-term stay, the student shall inform the competent police administration or police station according to his place of stay about his intention of stay by providing a proof of participating in a Union programme or a multilateral programme.

- A student who has a valid authorisation issued by another EEA Member State and who is not covered by a Union programme or a multilateral programme that comprises mobility measures or by an agreement between two or more higher education institutions shall submit a request for a temporary stay for the purpose of studying in order to spend a part of his studies at a higher education institution in the Republic of Croatia.

This means that students belonging to this category do not need a regular approval of the temporary stay for the purpose of studies. Instead, they need to fill in the Statement of student mobility.

Along with the Statement of student mobility, students also need:

1. Scan or photocopy of the passport or the identity card
2. Scan or photocopy of the residence permit from the EU country in which the student has a valid residence for the purpose of studying
3. Acceptance letter (in Croatian) from UNIZG stating the study purpose of your stay - you will get one at your Faculty/Academy of stay once you come to do the registration procedure
4. Proof of sufficient means of subsistence
5. Proof of health insurance

Students who meet the above conditions do not pay fees, nor are they required to create a biometric residence permit but, after the procedure has been completed, they are issued a mobility registration certificate.

THIRD-COUNTRY NATIONALS

MOBILITY PERIOD LONGER THAN 90 DAYS

Third-country nationals staying in Croatia for more than 90 days are obliged to apply for the approval of the temporary stay for the purpose of studies (dozvola privremenog boravka) within 48 hours of their arrival.

To apply for the permit you will need to submit the following documents by email to the address of the Central Police Station in Zagreb: zg.drzavljanstvo.stranci@remove-this.mup.hr; please see list below.

Location / Visiting address of the Foreigners’ Office, Central Police Station (Odsjek za strance, Policijska uprva Zagrebačka) is in Remetinečki gaj 13, HR-10000 Zagreb, WORKING HOURS: 8 am – 2 pm.

1. Form1b (EU citizens).
   Form1a (Third-country nationals)
2. Acceptance letter (in Croatian) from UNIZG stating the study purpose of your stay
3. Form 16a.
4. Proof of sufficient means of subsistence (statement of bank account, scholarship confirmation and similar; only for the scholars of the University of Zagreb - invitation letter stating the scholarship amount) – approx. 110 EUR minimum/month), €287,00 for third-country nationals. (approx. €287,00 minimum/month) + €688,80 for travel cost
5. Proof of secured accommodation needed if: 
   • staying in a student hall of residence
   • for private accommodation only certified apartment rental contract is accepted
6. Proof of health insurance - copy of the insurance policy
7. Scan or photocopy of passport
8. Certificate of non-criminal record with apostille. Such document cannot be older than six months from the date of issue. - English language accepted if legalized in accordance with the regulations.

• Photo is not submitted when applying for residence, but upon approval of residence, when submitting a request for the ID card (dimensions have to be 30 x 35 mm).

MOBILITY PERIOD SHORTER THAN 90 DAYS

Upon your arrival in Croatia and if you are staying in private accommodation (rented apartment or similar), you need to register your address within 48 hours at the Foreigners’ Office, Central Police Station, Petrinjska ulica No. 30 (Odsjek za strance, Policijska uprava Zagrebačka). For the students who are staying at hotels or student halls of residence the address is automatically registered.

COST OF THE PERMIT (ADMINISTRATIVE FEE)

EU citizens do not have to pay the administration fee.

Students from Turkey, North Macedonia and Lichtenstein do not pay administrative fee.

Third-country nationals need to pay the fee: €46,45 to be granted temporary stay. Additionally the production of a biometric residence permit in a regular procedure costs €31,85 and for the urgent procedure cost is €59,73. Additional administrative fees amount to around €10,00.

IMPORTANT: All documents need to be translated into Croatian and certified by a public notary.

All the students accepted for an exchange at the University of Zagreb will be given Acceptance letter needed for the regulation of their temporary residence permit upon their arrival in Zagreb!

HEALTH INSURANCE

All exchange students must have health insurance during their stay in Croatia.

1. All EU/EAA students need to bring their European health insurance card that is valid during the entire period spent in Croatia.
2. All third-country nationals are required to take out a travel medical insurance that is valid during the entire period spent in Croatia. The ensured cover must be at least 30.000 EUR and include repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical care and/or emergency treatment in a hospital. Student will need to submit a proof of medical insurance upon arrival in Zagreb, Croatia when applying for the first temporary permit.
3. Students coming from Bosnia and Hercegovina and Montenegro that have health insurance with their national health insurance provider in the home country may take out a proof of health insurance from the home country - so-called “bolesnički list” – and exchange it for insurance policy from the Croatian national health insurance provider. Upon arrival in Zagreb students will need to report to the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (Hrvatski zavod za zdrastveno osiguranje – HZZO) and submit the so-called “bolesnički list” at the address: Branimirova 37, Odjel za međunarodnu suradnju / Department for international cooperation. The HZZO will issue a document that enables exchange students to use the health services within the Croatian healthcare system. The document is issued free of charge.