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CroatiaAsylum & protectionLast checked October 30, 2026

International protection (asylum, subsidiary protection) and temporary protection

Official name: Međunarodna zaštita / privremena zaštita

Croatia's Ministry of the Interior decides claims for asylum and subsidiary protection. People express the intention to apply at the border, a police station or an aliens reception centre, then lodge the application at the Reception Centre for Applicants for International Protection. Applicants may work if no decision is made within three months through no fault of their own. People displaced from Ukraine are covered by temporary protection.

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Life in Croatia

Finance

3

Currency

Euro

EUR

Euro

Cost of living

59

Price level · US = 100

World Bank price levels, 2025

Tax

15–33%

Income tax (national)

VAT 25%

Local governments set a lower rate (15-23%) up to EUR 60,000 a year and a higher rate (25-33%) above it; default 20%/30% if no decision. Basic personal allowance applies.

Official rates, 2026 · headline only

Living

1

Happiness

6.0

#68 of 145 countries

World Happiness Report 2025

Who it’s for

People at Croatia's border or in Croatia who fear persecution or serious harm, and people displaced from Ukraine.

Eligibility

  • Express intention, then lodge

    Express the intention during border checks, at any police administration or station, or at an aliens reception centre; the formal application is lodged at the Reception Centre for Applicants for International Protection.

  • Irregular entry

    People who entered irregularly directly from a place of persecution are not punished if they apply without delay and give valid reasons.

  • Temporary protectionPeople displaced from Ukraine

    Temporary protection is granted for one year, then extended automatically, and holders get a one-year identity card and may work.

    Temporary protection periods

    Initial grant
    1 year
    Each extensionautomatic
    6 months to 1 year
    Maximum totalup to 3 years
    3 years
    Possible extraby EU Council decision
    1 year
    Identity cardvalidity
    1 year
    • Applies to people displaced from Ukraine
    Official wording

    Granted for one year and extended automatically by 6 months to 1 year, up to 3 years (plus up to one more year by EU Council decision). Holders get a one-year identity card and may work.

SourceMinistry of the Interior: applicants for international protectionmup.gov.hrChecked Oct 30, 2026

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Official sources

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