Croatian Citizenship for Children — Descent, Naturalisation with a Parent, Passport

When a parent from Serbia holds Croatian citizenship, or is in the middle of acquiring it, the next question is almost always: "What about the children?" The answer depends on one fact — whether you were already a Croatian citizen at the moment your child was born. If you were, the child follows the route of descent and is reported for entry in the citizenship register. If you were not, the child follows the route of naturalisation, together with you. Both routes are set out below, as laid down in the Croatian Citizenship Act (Zakon o hrvatskom državljanstvu).

First, work out which route applies to your child

Situation	Legal basis	What is filed
The parent was a Croatian citizen when the child was born	Descent — Article 4 or 5	Report for entry in the register
The parent acquires citizenship by naturalisation, after the child's birth	Naturalisation — Article 13	Application to the Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP) on Form 2 or 3

The dividing line is precise: under Article 24a, citizenship by naturalisation is acquired on the day the decision granting citizenship is delivered. A child born before that day was not born to a Croatian citizen, so Article 13 applies; for a child born after that day, the rules on descent apply.

Descent: child born in Serbia, parent a Croatian citizen

If both parents are Croatian citizens when the child is born, the child acquires citizenship by descent regardless of the place of birth (Article 4, point 1). If only one parent is a Croatian citizen and the child is born abroad, Article 5(1) sets a condition: the child acquires citizenship by descent if, before reaching the age of 21, he or she is reported at a Croatian diplomatic mission or consular office abroad, or at a registry office (matični ured) in Croatia, for entry in the register as a Croatian citizen.

A person who acquired citizenship by descent is deemed a Croatian citizen from the moment of birth (Article 24a(1)).

According to the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MVEP), adults who have not yet turned 21 file the report for entry in the register of births and the register of citizens themselves — through the competent consular office if they live abroad. For younger children, a parent does this as the legal representative.

What if the child has already turned 21

Article 5(2) also gave people over 21 an opportunity, but only a temporary one: the application had to be filed "within three years of the entry into force" of the Act. That provision was introduced by amendments that entered into force on 1 January 2020, with a two-year time limit, and the 2021 amendments (Official Gazette NN 138/21) replaced the word "two" with "three". That transitional period has expired, and the current text of the Act does not provide a new one.

What remains is the exception in paragraph 3: a person who was not reported by the age of 21 acquires citizenship if he or she would otherwise be stateless. For everyone else, the remaining option is naturalisation — see our articles on citizenship through grandparents and on proving Croatian ethnicity.

Naturalisation: a child in the parent's application (Article 13)

If you are only now acquiring citizenship, a minor child acquires it by naturalisation:

if both parents acquire citizenship by naturalisation;
if only one parent acquires it, and the child lives in Croatia and has been granted permanent residence;
if one parent acquires citizenship under Article 11(1) (an emigrant and his or her descendants) or Article 16 (a member of the Croatian people);
if only one parent acquires it, the other is stateless or of unknown citizenship, and the child lives abroad.

For families in Serbia, point 3 matters most: when a parent applies as a descendant of an emigrant or as a member of the Croatian people, it is enough that this parent alone acquires citizenship, and that point does not require the child to live in Croatia. Point 3 does not mention a parent who acquires citizenship on another basis, such as marriage — in that case only points 1, 2 and 4 remain. A minor does not have to give up Serbian citizenship: MVEP lists minors among the cases in which keeping a foreign citizenship is permitted (more on the Dual citizenship page).

Which form

MUP has three naturalisation application forms: for an adult, for an adult and a child/children (Form 2, Obrazac 2), and for a child/children only (Form 3, Obrazac 3, "Application for the acquisition of Croatian citizenship of a minor child/children"). On Form 2 the parent completes the questionnaire for himself or herself, declares that the application is also filed for the minor children, and enters the details of each child separately. From Serbia, the application is submitted through a consular office, and MUP decides on it.

Consent of the other parent and the child's assent

Under Article 13(2), the application for a minor child is filed by one parent with the written consent of the other parent, or by the child's guardian. A parent may file alone, without consent, only in these cases (paragraphs 3 and 4):

the other parent has died or has been declared dead;
the other parent has been deprived of legal capacity in the part concerning decisions on the child's status;
the applicant exercises parental care independently on the basis of a court decision, or the other parent's parental care is suspended by a court decision;
the other parent's whereabouts are unknown — in which case only with the prior consent of the competent social welfare centre.

According to MVEP, the other parent may give consent in person before a consular officer, on the application form itself, on presenting a valid identity document. If that parent does not attend, written consent certified by a notary public and translated into Croatian must be enclosed.

Article 13 does not mention the child's assent, but the forms have a field for it: both Form 2 and Form 3 contain the line "Assent of a child who has reached the age of 14" (Pristanak djeteta koje je navršilo 14 godina života). Check with the consulate when booking how that assent is given and whether a child aged 14 or over must attend in person.

Documents for the child

For naturalisation under Article 13, MVEP and Form 3 state that the following are enclosed for the child:

a birth certificate extract, issued on the form prescribed under international treaties and conventions;
proof of the citizenship status of the child and both parents (a citizenship certificate, or a certified copy of a valid passport or identity card);
a certified copy of the child's valid identity document, if the child has one;
the parents' marriage certificate extract, if they are married;
the consent of the other parent, or proof that it is not required;
a written statement by the applicant about the child's circumstances — for example whether the child lives in the same household as the parents, who supports the child, and extracurricular activities.

For registration by descent, confirm the exact list of documents, and whether you need a translation, with the consular office where you will file — instructions differ from one mission to another. For public documents from Serbia used in Croatia an apostille is as a rule not needed: legalisation was abolished by the Treaty on Legal Assistance between Croatia and Serbia (NN-MU 6/98, Art. 19), as the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MVEP) also states. Before you pay for any certification, confirm with the consular office that they require nothing further for your document. General overview: Documents.

A passport for the child

Once the child is entered in the register of citizens, he or she can obtain a domovnica (the Croatian citizenship certificate) and a passport. The Act on Travel Documents of Croatian Citizens provides:

Validity: passports are issued for 5 years to persons under 21 and for 10 years to everyone else (Article 12).
Who applies: for a child, the legal representative — a parent, a guardian, or a person entrusted with parental care by a court (Article 34).
Presence of the child: a child under 12 does not have to be present, and no fingerprints or signature are taken from that child (Articles 34 and 37). According to MUP, a child aged 12 or over must attend, to sign and give fingerprints.
Where: at a police administration or police station in Croatia; for a citizen staying abroad, a consular office may also issue the passport, and it is collected there (Articles 20 and 23).

For an application filed in Croatia, MUP states EUR 42.47 for the regular procedure. At a consulate a consular fee is charged — see the amounts on the Costs page and confirm them before you apply.

Practical order of steps

Only now applying for yourself? Include your minor children straight away, on Form 2.
Already a citizen, but the children were not included? Form 3 exists for a child; before filing, ask the consulate whether your case meets the conditions of Article 13.
Were you a citizen before the child was born? File the report for registration by descent, before the child's 21st birthday.
Book the appointment: in Belgrade appointments are booked on the Croatian consular portal (konzularniportal.mvep.hr), and in Subotica, according to the Consulate General's official page, by phone on +381 24 656 900, on working days between 12:00 and 13:00. The procedure is described in our guide to booking an appointment.

Sources

Note: this text is for information only and is not legal advice, and this website is not the official site of any government body. Regulations and fees change — check with the competent authority before you apply.