Everything you need to know

• A completed application, provided by the police
• Color photograph 35×45 mm
• Proof of secured housing
• Proof of health insurance
• Proof of sufficient funds to support yourself
• Proof of admittance to a higher education institution in Croatia

International students are not allowed to attend classes at an institution of higher education in Croatia until they have procured a temporary Croatian residence permit. Application for a Croatian residence permit is based on your term of study within Croatia.

Students of certain countries will need to procure an entry visa to the Republic of Croatia (visa C) in addition to procuring a temporary residence permit. These visas need to be requested in advance at the diplomatic mission or consulate of the Republic of Croatia in the foreign national’s home country. You can find out if a tourist visa is required for your nationality here.

Once our incoming international students confirm their enrollment, the Admissions Department connects them to the International Student Department via email, and further communication regarding temporary stay permits and housing is done directly between the International Student Department and students.

Following are the Croatia's higher education qualifications:

• Undergraduate studies: These studies last 3-4 years and lead to the title of Bachelor.
• Graduate studies: Comprises of master's and doctorate programs.
  • Master’s degree requires 1-2 years of full-time studies. The title of Master (mag.) is awarded after the completion of the course.
  • Doctoral degree requires 3 years of full-time studies and ends with a defense of a doctoral thesis. The academic title of Doctor of Arts (dr. art.) or Doctor of Science (dr. sc.) is conferred after the completion of the course.

Yes. There are a few options for international students to stay in the country after graduation: 

For EU citizens:

• students coming from EEA nationals are entitled to permanent stay after five years of uninterrupted legal stay in the Republic of Croatia. You can find more information here.

Stay and work of highly qualified third-country nationals:

• A stay and work permit (EU blue card) for highly-qualified third-country nationals is at the same time a permit to temporarily stay and work in the Republic of Croatia. A stay and work permit may be granted to third-country nationals who meet the requirements referred to in Article 54 of the Aliens Act and who enclose the following documents:
  • a contract of employment or any other appropriate contract for a highly-qualified job, for at least a year (the enclosed contract of employment or other appropriate contract has to indicate a gross annual salary which should amount to at least one and a half average gross annual salary according to the official data published by the competent Statistics Office),
  • proof of a higher education institution degree, bachelor’s and master’s degree, or integrated bachelor’s/master’s degree or specialized master’s degree. 

You can find more information here.

Residence and work for other third-country nationals: 

• An application for a residence and work permit may be submitted by:
  third-country national (see the part relating to where to apply for the approval of temporary stay); or employer, with the local police department or station according to the place of intended residence or work of the third-country national or the seat of the employer; or temporary employment agency.

• A residence and work permit is a combined approval of temporary stay and work in the Republic of Croatia.

• The decision on issuing a residence and work permit is made by the police department or station regardless of the place where the application was submitted.

You can find more information here. 

Students have plenty of opportunities to find part-time jobs to support themselves during their studies. You can look at the sectors that are booming, such as export, tourism, and real estate. Other jobs that have a shortage of professionals are architects, civil engineers, doctors, foreign language teachers, IT engineers, IT specialists in different domains, mechanical engineers, and physics teachers. It is normally easier to find work in the largest cities such as Zagreb, Rijeka, Split or Dubrovnik.

Also, Croatia is one of the few countries offering a digital nomad visa! The program was launched on January 1, 2021, and allows remote workers and freelancers to live and work in Croatia for up to one year. The visa is available to citizens of countries outside the European Union who can demonstrate that they are self-employed or employed by a company outside of Croatia and have sufficient income to support themselves during their stay.

More info can be found here.

• Students applying to the diplomatic mission or consulate of the Republic of Croatia in their home country should do so before scheduled arrival in Croatia.
• Students applying to the appropriate police department or police station in Croatia should do so upon entering Croatia during their short-term stay.

• At a diplomatic mission or consulate of the Republic of Croatia in the foreign national’s home country
• At the administrative police department located in the jurisdiction where you plan to study

A fee of 46,45 EUR and 31,85 EUR will need to be paid to receive your student residence permit. Foreign students (or professors and researchers) who have acquired scholarships from the Agency for Mobility and EU Programs are exempt from paying this fee but they are still required to pay for the cost of the issuance of the residence card for 31,85 EUR and the duty stamp fee of 9,29 EUR. 

The usual duration of the student residence permit is usually one year or it can be tied to the academic year. A student who studies full-time in Croatia must renew the permit each year. Begin the process of renewal at least 30 days in advance (but up to 60 days in advance is recommended).

Although the entire University of Zagreb has about 70 thousand students, there is limited space in state-owned student dormitories. However, international students have options to rent a private room or apartment. The process of renting private accommodation should begin at least two months before coming to Croatia. The International Student Office at RIT Croatia helps our international students find private accommodation according to their needs and price range. In Dubrovnik, there is a state-owned student dormitory and international students with EU citizenship can apply for a place in the dormitory before their arrival to Croatia. Other international students have the option to find private accommodation in Dubrovnik, and our International Student Office helps them find an apartment.