Long Stay in Dubrovnik 

• Let’s start with the online application. Here is a link to the online application form. And the online application form is in both Croatian and English.
• You can apply in person for the digital nomad visa from your home country. If you want to apply from abroad in person then you’re going to have to visit the nearest Croatian embassy or consulate.
• And you can apply in person if you are in Croatia, this is of course in the situation that you don’t already need a visa to enter the country. To apply in person whilst already in the country you’re going to have to go to the local police station or indeed at the Croatian embassy or consulate. Again here is a link with more info. 

Firstly, all documents can be submitted in either English or Croatian. 

And now here is the list. If you are submitting your application in person, you have to fill in Form 1a (bilingual form), or you can submit your application online.

 A completed application form
A copy of a valid travel document/passport
Proof of health insurance
Proof of purpose as a digital nomad
Proof on funds to support yourself whilst in Croatia
Proof that you haven’t been convicted of a criminal offence
Address inside the Republic of Croatia 

Now let’s give you some more details on all of these points.

Your travel document/passport must have a period of validity three months longer than the period of validity of intended stay. Basically, if you are planning to stay for a year then your travel document should have a minimum of 15 months left on it from the date your digital nomad visa starts.

Health insurance. You’ll require travel or private health insurance that must cover the territory of the Republic of Croatia for the entire length of your stay. 

Proof of purpose is basically a document that in some way proves that you are indeed a digital nomad. As we’ve already mentioned the digital nomad visa is aimed at “a third-country national who is employed or performs work through communication technology for a company or his own company that is not registered in the Republic of Croatia and does not perform work or provide services to employers in the Republic of Croatia.” 

So the documents that you’ll need to fulfil this step are –

• a statement from the employer or third-country national (as proof that the person performs work through communication technology)
• contract of employment or service contract with a foreign employer, or
• copy of the registration of his/her own company and proof that he/she performs the said tasks through his own company 

Proof on funds to support yourself whilst staying as a digital nomad in Croatia. To be able to show that you can support yourself whilst working as a digital nomad in Croatia MUP has laid out the following conditions. Third-country nationals are required to have a monthly income of at least 2.5 times the average monthly salary. At this moment in time, and bearing in mind that this figure is based on the average Croatian salary that can change, that figure is a minimum of 16,907.50 Kuna a month. More precisely, if you intend to stay in the Republic of Croatia for 12 months, you need to prove that you have a minimum of 202,890.00 Kuna. And to prove this you can either submit a bank statement of proof of income. And there isn’t a strict regulation on that regular income, meaning that it can be from a work contract, investments, etc.      

Proof that you haven’t been convicted of a criminal offence. This is basically a background check proving that you haven’t been convicted in your home country or in a country that you have resided in for more than one year. This step is clearly going to be much easier to get done before you actually arrive in Croatia, although it can be done online in most countries. 

Anaddress inside the Republic of Croatia is required when completing your application. If this is the first time you are applying and you do not have an address in the Republic of Croatia, you can provide a temporary address as the address of your intended stay. This can be a hostel, hotel or rented apartment as long as you have a confirmed reservation.

If the application is submitted at a diplomatic mission/consular post – the costs are paid when applying

420.00 Kuna for granting temporary stay, and

460.00 Kuna for the visa (if you submit your visa application through the VFS visa centre, you will be charged an additional fee for the service) or

310.00 Kuna for the biometric residence card (check with the diplomatic mission/consular post about the possibility of obtaining the card). 

If the application is submitted at a police administration/police station – the costs are paid after the stay is granted

350.00 Kuna for granting temporary stay, and

70.00 Kuna for administrative fees for the issuance of the biometric residence permit and 240.00 Kuna for the biometric residence card.

And here is a link that gives details on how to pay, whether in person or via internet banking. 

Upon arrival in the Republic of Croatia – registering temporary residence address and issuance of a biometric residence permit is required.

Registering temporary residence address

Third-country nationals are obligated to register their temporary residence address within 3 days from their entry in the Republic of Croatia at the competent police administration/police station according to the location of their stay. You can do this by filling in Form 8a (available here) and enclosing a lease contract, a statement from the landlord, or a title deed.

Issuance of a biometric residence permit

Both third-country nationals who are not required to hold a visa to enter the Republic of Croatia and those who are required to hold a visa have to obtain a residence permit – biometric card (must provide photos and biometric data) in person at a police administration/police station.