Made up of a long strip of Mediterranean coastline, the soil is so rich and fertile that Croatian olive oil and wine regularly wins gold medals at olive oil competitions.
Being a member state in the EU, Every Croatian is also a citizen of the European Union. A valid passport and national ID card allow all Croatians to freely live, work, and travel to any state in the European Economic Area.
Croatian passport [Hrvatska putovnica] is a public document, issued exclusively to citizens of Croatia for international travel. The primary purpose of this document is to prove that the beneficiary is a recognized Croatian citizen.
The Ministry of the Interior issues passport to all the citizens of Croatia within the country. While citizens abroad, receive their visas through the local embassy or consulate. These travel documents are valid for up to ten years and are not renewable. This article contains vital information you should know if you’re interested in applying and obtaining a Croatian passport.
Types of passports
Just like regular international passports, Croatia also makes use of E-passport. Croatia started issuing biometric passports on the 1st of July 2009. Croatia was the 3rd country in Europe to make use of the second-generation biometric passports. The chip contains two fingerprints and the image of the owner.
The Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia-Dalmatia originally introduced Croatian Passports under the Habsburg rule on the 26th of June 1991. They were written in Croatian and French. They also had the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia-Dalmatia embedded on the cover. This type of passport was discarded on the 25th of June 1992. Since then, there are three recognized types of passports with blue covers and machine-readable.
- The regular passport
- Diplomatic and Official Passport
- Traveling Certificate [Laissez Passer or Putni List]
Application documents
For a Croatian citizen to obtain a passport, he/she must come in person to the Consulate or Embassy to submit his application form and the following documents:
- Application form
- Proof of Croatian citizenship [Birth certificate or Croatian Tax Number]
- Proof of identity
- Evidence of address, utility bill, or Council tax
- Two-color photographs
- Proof of payment for the administrative fee
- Proof of payment for the application fee
The Embassy or Consulate reserves the right to request other documents aside from the ones listed while observing measures stated by the law related to each request submitted.
If an applicant doesn’t have a birth certificate or any other document that defends his claim, he/she can use a foreign birth certificate that has been appropriately legalized by the Legalization Office with an Apostille stamp and translated to Croatian. It must be translated by an official interpreter.
Applying for a passport
Passport requests are submitted in any administrative police station in Croatia, no matter where you live. The request must be submitted in person, but there are exceptions, if the applicant is a minor or an incapacitated person, they are allowed to hire or use a third party.
Police issue passports under the authority of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Croatia. Embassies in other countries can also issue passports to Croatian nationals living abroad. Upon collection of a new passport, the beneficiary must submit the old passport. The old one will be canceled and returned to the owner. The applicants must also ensure that the embassy aware of any visas or permits that should not be revoked with the old passport.
In case where a Croatian national lost his passport or it cannot serve its purpose, He must stay abroad more than 30 days for medical treatment, business, study, specialization or other justified reason, so his passport can be replaced and issued by Croatian diplomatic mission/consular post in the country of his current residence.
Cost and payment
It cost about 355 HRK [€48] to apply for a passport in Croatia. You can pay the fees in person at a bank, online, or via post office mail.
Processing time
The entire process can take up to four weeks on average. Legislative proscribes a 30 days deadline under the condition that all other procedures are concluded. There may also be an additional processing time due to the technical and postal errors because all accepted passports request is physically produced in Croatia.
Therefore, the Embassy advises all applicants to submit their application before their prior passport expires [The Embassy recommends that you apply two months before the old one expires]. Early application allows them to get sufficient processing time to prepare your document, and your travel arrangements will not be affected.
It takes 30 days to process regular applications. If you made an urgent request, it would be ready within 48 hours in Zagreb or three days at any administrative police station.
The country boasts of a variety of adventurous activities.