Short-term stay of third-country nationals in the Republic of Croatia
In the Republic of Croatia, the Foreigners Act is in force, which regulates the conditions for the movement of third-country nationals within the territory of the state.
Third-country nationals are defined as foreigners who are not nationals of the Member States of the European Economic Area (the European Union, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of Iceland) or the Swiss Confederation, and who hold the nationality of a third country or are stateless persons.
Since the Republic of Croatia is part of the Schengen area, the Schengen Borders Code also applies to third-country nationals. A short-term stay refers to the stay of a third-country national as defined in Article 6 of the Schengen Borders Code.
Short-term stay
In accordance with Article 6 of the Schengen Borders Code, a short-term stay is considered to be a stay of less than 90 days within any 180-day period.
Therefore, third-country nationals may stay in the Republic of Croatia for up to 90 days, either continuously or intermittently, without the need to apply for temporary residence.
Deadline for registration of short-term stay
According to Article 177 of the Foreigners Act, every third-country national must have their accommodation registered for the duration of their short-term stay in the Republic of Croatia, in order to ensure their movement within the Schengen Area is properly recorded.
The accommodation provider, whether a natural or legal person, is obliged to register the foreign national’s stay within one (1) day, either through the E-visitor application or in person at a police station.
If the foreign national is already in the Republic of Croatia and the accommodation provider is unable to register the stay as described above, the third-country national themselves must register their accommodation within two (2) days of entering the Republic of Croatia.
In addition to indicating the date of registration, it is also necessary to indicate the date of departure; otherwise, the system will automatically record the stay as lasting 90 days (unless the person is subsequently checked out).
Consequences of failing to register a short-term stay
If a third-country national fails to register their short-term stay within the prescribed deadline, they may be subject to a monetary fine under the Foreigners Act (Article 251, paragraph 1, item 27), ranging from EUR 50 to EUR 700.
On the other hand, if a legal entity fails to register the short-term stay of a foreign national within one day, it may be fined between EUR 500 and EUR 1,000 (Article 252, paragraph 1, item 1 of the Foreigners Act).
