Arriving to Croatia and seeking international protection does not automatically grant you the right to work.
However, as an asylum seeker, you can acquire the right to work if the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) has not made a decision on your application within three months of submission.
Once this period has elapsed, you may formally request the right to work by submitting an application—either orally or in writing—to the International Protection Service. The Ministry of the Interior will issue a certificate confirming your right to work within 30 days.
If your request is denied, you will receive a negative decision, which you can challenge by filing a lawsuit with the Administrative Court within eight days of receiving the decision.
If you are accommodated in a Reception Centre for Applicants for International Protection and you find employment
If you find employment, you must notify the Centre in writing within 15 days of signing your employment contract. Additionally, you must submit a certificate of employment issued by your employer.
If your job requires you to stay outside the Reception Centre for more than two consecutive days—for instance, if you are working outside Zagreb or Kutina—you must obtain prior approval from the Centre.
After a decision is made on your status in Croatia
Once the competent authority decides on your application for international protection, your status will change. If the decision is positive and you are granted international or subsidiary protection, you will retain the right to work in Croatia. However, you must return the previously issued certificate of the right to work to the Ministry of the Interior within 15 days. As a beneficiary of international or subsidiary protection, you will no longer need this certificate to be employed.
If the final decision on your asylum application is negative, you will lose the right to work and must return the certificate to the Ministry of the Interior within 15 days.
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