| Croatian Citizenship Act | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parliament of Croatia | |
| |
| Enacted by | Government of Croatia |
| Status: Current legislation | |
TheCroatian nationality law dates back from June 26, 1991, with amendments on May 8, 1992, October 28, 2011, and January 1, 2020, and an interpretation of the Constitutional Court in 1993.[1][2][3] It is based upon theConstitution of Croatia (Chapter II, articles 9 and 10). It is mainly based onjus sanguinis.
Croatian citizenship can be acquired in the following ways:[1][2]
Under Article 4 of the Law on Croatian Citizenship, a child acquires Croatian citizenship by origin:[1]
Croatian citizenship may also be acquired by a mix of descent and registration, for a child born abroad, one of whose parents is a Croatian citizen at the moment of the child's birth, "if the child is registered for Croatian citizenship by 21 years of age at a competent authority of the Republic of Croatia abroad or in the Republic of Croatia, or if he settles in the Republic of Croatia", or if the child would not otherwise acquire any citizenship.[1]
It is also possible for emigrants and their descendants (and their spouses) to claim Croatian citizenship under Article 11. An emigrant and their descendants can acquire Croatian citizenship by naturalization. They do not have to:
However, Article 11 does not generally apply to migrants who are citizens of other countries and territories of theformer Yugoslavia.[4]
Under Article 8 of the Croatian Citizenship Act, a foreigner can acquire Croatian citizenship by naturalisation if they have submitted a request and fulfils the following requirements:[3]
Croatia does not require its citizens to renounce Croatian citizenship when acquiring a new citizenship.
The same cannot be said though, for the reverse. Under Article 8 of the Law on Croatian Citizenship, naturalisation into Croatian citizenship requires renunciation of the previous country's citizenship, where allowed by the other country. However, this does not apply in a number of situations, including descendants of Croatian emigrants, national interest of Croatia, and former Croatians who renounced Croatian citizenship to practice a profession in another country.[1]
Because Croatia forms part of theEuropean Union, Croatian citizens are alsocitizens of the European Union underEuropean Union law and thus enjoyrights of free movement andhave the right to vote inelections for theEuropean Parliament.[5] When in a non-EU country where there is no Croatian embassy, Croatian citizens have the right to get consular protection from the embassy of any other EU country present in that country.[6][7] Croatian citizens can live and work in any country within the EU as a result of the right of free movement and residence granted inArticle 21 of the EU Treaty.[8]
Visa requirements for Croatian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens ofCroatia. In 2018, Croatian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 156 countries and territories, ranking the Croatian passport 20th in terms of travel freedom according to theHenley visa restrictions index.[9]
In 2017, the Croatian nationality is ranked twenty-eighth in theNationality Index (QNI). This index differs from theVisa Restrictions Index, which focuses on external factors including travel freedom. The QNI considers, in addition to travel freedom, on internal factors such as peace & stability, economic strength, and human development as well.[10]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:"Law on Croatian Citizenship (unofficial translation) (originally enacted June 26, 1991, and as amended May 8, 1992 and October 28, 2011)"(PDF). EUDO. July 19, 2019. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on July 10, 2019. RetrievedJuly 20, 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:"Croatian Citizenship Act (unofficial translation) (originally enacted June 26, 1991, and as amended May 8, 1992 and October 28, 2011, and January 1, 2020)"(PDF). ZAKON. October 13, 2020.
