Loading…
Permanent stay is Croatia's open-ended residence status, generally reached through close family ties, humanitarian routes, or protection status rather than through years of work alone. The required period of prior residence varies by category. If your route to staying long-term is through years of employment, the EU long-term residence status (see that route) is usually the relevant one.
Non-EU nationals with strong family, humanitarian or protection-based ties to Croatia.
Our licensed advisors assess your eligibility, build a strategy to strengthen your application, and manage the process end to end, so you submit a complete, competitive application with confidence.
Yes. Permanent stay can be lost if you relocate abroad or stay away for more than one year, if entry or stay is forbidden, on public safety grounds, or if you withdraw it voluntarily.
You submit Form 1a at the police administration for your area, the Ministry of the Interior decides, and there is a decision fee plus a separate fee for the biometric residence permit.
Within the qualifying period you can generally be absent up to six months in total, or up to four months in a single trip, without breaking continuity.
Permanent stay is granted to specific categories, including family members after four years, diaspora members after three years, certain children of permanent residents, and refugees meeting longer requirements.
Spouses and life partners generally qualify after four uninterrupted years of temporary stay for family reunification, while some minor children can qualify after three years.
EU long-term residence requires five continuous years of legal residence, while permanent stay is granted to specific categories such as family members, diaspora and refugees, usually after three or four years.
Permanent Stay is Croatia's open-ended residence status, generally reached through close family ties, humanitarian routes or protection status rather than years of work alone. If your route is years of employment, EU long-term residence is usually the relevant one.
