Serbian–Croatian dual citizenship — everything you need to know

✅ Can you hold both Serbian and Croatian citizenship?

Yes. Neither the Croatian nor the Serbian citizenship act says that citizenship ends because you have acquired the citizenship of another country. There is one important nuance, however: whether Croatia requires a release from your Serbian citizenship depends on the legal basis on which you acquire Croatian citizenship.

⚖️ What does Croatian law say?

The Croatian Citizenship Act (Zakon o hrvatskom državljanstvu) sets out several routes to citizenship, and they do not all follow the same rules:

• By descent (Articles 4 and 5) — citizenship is acquired by operation of law, not by naturalisation, so the release requirement does not exist here. A person born abroad acquires it if one parent was a Croatian citizen at the time of the birth and the person is reported for registration before turning 21 (Article 5(1)).
• Emigrants and their descendants (Article 11) — do not have to meet the conditions in Article 8(1) points 2–4, so no release from another citizenship is required.
• Members of the Croatian people who have no registered residence in Croatia (Article 16) — of the Article 8 conditions, only point 5 applies (respect for the legal order, public dues paid, no security obstacles). No release is required.
• Spouse of a Croatian citizen who has been granted permanent residence and lives in Croatia (Article 10) — does not have to meet the conditions in points 1–4, so no release is required.
• Ordinary naturalisation (Article 8) — here you need a release from your foreign citizenship, or proof that you will be released if admitted (paragraph 1, point 2). The same article provides exceptions: the condition is treated as met if the applicant is stateless or loses the other citizenship by law upon naturalisation, and if the foreign state does not allow release or sets conditions that cannot be met, a statement renouncing the foreign citizenship is enough. This route also requires eight years of registered residence in Croatia and permanent-resident status. A release is also required from a person born in Croatia who is admitted under Article 9, because that article waives only points 3 and 4.

This site deals mainly with acquisition by descent, through emigrant ancestors, and as a member of the Croatian people — the routes on which the Act does not require a release from Serbian citizenship. Which one may apply to you is explained in the article on citizenship through grandparents.

It is also worth knowing that, under Article 2, a Croatian citizen who also holds foreign citizenship is regarded by the state authorities of the Republic of Croatia exclusively as a Croatian citizen. Croatian citizenship ends only by release, renunciation or under international treaties (Article 17) — not because you hold another citizenship.

🇷🇸 What does Serbian law say?

Serbia's Citizenship Act (Zakon o državljanstvu Republike Srbije, Official Gazette of the RS nos. 135/2004, 90/2007 and 24/2018) lists three ways in which citizenship ends in Article 27: release, renunciation and international treaty. Acquiring a foreign citizenship is not one of them, so by acquiring Croatian citizenship you do not lose your Serbian citizenship.

• Release (Article 28) is granted only at your own request and subject to conditions: you are 18 or older, there are no obstacles relating to military obligation, taxes and other legal obligations in Serbia are settled, property obligations arising from marriage and from the parent–child relationship are settled, no criminal proceedings for an offence prosecuted ex officio are pending against you in Serbia (and any prison sentence has been served), and you hold a foreign citizenship or have proof that you will be admitted to one.
• Renunciation (Article 33) is open only to an adult citizen who was born and lives abroad and holds a foreign citizenship, and only until the age of 25.

As in Croatia, Article 5 provides that a citizen of the Republic of Serbia who also holds the citizenship of a foreign state is regarded as a citizen of the Republic of Serbia when on the territory of the Republic of Serbia.

🛂 How do you use two passports at the border?

Since each of the two countries regards you as its own citizen on its territory, the general rule is: show each country its own document.

• Leaving or entering Serbia → your Serbian travel document.
• Entering Croatia and other EU/Schengen countries → your valid Croatian passport or Croatian ID card. According to the Your Europe portal, an EU national can travel with either of those documents in the 27 EU countries and in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
• Travel outside Europe → it depends on the country: visa rules differ for the Croatian and the Serbian passport (for example, Croatia has been in the US Visa Waiver Program since 1 December 2021). Before you travel, check the requirements for both passports on the official pages of the country you are going to.

At the Serbian–Croatian border this means: show the Serbian officer your Serbian passport and the Croatian officer your Croatian document. On the way back, the other way round.

Why does it matter? According to the Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP), all passengers are checked at Croatia's external border; for persons who enjoy the right of free movement under EU law, the check covers identity and citizenship, the validity of the travel document, and database checks. MUP states the limit of 90 days in any 180-day period for third-country nationals on a short stay, and the European Commission describes the Entry/Exit System (EES) as a system for registering non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay. If you show only your Serbian passport, the officer cannot see from it that you are also a Croatian citizen. This is not about concealing your other citizenship: if an officer asks, say that you hold both and show both documents.

🇪🇺 What do you gain as an EU citizen?

Croatia is a member of the European Union, so Croatian citizenship also makes you an EU citizen. The key rights, with the conditions attached to them:

• Free movement and residence — you can stay in another EU country for up to three months with just a valid ID card or passport. For a longer stay you need to be a worker or self-employed, a student, or have sufficient resources and health insurance, and the country may require you to register your residence (Directive 2004/38/EC).
• Work — according to Your Europe, an EU national generally does not need a work permit anywhere in the EU, and discrimination between workers on grounds of nationality is prohibited. Free movement of workers does not apply to employment in the public service.
• Study — a university in another EU country cannot charge you higher course fees than it charges its own nationals. Entry conditions vary from country to country.
• Consular protection — in a non-EU country where Croatia has no mission, you can turn to the mission of any other EU member state, on the same conditions as its own nationals.

One important caveat: health insurance is not automatic. Your Europe states that the country responsible for your health cover depends on your economic status and place of residence, not your nationality; the European Health Insurance Card is issued by the insurer with which you are insured in an EU country.

All of these rights, with sources and exceptions, are covered in detail in the article on the rights of a Croatian citizen in the EU.

🗳️ Voting rights

Under Article 45 of the Croatian Constitution, Croatian citizens aged 18 or over have the right to vote in elections for the Croatian Parliament, the President of the Republic and the European Parliament, and in national referendums. Voters without registered residence in Croatia elect three members of the Croatian Parliament and vote at polling stations located at Croatia's diplomatic and consular missions in the country where they live. How and by when you register to vote should be checked before each election with the consulate or the Croatian State Electoral Commission (Državno izborno povjerenstvo).

In Serbia, acquiring Croatian citizenship does not change your status: you remain a Serbian citizen, and you keep the voting rights you have as a Serbian citizen.

🪖 Military service

In Serbia, the obligation to perform military service has been suspended by a Decision of the National Assembly (Official Gazette of the RS no. 95/2010); since 1 January 2011 military service has been performed on a voluntary basis. The Serbian Ministry of Defence states that the obligation to be entered in the military records and the obligation to serve in the reserve remained in place after that decision, and that recruits staying abroad report to a Serbian diplomatic or consular mission to be entered in the records. In 2024 the Serbian Government announced that compulsory military service of 75 days would be reintroduced; on the date this text was last checked (30 September 2026) the Ministry of Defence pages and the published text of the law still show the suspension. That may change, so check the current position with the Serbian Ministry of Defence.

Croatia has reintroduced an obligation: on 24 October 2025 the Croatian Parliament passed amendments to the Defence Act introducing two months of basic military training. According to the Croatian Ministry of Defence (MORH), men born in 2007 are being called up in 2026, and the obligation can be fulfilled until the age of 30 at the latest. MORH states that call-ups are sent to citizens with registered residence in Croatia, that Croatian citizens staying abroad must report to a consulate to be entered in the military records, and that a person who also holds foreign citizenship and has settled his military training obligation abroad is exempt. If you are a man under 30, and especially if you plan to move to Croatia, ask MORH or a Croatian consulate how this applies to you.

💶 Taxes

As a general rule, tax liability is determined not by citizenship but by tax residence and where your income comes from. According to Your Europe, there are no EU-wide rules on how income is taxed; 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. The Croatian Tax Administration (Porezna uprava) states that residence is determined under the General Tax Act and double taxation agreements, starting from domicile and habitual abode. According to the Tax Administration's list, such an agreement between Croatia and Serbia has been applied since 1 January 2005. If you move or start working in another country, ask the tax authorities of both countries about your obligations.

👨‍👩‍👧 Children and family

A child born abroad acquires Croatian citizenship by descent if one parent was a Croatian citizen at the time of the birth and the child is reported to a consulate or a registry office for registration before turning 21 (Article 5(1)). So it is sensible to ask about registration as soon as a child is born. For a minor child born before the parent became a citizen, Article 13 applies — for example, the child acquires citizenship when one parent acquires it under Article 11(1) or Article 16. Details are in the complete guide.

🔄 Special situations

• Consular help in Serbia — while you are in Serbia, Article 5 of the Serbian act means you are regarded as a Serbian citizen. Ask the Croatian consulate what it can do for you in that situation.
• Jobs in the civil service, army or police — the requirements for particular posts are set by each country's own laws. Whether a second citizenship is an obstacle should be checked in the conditions of the specific vacancy.

📋 In short

📚 Sources

• Croatian Citizenship Act (NN 53/91 … 138/21), Articles 2, 4, 5, 8–11, 13, 16 and 17
• Citizenship Act of the Republic of Serbia, Articles 5, 27, 28 and 33
• Decision on the suspension of the obligation to perform military service and the Serbian Ministry of Defence: Vojna obaveza
• Government of Serbia: statement of 21 September 2024
• MORH: Hrvatska uvodi temeljno vojno osposobljavanje and Najčešća pitanja i odgovori
• Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, Article 45
• MUP RH: Border checks; European Commission: Entry/Exit System
• Your Europe: travel documents for EU nationals, health insurance cover, income taxes abroad
• Croatian Tax Administration: determining tax residence and double taxation agreements
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Visa Waiver Program