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Croatia work permit for Nepali citizens

By Bok! · Checked on 30 October 2026

Your employer in Croatia usually applies for your residence-and-work permit; in most cases you do not apply yourself. When the permit is approved, you apply for a D visa. The Croatian Embassy in New Delhi covers Nepal. Below are the official steps and deadlines from Croatian law and government pages.

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: the Croatian Embassy in New Delhi covers Nepal. Apply in person, 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).

Step 1: your employer applies in Croatia

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).

Some cases, such as an extension with the same employer and job, go to a police office in Croatia, not online. All routes and steps are in our guide Croatia work permit processing time in 2026. To follow your application, see How to check your Croatia work permit status. Applying from India? See Croatia work permit for Indian citizens.

What your employer asks 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 from Nepal

Nepali citizens need a visa to enter Croatia: Nepal is on the EU visa list (Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, Annex I), and the MVEP visa overview for Nepal says the same for ordinary passports. So after the permit is approved, you apply for a long-stay visa (visa D) before you travel (MVEP).

  • Which mission covers Nepal: the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in New Delhi, India. Croatia also has an honorary consulate in Kathmandu (MVEP embassy list). Embassy e-mail: croemb.new-delhi@mvep.hr.
  • Where to apply: MVEP says you apply at the competent embassy or consulate, or at a VFS Global visa application centre. The list of VFS centres that the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes lists Nepal.
  • 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).

[UNVERIFIED, checked 30 Oct 2026: the MVEP visa overview for Nepal says visa applications can be submitted at the VFS centre in Kathmandu, but no MVEP page we checked says whether this includes the D visa for work, or whether you must go to the Embassy in New Delhi. Ask the Embassy in New Delhi which way applies to you: croemb.new-delhi@mvep.hr.]

MVEP lists the documents for the D visa on its D visa page. The official pages give no fixed processing time for the visa. Ask the embassy.

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.

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 sentences, from Bok! lessons 1 and 4:

  • Ja sam iz Nepala. I am from Nepal.
  • Rođen sam u Nepalu. I was born in Nepal. (This is what a man says. Lesson 4 also has the women's form: Rođena sam u Indiji. I was born in India.)

Practise them in free lesson 1. New to Croatian? Start with Croatian language for beginners.

Avoid scams

For an Article 97 permit, your employer applies through HZZ and MUP, and the deadlines are in the law (see above). Our advice: take your information from the official pages (mup.gov.hr, hzz.hr, gov.hr and mvep.gov.hr) or from the embassy. If someone asks you for money for a "guaranteed" or faster permit, check with the official pages or the embassy before you pay.

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 Nepali, Tagalog, Hindi or English.

Start lesson 1, explained in Nepali

FAQ

Can I apply for a Croatian work permit myself from Nepal?

For a permit under Article 97, your employer in Croatia applies through HZZ and MUP. 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 Nepali citizens apply for the Croatian visa?

Nepali citizens need a visa for Croatia, and for work you apply for the D visa after the permit is approved. The Croatian Embassy in New Delhi covers Nepal. MVEP says you can apply at the embassy or consulate or at a VFS centre, and its VFS list includes Nepal. Ask the embassy (croemb.new-delhi@mvep.hr) which way applies to you.

How long does it take?

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 (not for seasonal work). The official pages give no fixed time for the visa. See our processing time guide.

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. Seasonal workers do not need it. 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.