How to get permanent residence in Croatia in 5 years in 2026: two statuses

Five years and a B1 Croatian exam for most foreigners, four years and no exam for spouses of Croatian citizens: what counts toward the clock after June 2026 and how to keep it

In detail

Croatia has two indefinite residence statuses, and the one you qualify for decides how long you wait. Long-term residence (dugotrajni boravak, the EU long-term resident status) comes after 5 continuous years in the country, with a B1 Croatian exam, proof of income and health insurance. Permanent stay (stalni boravak) is open to spouses and partners of Croatian citizens, graduates of Croatian universities, minor children of citizens and residents, and returning members of the Croatian diaspora: it takes 3 to 5 years and needs neither the exam nor proof of income.

Both statuses rest on the Aliens Act in force since 2021, and their rules were rewritten twice. On 15 March 2025 the five-year status was renamed from dugotrajno boravište to dugotrajni boravak, trips of up to 3 days a month stopped counting, the absence allowance for permanent stay rose from 6 to 8 months, and its list of grounds grew to nine. On 4 June 2026 law NN 55/2026 took effect: it changed how university years count and, from June 2027, adds a Croatian test for employees on standard work permits.

Which status fits your situation

Your permit history decides the status:

Inside Croatia, both statuses give the same rights: work and self-employment without a separate permit, education, social care, child benefit and tax relief. Only long-term residence carries the EU right to move on to other member states, except Denmark and Ireland. If you qualify for permanent stay and mean to remain in Croatia, skip the B1 exam and the five-year wait. A manager can check which road your permit history opens.

How the five-year count works

For long-term residence, the five years must be continuous and must end on the day you file. They can be spent on a temporary residence permit, asylum or subsidiary protection, and your temporary permit must still be valid on the day the Ministry of the Interior decides. If it is due to expire while the file is pending, renew it in time.

Not every permit moves the count. The law excludes seasonal work, posted workers, service providers, volunteers, trainees, intra-company transferees, frontier workers, secondary school and stays for "other purposes", the category used by many property owners. University study counts at half rate. Three groups get exceptions:

• Retirees over 60 who own property in Croatia, with their spouse or partner, can renew an other-purposes permit back to back, and since 15 March 2025 those years count toward the five.
• Croatian graduates and researchers on the one-year permit to look for work or start a company also have that year counted.
• Blue Card holders add years elsewhere in the EEA on a Blue Card, a national highly qualified permit, research, study (at half rate) or international protection, provided the last 2 were in Croatia on a Blue Card.

Until 4 June 2026, half of your university years counted with no conditions. Under NN 55/2026 they count only if, on the day you file, you hold a permit outside the excluded list, or asylum or subsidiary protection. A graduate who files while on an other-purposes permit or seasonal work gets no credit for them. The same law removed the clause that counted time under temporary protection. Applications filed before 4 June 2026 are decided under the old rules.

Graduates who stay and work do better on permanent stay, where study years count in full and there is no income test.

Absences: two limits at once

The five-year count tolerates up to 10 months abroad in total and up to 6 months in one go, and since 2025 trips of up to 3 days in a calendar month are ignored. Seafarers, pilots, international drivers, people posted to another EEA country or Switzerland, families of Croatian diplomats and Blue Card holders get 18 months in total and 12 in one go. Your temporary permit has its own limits:

The permit limits are the trap. You can stay well within 10 months over five years and still lose a one-year permit by spending more than 30 days abroad in a row. Exceptions: research or study mobility, postings to another EEA country or Switzerland, diplomats' families, and seafarers, pilots or drivers abroad under half the permit's term. Losing the permit breaks the chain, and the five years start again from the next one. A manager can check your travel dates against both before you file.

The Croatian language exam at B1

Long-term residence requires a B1 exam in Croatian and the Latin script. University faculties in Zagreb, Rijeka, Osijek, Zadar, Split and Pula run it, along with approved schools and adult-education centres. It has five parts: listening, reading, language structures, writing and speaking. Each part is marked pass or fail, and the first three need at least 60%.

Each institution sets its own price for the calendar year, so compare before you register. Registration closes 10 working days before the session, and withdrawing at least 3 days ahead gets your money back. Retakes are unlimited, each paid in full. The ministry can also reject a certificate if your file makes it obvious that you do not speak Croatian. You are exempt if you are of preschool age, attend or completed a Croatian school or university, or are over 65 and not working.

A second test arrives on 4 June 2027. Employees who have spent at least a year in Croatia on a standard work permit will need a Croatian A1.1 certificate to renew it or get a new one. The employer pays; graduates of Croatian schools and universities, speakers of South Slavic languages and seasonal workers are exempt. A1.1 does not replace B1 for long-term residence. A manager can tell you where and when to sit B1 in your city.

Income, insurance and fees

The income test follows a formula: every month, at least 57% of the average monthly net wage in Croatia for the previous year. By official data the 2025 average was $1,700 (1,449 euros), so one applicant needs $930 (825.93 euros) a month. A family of two adds 15% of the average wage and each further member another 10%: $1,200 (1,043.28 euros) for a couple and $170 (144.90 euros) per additional person. Health insurance is required too. Permanent stay asks for neither.

Holders of either status skip the $11 (9.29 euros) card fee charged on temporary permits. The B1 exam fee comes on top.

Filing, decision and keeping the status

You file form 1a at the police administration or station for your place of residence, and the Ministry of the Interior decides. Long-term residence needs a valid passport, proof of income, health insurance and the B1 certificate unless you are exempt. Permanent stay needs only a valid passport and no threat to public order, security or health, plus documents proving your ground, such as a Croatian degree and proof of employment for graduates.

There is no administrative appeal: a refusal can only be challenged in the administrative court. A wrong count of years, trips or income costs months. After approval, apply for the card within 8 days and report any change of address to the police within 15 days.

Long-term residence is withdrawn after 12 consecutive months outside the European Economic Area, more than 6 years away from Croatia, the same status in another EEA country, an entry ban or your own request; former Blue Card holders get 24 months outside the EEA. Permanent stay is stricter: it ends if you move away or live abroad for more than a year in a row.

How Murblz handles Croatian permanent residence

You can file on your own, but the safer route is with professionals: the rules changed in 2025 and 2026, and a refusal cannot be appealed within the ministry. Our process is clear and transparent: we pick the status, recount your years and trips against both sets of limits, check income and insurance, tell you where and when to sit B1, prepare the police file and make sure your temporary permit stays valid until the decision. The cost is available on request from a manager.

Compare Croatia with other countries in our guide to the easiest countries for permanent residency, or see a similar route next door in permanent residence in Serbia.

FAQ