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Croatia work permit for Indian citizens

By Bok! · Checked on 30 October 2026

Usually your employer in Croatia applies for your residence-and-work permit. The "online" application is the employer's HZZ and MUP system, not a form for workers. When the permit is approved, you apply for a D visa at the Croatian Embassy in New Delhi or a VFS centre in India. Here are the official steps and deadlines.

Short answer

  • Step 1, in Croatia: your employer asks for the permit, usually after a labour market test at the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ). For an Article 97 permit applied for from 4 June 2026, the police must decide within 90 days of a complete application, test included (Law on Foreigners, art. 91 para 8; NN 55/2026 arts. 68 and 70).
  • Step 2, the D visa in India: apply in person at the Croatian Embassy in New Delhi or at a VFS Global centre, no earlier than 3 months before and no later than 3 months after your permit starts (MVEP).
  • Step 3, in Croatia: within 30 days from the start of your visa, register with the police and get a biometric residence card (MVEP).

Can I apply online myself?

Usually not. When people search "Croatia work permit online apply", they find the online system of HZZ and MUP. Your employer in Croatia uses it: first to ask for the labour market test, then to apply for your permit (HZZ; gov.hr). It is not a form for workers in India.

For some routes without a labour market test, MUP says the worker or the employer can apply at the police administration or police station, in person or by e-mail. An extension with the same employer and job is also filed at the police office. These offices are in Croatia (MUP). If someone in India offers to "apply online" for you, ask your employer first.

Step 1: your employer, the test and the 90 days

For a new permit, your employer first asks HZZ for a labour market test, except in the cases the law lists, for example jobs on the list of the HZZ Governing Board (art. 98 para 1; HZZ). HZZ gives the result within 15 days. After that, the employer has 90 days to apply for your permit (art. 98 paras 5 and 6). The police then decide "as soon as possible", at the latest within 90 days of a complete application, and this period includes the test (art. 91 para 8). In exceptional, complex cases this can be 30 days longer, but not for seasonal work (art. 91 para 9).

All routes and steps are in our guide Croatia work permit processing time in 2026.

Documents your employer needs from you

For the cases that go to the police by e-mail (no labour market test), the MUP instruction for employers lists these basic copies:

  • your valid passport;
  • the employment contract, signed by the employer and by you;
  • proof that you have no criminal conviction, from your home country or from the country where you lived for more than one year just before coming to Croatia (only for the first application);
  • proof of your education.

This is the list in the MUP instruction for that route only. The online route through HZZ can ask for other papers, for example proof that you meet the conditions of the labour market test (HZZ). Ask your employer what they need from you.

Step 2: the D visa in India

India is on the EU list of countries whose citizens need a visa to cross the external borders (Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex I), and the MVEP visa overview for India says the same for ordinary passports. MVEP says the long-stay visa (visa D) is for people with an approved stay or a stay and work permit who need such a visa to enter Croatia. So after the permit is approved, you apply for a D visa before you travel.

  • Embassy: the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in New Delhi. E-mail: croemb.new-delhi@mvep.hr; consular department: crocons.new-delhi@mvep.hr (MVEP).
  • Honorary consulates: MVEP also lists honorary consulates of Croatia in Mumbai and Kolkata. The pages we checked do not say whether they accept visa applications. Ask the embassy.
  • VFS centre: MVEP says you can also apply at a VFS Global visa application centre. The list of VFS centres that the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes includes India.
  • In person: you submit the application in person and give your fingerprints (MVEP).
  • When: no earlier than three months before and no later than three months after the start of your permit (MVEP).
  • Fee: the visa fee is EUR 93. At a VFS centre you also pay a service fee (MVEP).

MVEP lists the documents for the D visa on its D visa page. Check that list, not a list from someone else.

Step 3: when you arrive in Croatia

Within 30 days from the start of your visa, go to the police administration or police station to register your address and get a biometric residence card (MVEP). MUP says the card is issued within 30 days of a complete application in the normal procedure, or within 5 working days in the fast procedure.

Processing time in India: what is official

  • Permit: at the latest 90 days from a complete application, test included, and 30 more days only in exceptional, complex cases (art. 91 paras 8 and 9).
  • Visa: the official pages we checked give no fixed processing time for the D visa. Ask the Embassy in New Delhi.

More detail: Croatia work permit processing time in 2026. To follow your application, see How to check your Croatia work permit status.

Where the Croatian language requirement fits

From 4 June 2027, if you have lived in Croatia for at least one year on such a permit, you must add proof of A1.1 Croatian, a beginner level of Croatian, to your application for an extension or a new permit (art. 92.a paras 1 and 6; art. 70; MUP). Your employer pays for the exam (art. 92.a para 3). Seasonal workers do not need it (art. 92.a para 8), and neither do some others, for example people who speak a South Slavic language (art. 92.a para 7). Read A1.1 Croatian exam for your work permit.

Your first Croatian words, from Bok! lessons 1 and 4:

  • Ja sam iz Indije. I am from India.
  • Rođena sam u Indiji. I was born in India. (This is what a woman says. The men's form in lesson 4 is Rođen sam u Nepalu. I was born in Nepal.)
  • Indijac Indian man · Indijka Indian woman. Careful: Indijanac means Native American, NOT Indian (lesson 4 tip).

Practise them in free lesson 1 and lesson 4. New to Croatian? Start with Croatian language for beginners. From Nepal? See Croatia work permit for Nepali citizens.

Bok! is exam preparation, not an official exam or certificate, not a visa agency and not legal advice.

Start learning Croatian before you travel. Bok! lesson 1 is free, with audio, explained in Hindi, Nepali, Tagalog or English.

Start lesson 1, explained in Hindi

FAQ

Can I apply for a Croatian work permit online from India?

Usually not. The online system of HZZ and MUP is used by your employer in Croatia. For some routes without a labour market test, MUP says the worker or the employer can apply at the police administration, but that office is in Croatia.

Where do Indians apply for the Croatian work visa?

After the permit is approved, you apply for a D visa in person at the Croatian Embassy in New Delhi or at a VFS Global centre. The VFS list of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs includes India. Questions: croemb.new-delhi@mvep.hr.

How long does it take in 2026?

For an Article 97 permit applied for from 4 June 2026, the police must decide within 90 days of a complete application, test included, plus 30 days in exceptional cases. The official pages give no fixed time for the visa. See our processing time guide.

Who pays the work permit fee?

For the e-mail route, the MUP instruction for employers says the employer gives the police proof that it paid the administrative fee for the permit when the permit is collected (point 11). The D visa fee is EUR 93, plus a service fee at a VFS centre (MVEP).

Do I need to speak Croatian before I go?

The sources we checked have no general Croatian language rule for the first permit. From 4 June 2027, after at least one year on the permit, you need A1.1 proof for an extension or a new permit. See our A1.1 guide.

Sources

Checked on 30 October 2026.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules can change. For your own case, ask your employer, the police administration (MUP), the Croatian Embassy in New Delhi or a lawyer.