HR country scene

Long-Term Residence after Five Years

CroatiaLong-term residence

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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What exact status does accumulated residence lead to?

Long-term residence (dugotrajni boravak), Croatia's EU long-term resident status.

See recorded sources
  • chars 120925-121160
    Dugotrajni boravak (EU long-term resident) može se odobriti državljaninu treće zemlje koji neposredno prije  podnošenja zahtjeva u Republici Hrvatskoj ima neprekidno pet godina odobren privremeni boravak, azil ili supsidijarnu zaštitu.

What qualifying residence period is required and when does the period begin?

Five uninterrupted years of legal stay in Croatia immediately before the application, counted on temporary stay, asylum or subsidiary protection.

See recorded sources
  • chars 1546-1809
    Long-term residence may be granted to third-country nationals who have been legally staying in the Republic of Croatia for an uninterrupted period of five years before submitting their application , which includes temporary stay, asylum or subsidiary protection.

Which types of residence count fully, partially or not at all where the official rules specify this?

Not counted: stays as seasonal worker, service provider, posted worker, volunteer, trainee, intra-corporate transferee (and family), WTO 'other essential personnel' (and family), frontier worker, stay for other purposes, secondary-school education, and time in prison. Counted at half: university-study stays, and for asylum/subsidiary-protection holders the time between the international-protection application and its grant (in full if longer than 18 months).

See recorded sources
  • chars 2667-4349
    The time required for granting long-term residence does not include : stay on the basis of an issued stay and work permit for seasonal workers stay on the basis of an issued stay and work permit for service providers temporary stay granted to posted workers stay on the basis of an issued stay and work permit for volunteers stay on the basis of an issued stay and work permit for trainees stay on the basis of an issued stay and work permit for intra-corporate transferees and their family members stay on the basis of an issued stay and work permit for other essential personnel, as defined by the Protocol of Accession of the Republic of Croatia to the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade Organisation, as well as their family members stay on the basis of an issued stay and work permit for frontier workers stay granted for other purposes stay granted for the purpose of secondary school education the time spent serving a prison sentence. For third-country nationals who have been granted temporary stay for the purpose of university studies, only half of their temporary stay period for the purpose of university studies is included when calculating the time required for granting long-term residence. For third-country nationals who have an asylee status or who have been granted subsidiary protection, only half of the time spent from the day of their application for international protection on the basis of which they were granted the said status until the day they were granted international protection, or the whole time if it is longer than 18 months, is included when calculating the time required for granting long-term residence.

What absence/continuity rules affect accumulation of the qualifying residence period?

The five years count as uninterrupted if absences from Croatia total no more than 10 months over the period, or no more than 6 months on a single occasion.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The Croatian index (capture 54f0…, section 5) adds that absences of up to three days in a calendar month are ignored, and allows up to 18 months total / 12 months at once for family of posted Croatian officials, persons posted to another EEA state or Switzerland, and seafarers, pilots and international drivers - not in this citation.
  • chars 1810-2099
    It is considered that third-country nationals have stayed in the Republic of Croatia for an uninterrupted period of time if their several-time absence from the Republic of Croatia within a period of five years did not exceed 10 months, or if their one-time absence did not exceed 6 months.

What other major conditions apply, how is the status obtained, and what renewal, document-validity, retention or loss rules matter?

In addition to the qualifying residence period, the Croatian Ministry guidance requires a valid foreign travel document, means of support, health insurance, knowledge of Croatian and Latin script, and no threat to public policy or national security. Stateless people and holders of asylum or subsidiary protection need not prove possession of a valid foreign travel document. At decision time, the applicant must hold temporary stay, asylum or subsidiary protection; annulled protection prevents approval. Language-test exemptions cover preschool children, people attending or having completed Croatian primary, secondary or higher education, and people over65 who are not employed. The application is made on Form 1a at the competent police administration or station for the registered place of residence; the Ministry of the Interior decides. The underlying status is indefinite; Article168(3) specifies five-year validity for the residence document, so document expiry is distinct from expiry of the underlying status. Under Article171, the document must be replaced when its data change, it becomes unusably damaged or worn, its photograph no longer matches the holder, or its validity expires. Apply for replacement at the police administration or station for the place of residence within eight days after the relevant event. The Ministry directs permanent and long-term residents to request that document within eight days after status approval, in person at the competent police office, with a 3 x 3.5 cm photograph and a valid foreign travel document. Published charges are EUR83.62 for the status decision and EUR31.85 for the biometric document in the regular procedure, or EUR59.73 in the accelerated procedure. The Croatian guidance exempts permanent and long-term residents from the separate EUR9.29 biometric administrative fee. The general long-term-residence withdrawal grounds include an entry/stay ban or SIS entry-refusal alert, 12 consecutive months outside the EEA, absence from Croatia for more than six years, public-policy/national-security/public-health grounds, acquiring long-term residence in another EEA state, annulled asylum or subsidiary protection, and the holder's request. This general summary is not the special rule for former EU Blue Card holders and their families.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The cited material does not expressly reconcile the statutory travel-document exception for status approval with each documentary step for issuing or replacing a biometric card; no automatic exemption at every administrative step is inferred.
  • The English Ministry page additionally lists public health among approval conditions; the Croatian Ministry list and statutory Article153(1)(5) instead list public policy or national security. Public health is expressly a withdrawal ground. The current Croatian wording is used for the approval summary.
  • https://mup.gov.hr/gradjani-281562/moji-dokumenti-281563/stranci-333/drzavljani-trecih-zemalja/281820#chars=4280
    3. dugotrajnom boravku (neograničeno) 4. stalnom boravku (neograničeno)
  • https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2020_12_133_2520.html#chars=220135
    (3) Dozvola boravka državljaninu treće zemlje kojemu je odobreno dugotrajno boravište ili stalni boravak izdaje se s rokom važenja od pet godina.
  • https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2020_12_133_2520.html#chars=223268
    Članak 171. (1) Dozvola boravka mora se zamijeniti: 1. u slučaju promjene podataka 2. kada je oštećena ili dotrajala tako da više ne služi svrsi 3. kada fotografija na dozvoli boravka više ne odgovara izgledu osobe 4. istekom roka važenja. (2) Zahtjev za zamjenu dozvole boravka podnosi se policijskoj upravi odnosno policijskoj postaji prema mjestu boravišta odnosno prebivališta u roku od osam dana od dana nastupa okolnosti iz stavka 1. ovoga članka.
  • https://mup.gov.hr/gradjani-281562/moji-dokumenti-281563/stranci-333/drzavljani-trecih-zemalja/281820#chars=130994
    Zahtjev za izdavanje dozvole boravka (biometrijska isprava) dužan je podnijeti državljanin treće zemlje na: privremenom boravku (uključujući i državljane trećih zemalja kojima je izdana dozvola za boravak i rad, osim sezonskih radnika kojima je izdana dozvola za boravak i rad do 90 dana), dugotrajnom boravku ili stalnom boravku u roku od osam dana od dana odobrenja privremenog boravka, dugotrajnog boravka ili stalnog boravka u Republici Hrvatskoj, a državljanin treće zemlje kojem je izdana dugotrajna viza (temeljem odobrenog privremenog boravka ili dozvole za boravak i rad) zahtjev za izdavanje dozvole boravka može podnijeti u roku od 30 dana od početka valjanosti dugotrajne vize. Uz zahtjev prilaže se fotografija veličine 3x3,5 cm, te na uvid mora priložiti valjanu stranu putnu ispravu. Za izdavanje dozvole boravka državljanin treće zemlje mora osobno pristupiti u nadležnu policijsku upravu/postaju prema mjestu prebivališta odnosno boravišta.
  • https://mup.gov.hr/aliens-281621/stay-and-work/permanent-stay/281682#chars=11205
    Aliens have to pay an administrative fee in the amount of 83,62 EUR when collecting the decision on granted permanent stay or long-term residence and the amount of 31,85 EUR for the issuance of a biometric residence permit in regular procedure, or 59,73 EUR in accelerated procedure. Both amounts can be paid with a payment slip to the state budget account, IBAN of which can be obtained at the competent police administration/police station.
  • https://mup.gov.hr/gradjani-281562/moji-dokumenti-281563/stranci-333/drzavljani-trecih-zemalja/281820#chars=132891
    Cijena biometrijske dozvole boravka u redovnom postupku iznosi 31,85 EUR, a u ubrzanom postupku 59,73 EUR te se naplaćuje i upravna pristojba od  9,29 EUR ( upravnu pristojbu ne uplaćuju državljani trećih zemalja na dugotrajnom boravku ili stalnom boravku) na IBAN državnog proračuna ili državnim biljezima.
  • https://mup.gov.hr/aliens-281621/stay-and-work/permanent-stay/281682#chars=2410
    An application for  long-term residence ( Form 1a ) is submitted at a competent police administration/police station according to the alien’s place of temporary residence. The decision with regard to the application is made by the Ministry of the Interior.
  • https://mup.gov.hr/gradjani-281562/moji-dokumenti-281563/stranci-333/drzavljani-trecih-zemalja/281820#chars=122710
    Dugotrajni boravak, uz uvjet da ima neprekidno pet godina odobren boravak, odobrit će se državljaninu treće zemlje ako dokaže da: ima valjanu stranu putnu ispravu ima sredstva za uzdržavanje ima zdravstveno osiguranje zna hrvatski jezik i latinično pismo ne predstavlja opasnost za javni poredak ili nacionalnu sigurnost. Osobe bez državljanstva i državljani trećih zemalja koji imaju odobren azil ili supsidijarnu zaštitu sukladno propisu kojim se uređuje međunarodna zaštita ne moraju dokazati da imaju valjanu stranu putnu ispravu.
  • https://mup.gov.hr/gradjani-281562/moji-dokumenti-281563/stranci-333/drzavljani-trecih-zemalja/281820#chars=122368
    U trenutku odlučivanja o zahtjevu za odobrenje dugotrajnog boravka državljanin treće zemlje mora imati odobren privremeni boravak, azil ili supsidijarnu zaštitu u Republici Hrvatskoj. Državljaninu treće zemlje dugotrajni boravak neće se odobriti ako mu je poništen azil ili supsidijarna zaštita.
  • https://mup.gov.hr/gradjani-281562/moji-dokumenti-281563/stranci-333/drzavljani-trecih-zemalja/281820#chars=123726
    Ispit iz poznavanja hrvatskog jezika i latiničnog pisma ne moraju položiti: djeca predškolske dobi polaznici, odnosno osobe koje su završile osnovno, srednje ili visoko obrazovanje u Republici Hrvatskoj osobe starije od 65 godina ako nisu u radnom odnosu.
  • https://mup.gov.hr/aliens-281621/stay-and-work/permanent-stay/281682#chars=6036
    Long-term residence of a third-country national shall be withdrawn if: 1. he has been forbidden to enter into the Republic of Croatia and stay in the Republic of Croatia, or if an alert has been issued in SIS for the purpose of forbidding his entry 2. he has resided outside the EEA for a period of 12 consecutive months 3. he has been absent from the Republic of Croatia for more than six years 4. this is required in order to protect public policy, national security or public health 5. he has obtained a long-term residence status in another EEA Member State 6. his asylum or subsidiary protection has been annulled 7. he has made a request for the withdrawal of his long-term residence.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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