Croatia Eases Work Rules For Foreigners, Lists 5 Conditions To Qualify
- Croatia's Ministry of Interior announced that foreign workers holding a valid residence and work permit can now change employers through a simplified process
- Workers must complete at least 6 months of work in Croatia under their original employer before they can apply, though certain periods are excluded from that count
- The Hrvatski zavod za zapošljavanje must issue a positive opinion before a worker can legally begin working for the new employer
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Legit.ng as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Croatia has made it easier for foreign workers already living and working in the country to switch employers, with the Croatian Ministry of Interior outlining the simplified process and the five conditions workers must meet to qualify.
According to the ministry's official guidance, a foreign national who holds a valid residence and work permit can change employers without going through the standard permit application process, as long as they meet the requirements while their current permit is still active.
Source: UGC
5 Conditions to Change Employers in Croatia
The ministry listed the following conditions for the simplified employer change:
1. The worker must hold a currently valid residence and work permit. The simplified process is only available while that permit is still in effect.
2. The worker must have completed at least 6 months of work in Croatia for the employer under whom they originally entered the country. Importantly, time spent on a seasonal worker permit does not count towards this 6-month period.
Any previous work is also excluded if there was a break in residence, for example, if a permit expired in October 2025 and a new one was not issued until July 2026 following a March 2026 application, that earlier period would not be counted.
3. If the new role falls outside a deficit occupation, the new employer must first carry out a labour market test before submitting the employer-change notification. This step is required only for non-deficit occupations.
4. The new employer must file the employer-change notification along with an employment contract.
The notification is submitted through the official government portal.
5. The Hrvatski zavod za zapošljavanje (HZZ), Croatia's public employment service, must issue a positive opinion on the employer change before the worker can begin working for the new employer. The worker may only start once that approval has been received.
Croatia: Additional Rules to Note
The ministry also noted that a profession change can be requested at the same time as an employer change.
However, workers cannot apply to change to multiple employers simultaneously. If one employer-change process is already underway, any additional requests submitted at the same time will be rejected.
A notification will also be dismissed if the current employer has already filed for a permit extension, or if fewer than 30 days remain before the existing permit expires.
Workers who relocate are required to register their new address within 15 days of moving. Those sent to work outside their place of residence by their employer are not obliged to update their biometric residence card within the first 180 days of the address change, but must do so after that period.
Croatia lists ways to get citizenship
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Croatia's government website officially listed the categories of people who can obtain citizenship without a regulated residence permit.
Emigrants and their descendants are among those who qualify, alongside members of the Croatian people and those deemed to serve national interest.
Source: Legit.ng
