Croatia digital nomad visa

Requirements

• Remote work for a company or clients outside Croatia (or your own foreign-registered company)
• Monthly income of 2.5× the average Croatian net salary — €3,622.50 in 2026 — or equivalent savings (~€65,205 for 18 months)
• Proof of accommodation in Croatia and health insurance covering the whole stay
• Clean criminal record certificate from your home country
• Croatia is in Schengen — time on the permit doesn't consume your 90-day tourist allowance elsewhere

How to apply

1. Gather documents: work contracts, income statements or bank balance, insurance, accommodation proof, criminal record
2. Apply online via the Ministry of Interior portal, at a Croatian embassy, or at a police station if already in Croatia
3. Wait for approval, then register your address and biometrics at the local police station
4. Collect your residence card — valid up to 18 months, non-renewable (a fresh application needs 6 months outside Croatia)

Renewal and long-term stay

• Renewable: no — a single fixed term
• Path to permanent residency: no — time on this visa does not lead to residency
• Path to citizenship: no

Issued for up to 18 months and deliberately not renewable back-to-back: you must leave Croatia for at least six months before applying again. Time on this permit counts toward neither permanent residency nor naturalisation. It's a long stay, not a move.

Applying: where and how

• Apply from outside the country: yes — apply before you travel
• Where you file: either at a consulate or in-country, depending on where you start
• Income requirement as published: €3,622.50 per month

Can be filed at a Croatian consulate before travelling or at a local police administration once in Croatia. Note the income figure moved for 2026 — older guides quote roughly €3,295.

Bringing a partner or children

• Dependants: yes — a partner and children can be included

A partner and children can join, with the income threshold rising roughly 10–20% per additional family member. Read the fine print on work rights though: an accompanying spouse cannot simply take a Croatian job on the strength of your permit.

Tax

• You become tax resident: after 183 days in the country
• Foreign income taxed locally: no — foreign-earned income is not taxed locally
• Special nomad or expat tax regime: yes — see below

Croatia's is one of the cleanest arrangements in Europe: holders of the digital nomad permit are exempt from Croatian income tax on foreign-sourced income, and unusually that exemption holds even past the 183-day mark that would normally make you tax resident. The catch is the permit itself — 18 months, non-renewable — so the tax benefit has a hard expiry. Your home country still taxes you on its own terms.

This summarises published rules, not your situation, and it is not tax advice. Two things it can't tell you: your home country may tax you anyway — US citizens are taxed on worldwide income wherever they live — and day-count is only the most common trigger for tax residency, not the only one. Having a permanent home, a family or your centre of economic interests in a country can make you resident well before the day count does. Get advice before you move.

Moving abroad means more than the visa — sort your travel insurance (many visa applications require proof of coverage), set up borderless banking, and land with data working.

First nomad visa? Our digital nomad visa guide explains how qualifying, applying, and taxes work across every country.