All about Croatia’s Digital Nomad Visa Explained
Croatia’s digital nomad visa was introduced to the world on January 1, 2021. As COVID-19 restrictions are slowly being lifted, this European country has started taking steps towards welcoming digital nomads back into its lovely Mediterranean coasts.
If you’re interested in visiting and working in Croatia as a digital nomad, this can be your chance to stay and explore the country for a longer-term.
To get you started on how you can begin your digital nomad life in Croatia, here’s a quick guide on everything you need to know!
Note: This post was original published on our remote work platform www.remoteworkingexpat.com
What is a Croatia Digital Nomad Visa?
A digital nomad visa is a temporary stay permit for foreign nationals. With this visa, you won’t need a local company sponsorship to stay in Croatia. You can reside in Croatia for up to one year (without extensions).
Before 2021, Croatia requires local company sponsorships from foreign nationals who would like to live and work remotely in Croatia. As a Croatia digital nomad visa holder, you can even bring your close family members with you during your stay.
If you’re interested in applying, you’ll have to submit some required documents. These include a passport valid for three months beyond your stay, proof of adequate health insurance, and a police clearance certificate, among others.
Who Qualifies for This Visa?
Firstly, you must be a third-country national that’s NOT working for or DOESN’T own a company registered under the Republic of Croatia. Additionally, if you do own a company, it SHOULDN’T have Croatian employees.
Next, your regular income and bank savings should qualify for Croatia’s minimum income amount. If you’ve passed these two Croatia digital nomad visa requirements, all you have to be is free of convicted criminal offences from your home country or a country you’ve stayed for more than one year to be qualified for Croatia’s digital nomad visa.
How Can You Apply for This Visa?
Your Croatian digital nomad visa application will depend on whether your home country is or isn’t required to hold a Croatia visa before entering the country. If you are REQUIRED to hold a visa, you can submit your application abroad at a diplomatic mission/consular post of the Republic of Croatia.
If you are NOT REQUIRED to hold a visa, you can submit your application at a diplomatic mission/consular post of the Republic of Croatia or at a competent police administration/police station near your temporary residence address.
What Documents Are Required for This Visa Application?
Potential digital nomads in Croatia should submit required documents in either the Croatian or English language. These are the requirements:
- Filled-in Form 1a
- A copy of a valid travel document (the period of validity of your travel document should be three months longer than your period of validity of intended stay)
- A proof of health insurance (it could be travel or private health insurance and covers the territory of the Republic of Croatia)
- Proof of purpose (it can be a contract of employment or other documents that proves that you are working through communication technology for a foreign employer or your own company that is not registered under the Republic of Croatia).
Qualified documents include:
- A statement from your employer or a third-country national that proves you work through communication technology.
- A contract of employment or service contract with a foreign employer.
- A copy of the registration of your company and proof that you are doing said tasks through your own company. - Proof of means of subsistence during your stay (a bank statement or proof of regular income to your account)
- Proof that you have not been convicted of any criminal offences in your home country or a country you have resided in for more than a year
- An address of stay or an intended stay in the Republic of Croatia (if you don’t have an address, you can submit a temporary address like a hotel/hostel if you have a confirmed reservation of accommodation). Submitting an address is important because this will determine the police administration/police station that will process your application.
How Much Does Croatian Digital Nomad Visa Cost?
If you submit your application at the diplomatic mission/consular post, you will need to pay the fees upon applying. Fees include:
- HRK 420 — for a temporary stay grant
- HRK 460 — for the Croatia digital nomad visa
- HRK 310 — for the biometric residence card
If you submit your Croatian digital nomad visa application at a police administration/police station, the fees are paid after your stay is granted. Fees include:
- HRK 350 — for a temporary stay grant
- HRK 70 — for administrative fees of the biometric residence permit issuance
- HRK 240 — for the biometric residence card
What Is the Minimum Monthly Income Requirement for Digital Nomads in Croatia?
The amount of financial means you would need to provide to the Republic of Croatia is calculated following the amount of the average monthly “net” salary in Croatia from the previous year.
Croatia’s Državni zavod za statistiku (Central Bureau of Statistics) hasn’t published the average monthly salary for 2020 yet. In the meantime, financial means is based on the 2019 average monthly “net” salary, which is HRK 6,457.
The amount of financial means for digital nomads in Croatia should be equal to 2.5 times the average annual salary. Referring to the 2019 average monthly “neto” salary, the minimum monthly income requirement for a single person is around HRK 16,142.50 per month.
Interested in other European destinations for digital nomads? Learn more here!
What About Croatia Income Taxes?
There is no income tax for digital nomads in Croatia. On the report of Expat in Croatia, there is a new law (written in Croatian) that states that people with a digital nomad visa working in Croatia for non-Croatian companies are not subject to income tax. However, depending on your home country, you may still have to pay income tax to your country.
What Are The COVID Restrictions in Entering Croatia?
Most travellers that want to enter Croatia should have a recent negative PCR test. You should take one within 48 hours of entering the country. If you are coming from the UK, you are additionally required to isolate for 14 days. If you get a negative test, your time of isolation will be halved.
Conclusion:
Croatia had long been a popular hub for digital nomads all across the world even before 2020
Thanks to its welcoming culture, foreigner-friendly cities, balmy weather and beautiful landscapes -people who want to work from somewhere exotic have been coming here.
Croatia is one of those picturesque Mediterranean countries digital nomads are flocking to nowadays. Once you’ve checked out the Croatia digital nomad visa requirements, maybe it’s time to make this beautiful country your temporary home as a nomad.
Ready to work as a digital nomad in Croatia?
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