"I filed my application and have heard nothing for months." That is the question readers ask us most often. The honest answer: there is no official figure for how long a Croatian citizenship decision takes. This article therefore separates what the regulations and the instructions of the Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP) say from readers' experiences, which are just that — experiences.
What the regulations say about the deadline
The Croatian Citizenship Act does not prescribe a specific deadline for deciding on an application. The general law, the General Administrative Procedure Act, says in Article 101(2) that in proceedings started at a party's request in which an examination procedure is conducted, the decision is to be issued and served no later than 60 days after a complete application is filed. Whether and how that deadline is applied to citizenship cases, we did not find in official sources. What that article means for an applicant is explained in how to check the status of your application.
Readers' experience (not official data): readers tell us that the wait for a decision is long and varies greatly from case to case. We deliberately give no numbers, because we cannot confirm them from an official source. Individual accounts are on the Experiences page.
What your file goes through
According to MUP's instructions on acquiring citizenship by naturalisation:
- Filing. If you do not have approved residence in Croatia, the application is filed through a Croatian diplomatic mission or consular office. For an application filed abroad, the consular fee is paid on filing; MUP does not state the amount — confirm it with the consular office.
- Supplements. If the application is unclear, incomplete or has formal defects, the consular office may later call on you to remedy them, and you will be sent a written notice.
- Decision. The procedure is conducted by the Ministry of the Interior at its headquarters.
- Service of the decision. The consular office sends you a written invitation to come and collect the decision; on collection you sign a delivery receipt stating the exact date.
- After a positive decision. You become a Croatian citizen on the day the decision is served (Article 24a(2)); a person acquiring citizenship by naturalisation also takes a solemn oath (Article 24b). Entry in the register of citizens at the competent registry office follows; the registry office also issues the citizenship certificate (domovnica).
The frequently quoted amount of EUR 139.36 is, according to MUP, the administrative fee for the admission decision when the application is filed in Croatia; there it is paid when the decision is collected. For applications filed through a consulate the fee is paid on filing, and the amount should be confirmed with the consulate.
What you can do yourself
- File a complete application. MUP lists what is attached: a CV, a birth register extract on the prescribed international form (and a marriage register extract for married persons), proof of citizenship status, a certificate of no criminal record with a Croatian translation not older than 6 months, a certified copy of a valid identity document, and the documents for the basis on which you apply. The list is also on the Documents page.
- Give an accurate address and contact details — notices to supplement the file and to collect the decision are sent in writing.
- Reply to a supplement notice within the deadline stated in it.
Whether one legal basis "moves faster" than another has not been officially published, so we make no such claim.
How to check where your file stands
Contact the consular office where you filed — in writing, quoting the case number if you were given one on filing. Consular Section of the Croatian Embassy in Belgrade: crocons.beograd@mvep.hr, tel. +381 11 3679 140. MUP's list of e-services does not include a service for tracking citizenship applications. All channels and the applicant's rights are described in citizenship application status — how to check it.
And after the decision — the passport
A passport requires a separate application at the consular office. The Act on Travel Documents of Croatian Citizens (Article 40(1)) requires a decision on a travel document application within 30 days of filing; how long production and delivery take, ask the consulate. The procedure is described in your first Croatian passport after the decision, and what the OIB (personal identification number) is and how to get it in OIB — what it is and how to get it. Costs are on the Costs page.
Summary
- The Croatian Citizenship Act has no specific deadline for the decision; there is no official figure for the average wait.
- For applications through a consulate the fee is paid on filing; confirm the amount with the consulate.
- You can influence the duration most before filing: a complete application means fewer supplement notices.
- Status is checked through the consular office, quoting the case number if you were given one.
If you are still choosing the basis for your application, read the article on citizenship through grandparents and the comparison table of legal bases.
Sources
- MUP — Procedure instructions: acquiring Croatian citizenship
- MUP — Citizenship
- MUP — e-services
- Croatian Citizenship Act (zakon.hr) — Articles 24, 24a, 24b and 25
- General Administrative Procedure Act (zakon.hr) — Article 101
- MVEP — Croatian Embassy in Belgrade, contact and working hours
Note: this website is an unofficial information guide. Readers' experiences are not official data; regulations and fees change — check with the Croatian consular office or MUP before filing.