The Croatian Labor Code provides that, in the case of dismissal, the employer must give prior notice to the employee in writing.
The duration of the notice period depends on how long the employee has been working for the same employer:
An employee whose employment contract is terminated due to employee misconduct is entitled to a notice period in the amount of half of the notice periods listed above.
Employers may hire non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals (third-country nationals) only if a stay-and-work permit or a work registration certificate has been obtained, unless the individual falls within a category permitted to work without one, such as holders of long-term or permanent residence, asylum or subsidiary protection, family reunification or life partnership, autonomous residence, posted workers, researchers, and the Croatian diaspora. The employee may work only for the employer, position, and under the conditions listed in the permit. Individuals from the EU, EEA, or Switzerland do not require a permit and may work freely in Croatia under EU free-movement rules.
Before hiring a third-country national, a positive Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) opinion is required. The opinion is requested by the Ministry of the Interior through the police administration. The employer must request a labor market test from the HZZ. The employer must meet certain conditions, including account inflow over the preceding 12 months of at least EUR 100,000 for legal entities or EUR 40,000 for natural persons, settled tax obligations with all required reports filed, no relevant criminal convictions, no sanction for the most serious labor-law misdemeanors and no sanction relating to social security or occupational safety, not appearing on the register of employers found to have used undeclared work, and having employed at least one and the same Croatian/EEA/Swiss national full-time on a permanent basis in Croatia for the past year. Effective June 4, 2026, the employer's business account must also not have been blocked for more than 30 continuous days in the preceding 6 months. The third-country national's salary must not be lower than the salary paid to comparable workers in Croatia in the same, similar, or related occupations, and the employment contract must not contain discriminatory provisions that place the employee at a disadvantage relative to other workers in Croatia.
Effective June 4, 2026, the HZZ will issue a positive opinion only if the number of Croatian/EEA/Swiss nationals employed full-time is at least 20% of the number of third-country nationals employed. For shortage occupations, the threshold is 10%.
Permits issued with HZZ involvement may last up to 3 years (aligned with the employment contract), while permits issued without a labor market test and HZZ opinion may last up to 2 years. After working for the same employer for at least 6 months, an employee may change employers within the same occupation without a new permit, provided the new employer requests a labor market test and obtains a positive HZZ opinion, and notifies the Ministry of the Interior within 3 days. The Ministry decides within 45 days. This does not apply to seasonal workers. If employment ends, the employee may remain in Croatia while unemployed for up to 3 months if the permit has been held for less than 2 years, or up to 6 months if held for more than 2 years, extended by a further 3 months in cases of particularly exploitative working conditions; the employee must notify the HZZ within 5 days, and seasonal workers are excluded. Where the employee requires a visa to enter Croatia, the employer must provide a financial guarantee (promissory note) equal to one average monthly gross salary, submitted to the Ministry of the Interior within 5 days. This does not apply to seasonal workers.
The labor code of Croatia provides paid annual leave of at least 4 weeks to all employees. The employee is entitled to annual leave after they have worked for at least 6 months with the employer. Employees who work in harmful jobs, and minors, are entitled to 5 weeks' leave. The law does not allow compensation in lieu of annual leave.
During annual leave, employees are entitled to salary compensation in the amount determined by the collective agreement, labor regulations, or employment contract, and at least in the amount of their average monthly salary in the previous 3 months. In the event of termination of employment, employers must pay compensation to the employee who has not used their annual leave in lieu of taking it.
Per the labor law of Croatia, the standard workweek is 40 hours, unless otherwise stated in a collective bargaining agreement. Employees who work over this number of hours are eligible for overtime. Overtime must not exceed 180 hours a year unless contractually agreed, in which case it must not exceed 250 hours. An employee may not work for more than one employer with a total working time of more than 40 hours per week except when the employee is working abroad.
Part-time work is any working time below the standard 40 hours per week. An employee whose total working time is 40 hours per week, may enter into an employment contract with another employer for a maximum of 8 hours per week, or up to 180 hours per year. The existing employer with whom the employee has already concluded a contract must give written consent for such work.
In Croatia, an employed mother is entitled to maternity leave during pregnancy, childbirth, and care of a newborn child until the child reaches the age of 6 months. The employee is entitled to 100% of their salary compensation for the duration of maternity leave, which is paid from the funds of the Croatian Health Institute.
Croatian law dictates that the mother must use maternity leave 28 days before the expected date of delivery and use it continuously until 70 days after birth (compulsory maternity leave). An employed mother may start taking maternity leave 45 days before the day of the expected birth.
From January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026, the minimum wage in Croatia is set at EUR 1,050 (euros) per month.
Payroll Frequency
Salary must be paid monthly or as per the terms set in an individual or collective agreement, and no later than the 15th day of the current month for the previous month.
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