Applying for a Schengen Visa to Croatia

You will have to apply for a visa when travelling to Croatia if you are:

• A citizen of a non-EU country that has not reached a visa liberalisation agreement with the EU.
• A citizen of a non-EU country that has reached a visa liberalisation agreement with the EU, but you were rejected from entering Croatia or any other Schengen country visa-free.

You are exempt from applying for a visa to enter Croatia if you fall into any of the following categories:

• You are a citizen of an EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland.
• You hold a passport from the US, Canada, Australia, Japan, or any other country with a visa liberalisation agreement with the EU.
• You possess a valid residence permit from any country within the Schengen area.

For those exempt from a visa, check out the required documents for entry into Croatia It’s always good to be prepared!

• Airport Transit Visa. If you’re passing through Croatia en route to your final destination, you’ll need to apply for a transit visa.
• Tourist VisaIf you’re planning a leisurely visit to Croatia, you’ll require a tourism visa.
• Visitor Visa. If you intend to spend time with family or friends in Croatia, you’ll need to apply for a visitor visa.
• Medical visits. Seekers of medical treatment for short-term stays in Croatia require a medical visa.
• Business Visa. Individuals conducting business in Croatia, such as attending meetings or conferences, will need a business visa.
• Visa for Cultural, Sports, and Film Crews. Those attending cultural events, festivals, or sporting events in Croatia must obtain a cultural visa.
• Visa for Official Visit. Those visiting Croatia on official business with an official or diplomatic passport should apply for an official visit visa.
• Visa for Study Purposes. Students attending short-term study programs in Croatia can obtain a study visa for stays up to 90 days.
• Visa for Medical Reasons: For patients requiring medical care in Croatian hospitals or clinics.

• Work visa. Individuals planning to work in Croatia must obtain a work visa.
• Family visa. Those joining family members residing in Croatia will need to apply for a family visa.
• Student visa. Students attending educational institutions in Croatia require a student visa.
• Digital nomad visa. Digital nomads seeking to live and work remotely in Croatia can apply for a digital nomad visa.

If Croatia is the only country in the Schengen Area you plan to visit, it’s straightforward – apply at the Croatian embassy/consulate or the authorized Visa Application Center (VAC) in your country of residence.

However, if your journey includes Croatia and at least one more Schengen state, apply at the Croatian embassy/consulate/VAC in your country of residence only if:

• You will spend more days in Croatia than in the other Schengen countries.
• You will spend an equal amount of time in each country, but you are starting your Schengen adventure by entering through Croatia.

For more in-depth details, please refer to: How to Choose the Right Embassy/Consulate/VAC to Submit the Visa Application

The application form covers the following sections:

• Personal Information.
• Passport Details, Residence Permit, Occupation, and Employment.
• Visa Details.
• Document Upload.
• Members of the EU, EEA, or Swiss Confederation (if applicable).

Click ENTER new application to start filling out the application.

• Email Booking. You can schedule an appointment with the Croatian embassy/consulate by email. The email address can typically be found on the main website of the Croatian embassy/consulate in your country of residence.
• VFS Global Visa Application Center. Another option is to book an appointment through the VFS Global Visa Application Center. This can be done online if you are living in Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Comoros, Cook Islands, Cyprus, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, or Zimbabwe.
• TLS Contact. You can schedule an appointment with TLS contact if you live in the Republic of the Congo.
• Capago. You can schedule an appointment through Capago if you are living in Benin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, or Guinea.
• The Portugese Embassy in Luanda, if you are a resident of Angola.
• The French Embassy or Consulate. You can schedule an appointment at French missions if you are living in Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Niger or Togo.
• Online Booking. Individuals applying through the Consulates General in New York, Los Angeles, and Mississauga can schedule an online appointment with the Croatian embassy/consulate. Once you’ve filled out the online application form, you can book an appointment by selecting the Book an appointment From there, you’ll be prompted to enter your personal details and choose the specific embassy/consulate where you intend to submit your application.

You should schedule an appointment within the specified timeframe for visa application submission. Typically, this means no more than six months before your intended trip and, ideally, no later than 15 calendar days before your planned departure. However, seafarers can apply for a visa up to nine months before their trip’s start date when fulfilling their duties.

Scheduling an appointment for a Croatian visa application is free of charge. However, there are other fees associated with the application process, which we have outlined below in this article.

Changing or canceling your appointment depends on how you set your appointment. If you make an appointment via email with the Croatian embassy/consulate, then you need to address that email for appointment changes.

If can set your appointment online via the VFS website, on the same website, there will be an option to cancel or change your appointment.

Please note that you must cancel or reschedule your appointment a minimum of one day before your actual appointment.

Travel Medical Insurance is compulsory for Schengen visas under Regulation (EU) 2009/810 of the European Parliament.

To visit Croatia, you generally need to demonstrate access to €70 per day of your stay unless you have certain documents like a certified letter of guarantee or proof of a tourist booking, in which case you must show €30 per day. If you apply for a visa at a Croatian consular office or through a representative country, you’ll need €100 or €50 per day with specific documentation.

When you attend your visa appointment, you have to submit your biometric information (fingerprints and photographs). You may be exempted from this requirement if you have already provided your biometric information for a prior visa application sometime in the last 5 years. Your data is stored and can be used again, but if 5 years have passed since, you are required to show up in person to submit your biometric data again.

When you submit the visa application, you are required to pay a visa fee. The fee for a Croatia Schengen visa is €90. If you are applying through VFS Global, you must also pay an extra fee of around €30-40. Depending on the place where you submit the visa application, you can pay the fee from one of the following payment methods:

• With cash.
• Credit/debit card.
• Payment slips.

On the day of your visa appointment, you have to attend a brief visa interview. The interview will be focused on your trip to Croatia and what you plan on doing while you are there. You must answer all the questions truthfully and make sure that they match the information you provided in your application, for example, the entry and exit dates.

If you’ve given someone permission, they can apply for a Schengen visa for you. However, this is only possible if you’ve authorized them to do so and if there’s no need for your biometric data to be submitted as part of the application process.

To track your application status, access the online application form and click on Check application status. Then write the serial number and pin you saved while completing your application form.

If your visa application is approved, you will receive a notification regarding your application and instructions on how you can collect your passport with your visa. After, you can travel to Croatia as per the validity of your visa.

Your visa application may be denied, and the reasons for this denial will usually be highlighted in the notification you receive. If this happens, you have the following options:

• You can appeal against the denial decision. From the moment you receive your denial notice, you have 15 days to send your appeal request to the Croatian embassy/consulate in your country. You must write the request in Croatian or have an official translation accompanying your request. Additionally, you must pay a fee of EUR 42,47 euro to have your appeal request processed. If you are not happy with the final decision after your appeal, you can send an additional request for review to the Administrative Court 30 days after you receive the final decision on your initial appeal.
• You can re-apply for the visa again. If you do not want to go through an appeal process, you have the option to re-apply for the visa. You are still required to go through an application process from the beginning and make sure you address the reasons for your denial in the first place.

Your visa fee can’t be refunded because it pays for the costs and time spent processing your application. You won’t get your money back even if your application is denied.

A Schengen visa for Croatia allows stays of up to 90 days within a 180-day timeframe. However, based on their decision, the consular office may issue visas for shorter periods. You can use the Schengen calculator to ensure accurate tracking of the duration of your stay.

You can request to extend your Schengen visa to Croatia, but it’s usually allowed only for important reasons like health issues or unexpected events. To extend your visa, you need to submit a request to a local police station/administration in your local area where you are staying in Croatia. You will need to submit a new visa application form and some additional documentation, such as your passport and documents proving your need to stay longer.

If you stay beyond the permitted duration of your visa, you could face serious consequences. These may include fines, deportation, and even being banned from entering the Schengen Area or Croatia in the future. It’s crucial to stick to the terms of your visa and leave the country before it expires to avoid such penalties.

You can travel to other countries within the Schengen Area using a Croatian visa unless you possess a Limited Territorial Validity Visa. However, it’s essential that Croatia remains your main destination, and any time spent in other Schengen countries will be included in the 90-day duration limit.

Under certain conditions and upon meeting specific criteria and entry requirements, it may be possible to travel to other non-Schengen countries using a Croatia Schengen visa.

Employment in Croatia is not permitted with a Schengen visa. Typically, this visa is intended for short-term purposes such as tourism, business, or other non-employment activities. To work in Croatia, you must apply for an employment visa.