Document checklist
Russia → Croatia: Residence and work permit (dozvola za boravak i rad)
What you need before you submit, checked against official requirements, not guesswork.
Checked by our automated verification on 20 Oct 2026: every source on this page resolves and the data is structurally complete. This does not confirm a person re-read the source text for accuracy.
Required documents
8 itemsIdentity
Application form 2a for a stay and work permit
RequiredForm 2a, filled in and signed, submitted by your employer to the police administration or police station for the area where you'll live, or emailed to that office's dedicated address if your case doesn't need a labour market test or HZZ opinion.
Valid travel document
RequiredA copy of your valid passport or other travel document.
Purpose of travel
Labour market test or Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) opinion
For most jobs, your employer needs a labour market test and the Croatian Employment Service's opinion before applying, unless your occupation is on HZZ's high-demand (deficit) list or your permit falls under one of the categories exempted by Article 110 of the Foreigners Act (for example key personnel, self-employment, EU Blue Card, or intra-corporate transfer).
Source: Ministry of the Interior of Croatia (MUP), Work of third-country nationals
Signed employment contract
RequiredA copy of your employment contract, signed by both you and your employer. This is also used as your proof of means of subsistence for a first permit; when you renew, you instead provide six months of payslips (or, for a seasonal worker's renewal, payslips matching the length of your previous permit).
Insurance
Proof of health insurance (for a renewal)
When you renew your stay and work permit, you must attach proof of health insurance, a copy of your health insurance card or the HZZO form (registration/deregistration/change of insured person).
Other
Criminal record certificate
RequiredFor your first stay-and-work permit only: proof you haven't been finally convicted of a criminal offence, from your home country or from a country where you lived for more than a year immediately before coming to Croatia. Not needed if you're a posted worker, student, researcher, or intra-company transferee using mobility from another EEA member state.
Proof of fee payment
RequiredPayment of €74.32 for the stay and work permit decision, plus €31.85 (or €59.73 for faster processing) to produce the biometric residence card and €9.29 to issue it. Your employer gives proof of payment when collecting the permit.
Source: Ministry of the Interior of Croatia (MUP), Work of third-country nationals
Proof of your educational qualification
RequiredA copy of the document proving the educational qualification you hold for the job.
Why applications on this route get refused
Missing labour market test or HZZ opinion
Unless your job is exempt, MUP requires a completed labour market test and the Croatian Employment Service's opinion before it will consider a stay and work permit application.
How to avoid it: Check with your employer whether your occupation is on the deficit list or falls under an Article 110 exemption; if not, complete the labour market test process first.
Incomplete base documentation
MUP's instructions to employers list a base set of documents (travel document, employment contract, educational qualification proof, and, for a first permit, a criminal record certificate) that must accompany every application.
How to avoid it: Work through the base checklist in the employer instructions before submitting, and confirm which documents apply to a first application versus a renewal.
Working for an employer different from the one on the permit
MUP states that a third-country national may only work in the job for which the permit or work registration certificate was granted, and only for the employer named in the employment contract.
How to avoid it: Make sure the job and employer on your application match exactly what you'll actually be doing once the permit is granted.
Sources
- Ministry of the Interior of Croatia (MUP), Work of third-country nationals · checked 24 Sept 2026
- Ministry of the Interior of Croatia (MUP), Radne dozvole (work permits) overview · checked 24 Sept 2026
- Ministry of the Interior of Croatia (MUP), Instructions for employers: electronic submission of stay-and-work-permit applications · checked 24 Sept 2026
- Ministry of the Interior of Croatia (MUP), Stay and work of EEA nationals and their family members · checked 24 Sept 2026
Check your documents against this list before you pay the Croatia application fee.
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