What the permit is
Owning a home in Croatia counts as one of the other purposes (druge svrhe) for which the Foreigners Act grants temporary residence. The permit lasts up to a year and gives no right to work, and it makes you a resident of a country in both the EU and Schengen: with it you can spend up to 90 days in any 180 in the other Schengen countries.
The law sets no minimum price, and the homes our partner in Croatia works with start at around €40,000 to €50,000. What the law does expect is that you live there. A permit of up to a year can be cancelled if you are away for more than 30 days at a time or 90 days in total; one justified absence of up to 90 days is allowed if you tell the police beforehand.
Beyond the first year
The permit is issued for up to a year. The Foreigners Act limits who can extend a permit for other purposes and when its years count towards long-term residence (Articles 57 and 151), so what the property gives you beyond the first year depends on your circumstances. Our partner in Croatia assesses that before you buy, and it is the question to settle first.
Citizenship: eight years, and your current passport
Naturalisation needs eight years of continuous registered residence up to the application and approved permanent status, plus release from your current citizenship; where your country will not release you, a signed statement renouncing it is enough. Applicants over 60 do not take the Croatian language and culture test.
One point is still open. The Citizenship Act asks for permanent status (stalni boravak), which the Foreigners Act keeps separate from long-term residence, and neither law says that long-term residence is enough. So nobody should promise a passport through this route. If it is your goal, ask us to have it confirmed for your case before you buy. In our partner's experience, a citizenship decision then takes one to three years.
Buying the property as a non-EU citizen
A buyer from outside the EU needs reciprocity between Croatia and their country, and the consent of the Ministry of Justice; without that consent the contract is void. Reciprocity is met for Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Turkey, the UK and some US states. Chinese citizens can buy only after working or studying in Croatia for more than a year, and only for their own use. Agricultural land is closed to foreigners.
The ministry decides on the signed contract, a land registry extract and a planning certificate. The law sets it no deadline, and a refusal blocks a new request for the same property for five years. Buying through a Croatian company avoids the consent, but then the company owns the home and you are not the owner the permit asks for. The purchase carries a 3% transfer tax on the price, or 25% VAT instead on a new building, plus notary and land registry fees.
How the application works
The law sets no deadline for a first decision; the general rule for administrative cases is 30 days, or 60 where the case needs examining. State fees are small: €46.45 for the approval when you apply in Croatia, or €55.74 at an embassy plus €93 for the D visa, then €31.85 for the card and a €9.29 permit fee.
- 1Buy and register the home
The ministry's consent, then the contract and the land registry entry. The extract showing the home in your name is what the permit rests on.
- 2Documents from your country
A criminal record certificate from your country, and from any country you lived in for more than a year, legalised, translated into Croatian and no more than six months old.
- 3Apply in Croatia or at an embassy
Visa-free nationals, such as Serbian or US citizens, can apply at the police station for the address. Citizens of visa countries, such as Russia and China, must apply at a Croatian embassy or consulate; an application at a police station in Croatia is rejected. After approval they receive a D visa to travel in.
- 4Card and biometrics
After approval, or within 30 days of arriving on the D visa, apply for the residence card at the police. It takes about 30 days, or five working days on the fast track.
- 5Renewals
Where an extension is possible, apply at least 60 days before the permit expires, so the police can decide before it runs out.
Why Croatia is priced per case
The work depends on the home you choose, your circumstances and your nationality, so Croatia is quoted after a short conversation that costs nothing. The Croatian side is handled by our partner in Croatia.
Documents required
- Passport valid at least three months beyond the permit
- Land registry extract (vlasnički list) showing the home in your name
- Proof of means: a pension statement, or a bank balance covering the whole period (in 2026 about €870 a month)
- Health insurance
- Criminal record certificate from your country, and from any country you lived in for more than a year, legalised
- Application form and a 3 × 3.5 cm photo
- For citizens of visa countries, a health and vaccination certificate with the first application
- Certified Croatian translations of documents not in Croatian
What it costs
| Initial consultationIncluding what your case allows beyond the first year | Free |
|---|---|
| Residence by property in CroatiaWith our partner in Croatia | Priced per case |
| Property purchase in CroatiaDepends on the property | Priced per case |
| Government fees€87.59 in total when you apply in Croatia | at cost |
Filing guarantee: if an application is returned or refused because of an error on our side, we correct it and refile without charging our fee again. Approval is the authority's decision, and no honest firm can guarantee it.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Owning a home is a ground for temporary residence for other purposes, issued for up to a year, with no minimum price and no right to work. Whether it can be extended depends on your circumstances, so have that assessed before you buy.
When this is not the right route for you
- You want to buy first and check the residence plan afterwards. What the permit allows beyond the first year depends on your circumstances, so settle that before you sign.
- You need to work in Croatia, or to bring family through family reunification. This permit allows neither.
- You cannot give up your current citizenship. Croatia requires it to naturalise.
- You are a Chinese citizen who has not worked or studied in Croatia. Reciprocity does not let you buy until you have.
- You want to live elsewhere and keep the permit as a Schengen pass. More than 30 days away at once can cost you the permit.
This page is general information about Serbian procedure, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and fees change. Confirm anything time-sensitive with us or another qualified adviser before acting on it.