Croatia Digital Nomad Visa: Everything you need before you travel!

Croatia is famed for its climate, cuisine and coastline, as well as its great mix of historic cities, beach resorts and quiet boltholes. Flights from the UK to Croatia take only 2 or 3 hours, making this an accessible destination which attracts tourists, but also those looking to live and work somewhere different.

If you’re self employed or a remote worker, you may be wondering about how to get a Croatia digital nomad visa¹ to spend time there while working for an overseas employer. This guide walks through how to get a digital nomad visa in Croatia, including the costs and process. Plus, so you can do more with your money once you’re there, we’ll also introduce Wise as a smart, low cost way to pay for your visa and for everyday living once you arrive.

Open a Wise Account Today 🚀

What is a Digital Nomad?

Let’s start with the basics - what exactly is a digital nomad? Digital nomads are usually considered to be remote workers who can do their jobs from more or less anywhere - usually using a laptop to connect to their employer, customers or clients. Many digital nomads are self employed or freelancers, although some do work for a single business with a remote only contract. You can be a digital nomad doing more or less any job that can be done online - from copywriting to accounting, coaching to web design and more.

We’ll look at the digital nomad visa in Croatia in detail in this guide - but let’s first outline the Croatian government’s definition of a digital nomad for their visa scheme.

Under this, a digital nomad is:

• A third country national - not an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen
• Working remotely through communications technology for a company, or their own company
• The company is not registered in Croatia
• The company does not offer services to employers in Croatia

Working Remotely vs Making Money in Croatia

Before we get into the requirements for a Croatian digital nomad visa, it’s helpful to understand the differences between working remotely in Croatia and working for an employer based in Croatia.

If you’re planning on working for a Croatian business, a digital nomad visa won’t cover your activities. In this case, you’ll usually need a work permit as a UK citizen, although some limited business activities are allowed in Croatia under the Schengen visa waiver scheme. We’ll dig into that a little later.

Working remotely in Croatia usually means working for an employer which is not based in Croatia - meaning you may be eligible for the Croatia digital nomad visa.

Whether you’re working for a Croatian employer or working remotely in Croatia, it’s also important to understand and comply with the tax regulations as they apply in your personal situation. Where you pay taxes usually depends on the length of time you spend in a particular country, as well as whether or not you intend to reside there long term.

Under Croatian law you’re considered a tax resident if you live in Croatia for 183 days in a year or more, or if you have a property at your disposal in the country for that time². If you’re considered a tax resident you’ll pay Croatian taxes on your worldwide income. If you’re not a tax resident in Croatia the chances are that you’re considered a tax resident in another country - like the UK. However, as tax is fairly complex and based on your personal situation it’s important to double check how the rules apply - and take professional advice to make sure you comply with your obligations worldwide.

Visa types for Digital Nomads in Croatia

As of 1 January 2023, Croatia joined the Schengen area, meaning UK citizens can visit for up to 90 days in any 180 day period for a variety of purposes without a visa³. The 90 day period covers any time spent in a Schengen area country, so if you’re also visiting other areas of Europe you’ll have to double check how long you’ve got left on your visa free allowance.

Under the Schengen Agreement, UK visitors can spend their time in Croatia as tourists, or doing some limited business activities which we’ll cover next. However, if you’re working for a Croatian employer, if your cumulative time in the Schengen area exceeds the limits, or if you’re there specifically as a digital nomad, you’ll probably need a specific visa⁴.

It’s also helpful to note the Schengen passport requirements:

• Your passport must have been issued under 10 years before the day of entry to Croatia
• Your passport must have 3 months validity after the date you intend to leave Croatia

Business travel in Croatia - Shengen visa waiver

We mentioned above that certain business activities are allowed under the Schengen visa waiver. This means that you may be able to enter Croatia for up to 90 days in a 180 day period if the business activities you’ll be involved in include:

• Meeting clients, customers or colleagues
• Attending trade fairs
• Attending conferences or board meetings
• Meeting sellers or contractors

If you’re not sure whether the Schengen visa waiver covers the work you’ll be doing in Croatia it’s worth getting professional advice or asking the Croatian embassy in London. Usually if you’re in Croatia for temporary or remote work you’ll need to apply for a work registration certificate or a digital nomad visa, which we’ll look at in detail next.

Croatia Digital Nomad Visa

The good news is that there’s a specific digital nomad visa for Croatia which may be a perfect fit if you’re a remote worker relocating for up to a year.

You can apply for your Croatian digital nomad visa online, in person at the Croatian embassy or consulate closest to your residence, or at the competent authorities (usually a police station) closest to your residence in Croatia if you’re already in the country with a visa waiver.

To be eligible to apply for a Croatian digital nomad visa you’ll need to:

• Work remotely
• Be employed or self employed by a company not registered in Croatia
• Have at least 2.5 times the monthly average net salary in Croatia
• Have enough money to cover your costs

When you apply you’ll need to submit in person or online:

• A completed application form⁵
• A copy of your passport
• Proof of health insurance
• Proof of purpose (such as a contract for remote work)
• Proof of no criminal record
• Proof of funds to support yourself
• Proof of address in Croatia

The required salary or supporting funds is assessed annually and at the time of writing means you must have a steady income of just over 2,500 EUR a month or more. Alternatively you can show you have adequate funds in the bank to support yourself, based on annual benchmarks.

A digital nomad visa for Croatia may take 8 to 15 weeks to be issued, and you can also apply at the same time for dependent children and a partner to enter the country with you. Visas can be issued for up to a year and can not be extended, but you can apply for a new digital nomad visa 6 months after a previous visa has expired.

Croatia Digital Nomad Visa: Fees

The costs of applying for your Croatian digital nomad visa vary depending on whether you apply online, or in person in the UK or Croatia.

To apply online you’ll face the following Croatian digital nomad visa fees:

• Administration fee for temporary visa stay - 46.45 EUR
• Fee for biometric residence permit - 31.85 EUR

Applying in person in the UK means paying the following fees:

• Fee for granting temporary stay - 55.74 EUR
• Long term visa fee - 93 EUR (administrative fees may also apply)
• Fee for biometric residence permit - 41.14 EUR

And finally, if you apply at a police station in Croatia you’ll need to pay:

• Fee for granting temporary stay - 46.45 EUR
• Administrative fees - 9.29 EUR
• Fee for biometric residence permit - 31.85 EUR

Keep reading to learn more about how Wise can help you get the mid-market exchange rate with no foreign transaction fee when you’re spending in euros in Croatia.

Using Wise for Visa Payment and Currency Abroad

Check out Wise as a smart way to pay for your Croatian digital nomad visa, and to pay for life in euros once you arrive.

With Wise you can open a flexible digital multi currency account to hold, send, spend and exchange 40+ currencies including pounds and euros. Receive personal or business payments to your Wise account using local bank details for 8+ currencies and spend with your Wise card in 160+ countries. You’ll get the mid-market exchange rate every time you need to switch from one currency to another, with low fees from 0.43% and no foreign transaction fee to worry about⁶.

Open a Wise Account Today 🚀

Use this guide to decide if the Croatia digital nomad visa is right for you - and don’t forget to check out Wise to make it cheaper and easier to hold, send, spend and receive euros once you’re there.

Sources: