Croatian citizenship is also citizenship of the European Union: the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (Article 20) says that every person holding the nationality of a Member State is a citizen of the Union, and that Union citizenship is additional to national citizenship and does not replace it. This article lists only the rights found in official sources, with the conditions attached to them, and what citizenship by itself does not give you. Whether you keep your Serbian citizenship and how to use two passports is explained on the Dual citizenship page.
Living in another EU country: up to three months with an ID card or passport, longer with conditions
The rules below apply when a Croatian citizen goes to another Member State (Directive 2004/38/EC, Article 3). In Croatia itself you are a national, and Croatian law applies to you.
- Up to three months — you have the right of residence without any conditions or formalities other than holding a valid identity card or passport (Article 6 of the Directive). That right lasts as long as you do not become an unreasonable burden on the host country's social assistance system (Article 14). Some countries require you to report your presence.
- More than three months — you have the right of residence if you are a worker or self-employed person in that country; or if you have sufficient resources for yourself and your family not to become a burden on its social assistance system, plus comprehensive sickness insurance cover there; or if you are enrolled at an establishment accredited or financed by that country, with comprehensive sickness insurance and a declaration that you have sufficient resources (Article 7).
- Registration certificate — for stays longer than three months the country may require you to register with the authorities (Article 8). According to the Your Europe portal, the certificate should be issued immediately and cost no more than nationals pay for an identity card. You may be fined for failing to register, but you cannot be expelled just for that.
- Permanent residence — after five years of continuous legal residence in the host country you acquire the right of permanent residence, which no longer depends on the conditions above (Article 16). Under the same article, once acquired, the right is lost only through absence from that country for more than two consecutive years.
If you come to look for work, Your Europe says that if you have not found a job in the first six months, the authorities can assess your right to stay longer and ask for evidence that you are actively looking and have a good chance of finding one. While you stay as a jobseeker, you have no right to non-contributory welfare benefits.
Working and studying on the same terms as nationals
As an EU national you generally do not need a work permit anywhere in the Union, and work permits are never required for the self-employed (Your Europe). Article 45 of the Treaty prohibits discrimination between workers based on nationality as regards employment, pay and other working conditions. For two non-EU countries the same portal notes special rules: Liechtenstein applies quotas on the number of people who can work and live there, while most EU citizens do not need a permit to work in Switzerland.
At a university in another EU country you cannot be charged higher course fees than local students, and you are entitled to the same grants to cover course fees. This does not necessarily apply to maintenance grants and loans: before you acquire permanent residence, a country is not obliged to give them to people who are not workers or self-employed (Article 24 of the Directive), and according to Your Europe you are entitled to them on the same conditions as nationals if you have lived in that country for five years or more. Entry conditions vary from country to country.
Health insurance: it depends on where you are insured, not on your passport
Your Europe states explicitly that the country responsible for your social security and health cover depends on your economic status and your place of residence, not your nationality. Under Regulation (EC) No 883/2004, a person working in a Member State is, as a rule, subject to the legislation of that state (Article 11).
The same goes for the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC; in Croatia EKZO). Your Europe says that you can ask your insurer for the card if you have health insurance in an EU country, that it is issued by your national health insurance provider, and that it is proof that you are insured in an EU country. The Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO) states that the condition for issuing it is a valid status in compulsory health insurance. It follows that the card comes from insurance, not from citizenship: it is issued by the institution where you are insured, so a Croatian passport alone is not a basis for it. This is a conclusion drawn from the rules above — the sources do not address Serbia specifically. If you are insured in Serbia, ask your Serbian health insurance fund how you are covered when travelling.
Even when you have it, the card, according to the European Commission, gives access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay. It is not an alternative to travel insurance, does not cover private healthcare or travel undertaken for the purpose of treatment, and if you move to another country you should register with the S1 form rather than rely on the card.
Travel: Schengen, border checks and visas
Croatia has fully applied the Schengen regime at its internal land and sea borders since 1 January 2023 and at air borders since 26 March 2023 (Croatian Ministry of the Interior, MUP). It adopted the euro on 1 January 2023 (European Commission). With a valid Croatian passport or identity card you can travel freely in the 27 EU countries and in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
That does not mean there are no checks:
- At Croatia's external border, according to the MUP, all passengers are systematically checked on entry and exit. For people who enjoy the right of free movement under EU law, the checks cover identity and citizenship, validity of the travel document and relevant databases. The MUP states the limit of 90 days in any 180-day period for third-country nationals on a short stay.
- Ireland does not apply the Schengen rules, and Cyprus, according to Your Europe, has not yet abolished internal border controls — you show a passport or ID card when travelling to those two countries. Schengen countries may also temporarily reintroduce internal border controls in extraordinary circumstances.
- For non-EU countries you need a valid passport, and for some countries a visa. We do not quote a “number of visa-free countries” because there is no official source for it — check the requirements for the specific country before you travel.
Two examples from official pages. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lists Croatia among the Visa Waiver Program countries since 1 December 2021; the program allows citizens of those countries to travel to the United States for business or tourism for up to 90 days without a visa. An e-passport is required, and an ESTA authorisation does not mean the traveller will be admitted — that is decided by a border officer on arrival. For the United Kingdom, GOV.UK lists Croatia among the nationalities that can apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA); it lets you travel to visit for up to six months and does not guarantee entry. Both schemes change, so check the official pages listed in the sources before you travel.
Elections, consular protection and family members
If you live in another EU country, you have the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in municipal elections and elections to the European Parliament in that country, under the same conditions as its nationals (Articles 20 and 22 of the Treaty); the details are set out in separate rules. You can vote only once in European elections. The Treaty provides this right for those two types of election.
In a non-EU country where Croatia has no embassy or consulate, you can turn to the mission of any other Member State and are entitled to protection on the same conditions as its nationals (Article 23 of the Treaty).
Family members who are not EU nationals — for example a spouse with Serbian citizenship only — have the right to reside with you in another EU country if you meet the residence conditions. For stays longer than three months they apply for a residence card of a family member of a Union citizen; it is issued no later than six months after the application (Articles 9 and 10 of the Directive) and, according to Your Europe, should be valid for five years, or for the planned length of stay if shorter. For family in Croatia itself, Croatian rules apply; ask the Croatian Ministry of the Interior.
What citizenship does not bring automatically
- Tax residence. There are no EU-wide rules on how income is taxed. According to Your Europe, you will usually be considered tax-resident in the country where you spend more than six months a year, but each country has its own definition.
- A pension. Pension rights are built up in the countries where you have worked; if you have worked in several EU countries, the pension authority takes periods in other EU countries into account, and each one calculates the part of the pension it pays.
- Social assistance. The host country is not obliged to grant you entitlement to social assistance during the first three months of residence (Article 24 of the Directive).
- Recognition of your profession. If your profession is regulated in the country you are moving to, you may need to apply to have your qualification recognised. For qualifications obtained outside the EU, the procedure follows the national rules of the country where you want to work.
- Every job. Freedom of movement for workers does not apply to employment in the public service (Article 45(4) of the Treaty).
Obligations: basic military training in Croatia
On 24 October 2025 the Croatian Parliament passed amendments to the Defence Act and the Act on Service in the Armed Forces introducing basic military training (temeljno vojno osposobljavanje); the training lasts two months. According to the Croatian Ministry of Defence (MORH), a recruit is sent in the calendar year in which he turns 19, exceptionally later, and at the latest by the end of his 30th year; in 2026 men born in 2007 are being called up. Women are not subject to the obligation but may volunteer. The law provides for deferral (for students, for example), civilian service for conscientious objectors, and exemption in the cases it lists. Among these, MORH lists a recruit who, “in addition to Croatian, also holds foreign citizenship and has settled his military training obligation abroad” (our translation). MORH's pages do not explain how that condition applies to citizens of Serbia.
For those living outside Croatia, MORH's website says three things:
- Military records. Entry into the military records in 2026 is required of male Croatian citizens born in 2008 or earlier who have not yet been entered, whether they have permanent residence in Croatia or temporary or permanent residence abroad. Those staying abroad must report to the Croatian diplomatic mission or consular office in the country where they are staying, and a recruit who has not been entered in the records in Croatia must do so by the age of 29 at the latest.
- Call-ups. According to a statement by the director of MORH's Human Resources Directorate, published on the ministry's website on 3 November 2025, call-ups are sent only to citizens with registered residence in Croatia.
- Moving to Croatia. According to the same statement, a dual citizen who decides to live in Croatia will have to settle his military obligation under Croatian law.
These are ministry announcements and statements, not the text of the law, and practice may change. If you are a man under 30, ask MORH or a Croatian consulate how the obligation applies to you; in Belgrade appointments are booked on the 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.
How to obtain citizenship: the step-by-step procedure, the required documents and the domovnica (certificate of citizenship).
Sources
- EUR-Lex: Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, consolidated version (Articles 20–23 and 45)
- EUR-Lex: Directive 2004/38/EC on the right of Union citizens to move and reside freely
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems
- Your Europe: residence rights, registering residence, jobseekers, non-EU family members
- Your Europe: work permits, university fees and financial help, university admission, regulated professions
- Your Europe: health insurance cover, European Health Insurance Card, income taxes abroad, state pensions abroad
- Your Europe: travel documents for EU nationals, consular protection, European elections
- European Commission: European Health Insurance Card
- HZZO: procedure for issuing the EHIC (in Croatian)
- Croatian Ministry of the Interior: Border checks
- European Commission: Croatia and the euro
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Visa Waiver Program, travel document requirements and U.S. Customs and Border Protection: ESTA
- GOV.UK: Electronic travel authorisation (ETA) and the list of nationalities
- MORH (in Croatian): Croatia introduces basic military training, frequently asked questions, the recruitment process, entry of recruits into the military records in 2026 and the statement on call-ups and residence (3 November 2025)
- MVEP – Consulate General in Subotica, contact and working hours
Note: this is general information from an unofficial website, not legal advice. Rules and fees change — check with the competent authority before you apply, and before moving or travelling also with the authorities of the country you are going to.