Croatia Digital Nomad Visa: requirements & how to apply 2026

Croatia is one of the few European bases that pairs a relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle with a real legal route for remote workers. Since 1 January 2023 the country uses the euro and is part of the Schengen Area, on top of EU membership since 2013 — so a Croatian permit puts you inside the EU, not next to it. The headline draw for remote workers is the digital nomad “temporary stay”: up to 18 months and 0% Croatian income tax on your foreign earnings.

Heads-up (verify before you apply). Visas, residence rules and the income threshold change — and the threshold is re-indexed every year. The figures below are accurate as of the check date, but confirm the current numbers on the official source mup.gov.hr before you lodge an application. Nothing here is legal advice.

Who it’s for

The nomad temporary stay (in Croatian, a boravak) is for people who work remotely for an employer or clients based outside Croatia, or run their own business registered abroad. You cannot use it to work for a Croatian company. You’ll also need valid health insurance for the stay and proof of accommodation in Croatia.

The scheme is a third-country-national route: it does not apply to EU/EEA or Swiss citizens, who already have freedom of movement and don’t need it. MUP defines a digital nomad as a non-EU/EEA/Swiss national; EU/EEA/Swiss citizens simply register their stay at a police administration instead.

How long it lasts

A single permit is granted for up to 18 months. It is not renewable in place the way some permits are: once it expires you must wait six months before applying again. (A short extension of up to six more months is possible if you apply at least ~60 days before expiry — confirm the current rule with MUP.)

You may have seen headlines say “up to 3 years.” That figure is the cumulative time you could spend across several cycles, not one permit. The primary source — MUP — describes 18 months per permit, so plan around that number.

The income threshold

You must show a stable income of at least:

• €3,622.50 per month (set at 2.5× the average net Croatian salary), and
• the equivalent over your whole stay: about €43,470 for 12 months or €65,205 for 18 months.

For each accompanying family member the required income rises by 10% of the average monthly net salary — about €145 per person per month at current figures (10% of the ~€1,449 average net salary), not 10% of the threshold itself.

The monthly figure is recalculated each spring once the new average salary is published, so treat the numbers above as a guideline and take the live amount from MUP on the day you apply.

Tax: the 0% headline, with caveats

Croatia exempts a registered digital nomad’s foreign-source income from Croatian income tax (Income Tax Act, Art. 9). That is the real advantage over many EU countries.

Two caveats worth checking with the Tax Administration before you rely on them: the exemption is generally understood to cover active (work) income, while passive income — dividends, rent, capital gains — is taxed normally; and there are reports that it does not apply to EU/EEA/Swiss nationals or to income paid by Croatian residents. The 183-day tax-residency rule also interacts with this. Get specifics from porezna-uprava.gov.hr.

How to apply

You can apply at a Croatian embassy/consulate before you travel, or in Croatia at a police administration office, and part of the process is handled online. You’ll submit proof of remote work, the income evidence above, health insurance and accommodation, plus a background check. There are state fees: applying in Croatia runs roughly €46 for granting the stay plus about €32–42 for the biometric residence card (a small administrative fee applies on top); applying at a consulate is a little higher, and a separate visa D (~€93) may be needed just to enter. Amounts are re-set periodically — confirm the current figures on mup.gov.hr before you pay. Importantly, time spent on the nomad stay does not count toward the five years needed for permanent residence.

Before you go

• Health insurance is required for the permit, and a private policy is worth having anyway — see our full guide to Croatia travel insurance for what to look for and the long-stay options. For long stays, monthly nomad cover such as SafetyWing is convenient (compare SafetyWing); travellers from CIS countries and Ukraine should look at EKTA, which some Western insurers exclude.
• Budgeting the move? See the cost of living in Croatia and, if you’ll invoice clients, taxes for foreigners and whether to register a company.
• More practical settling-in steps — SIM, bank account, housing — are in the relocation section.

This guide is informational, not legal or tax advice. Visa, residence and tax rules change; always confirm the current details with the official Croatian sources linked above before you act.