top of page
Search

Croatian citizenship by descent

  • infocroataconsulti
  • Jan 8
  • 4 min read


Setting the stage for Croatian citizenship based on descent


The Zakon o hrvatskom državljanstvu (Law on Croatian citizenship) defines citizenship, preconditions for its acquisition, and its termination.


To get Croatian citizenship based on descent, you must meet certain requirements defined by this law, which you can view here.


The process of obtaining citizenship is carried out by the Ministarstvo unutarnjih poslova (Croatian Ministry of the Interior). They are usually referred to as MUP or policija (police). Learn more about MUP here.


To become a Croatian citizen, MUP will evaluate your application based on its merit. If you receive a positive decision, then you will gain citizenship. After that, you qualify to get your proof of citizenship called domovnica and other Croatian documents.


Law on Croatian citizenship – Article 11


When applying for Croatian citizenship, you must define the article of the Law on Croatian citizenship under which you are applying. For example, if you’re applying based on marriage, then Article 10 is likely what you need. If applying based on descent, then the applicable article is Article 11.

This article outlines all the rules and requirements that are considered when the ministry reviews your application.

Article 11 of the Law on Croatian citizenship says:

Iseljenik i njegovi potomci mogu prirođenjem steći hrvatsko državljanstvo iako ne udovoljavaju pretpostavkama iz članka 8. stavka 1. točaka 2. – 4. ovoga Zakona.
Stranac koji je u braku s osobom iz stavka 1. ovoga članka može steći hrvatsko državljanstvo iako ne udovoljava pretpostavkama iz članka 8. stavka 1. točaka 2. – 4. ovoga Zakona.
Iseljenik iz stavka 1. ovoga članka je osoba koja se prije 8. listopada 1991. godine iselila s područja Republike Hrvatske u namjeri da u inozemstvu stalno živi.
Iznimno, iseljenik iz stavka 1. ovoga članka je i pripadnik hrvatskog naroda koji se iselio s prostora u sastavu bivših država u kojima se, u vrijeme iseljenja, nalazilo i područje današnje Republike Hrvatske.
Iseljenikom se ne smatra osoba koja je iselila s područja Republike Hrvatske na temelju međunarodnog ugovora ili se odrekla hrvatskog državljanstva, osoba koja je promijenila prebivalište u druge države koje su u to vrijeme bile u sastavu državne zajednice kojoj je pripadala i Republika Hrvatska te osoba koja je iselila s područja Republike Hrvatske, a nije imala bivše hrvatsko republičko državljanstvo, odnosno zavičajnost na području Republike Hrvatske.

Which translates to…

An emigrant and their descendants may acquire Croatian citizenship by naturalization, even though they do not meet the preconditions referred to in Article 8, Paragraph 1, Points 2 to 4 of this Law.
An alien who is married to a person referred to in Paragraph 1 of this Article may acquire Croatian citizenship even though they do not meet the preconditions referred to in Article 8, Paragraph 1, Points 2-4 of this Law.
An emigrant referred to in Paragraph 1 of this Article is a person who emigrated from the territory of the Republic of Croatia before October 8, 1991, with the intention of living abroad permanently.Exceptionally, the emigrant referred to in Paragraph 1 of this Article is also a member of the Croatian people who emigrated from the territory of the former states in which, at the time of emigration, the territory of today’s Republic of Croatia was located.
An emigrant is not a person who emigrated from the territory of the Republic of Croatia on the basis of an international agreement or renounced Croatian citizenship, a person who changed their residence to other states that at that time were part of the state union to which the Republic of Croatia belonged, or a person who emigrated from the territory of the Republic of Croatia, and did not have the former Croatian republican citizenship, i.e. homeland in the territory of the Republic of Croatia.


Who qualifies to apply for Croatian citizenship based on descent?


To qualify to apply based on descent, you must have a Croatian ancestor connected to you in a straight line and who permanently left Croatia to move abroad.

This can be a parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, and so on, as long as they are considered Croatian emigrant.

If they returned to Croatia or never left, they are not considered an emigrant, in which case Article 11 does not apply.


As of January 1, 2020, there is no limit to how many generations you can go back as long as you can prove the connection and their emigration abroad.


If you are a Croatian born on Croatian territory and you permanently moved abroad before Croatia gained independence in 1991, you can also apply for citizenship by descent. In cases like this, citizenship is not automatic. There was a period after independence when citizenship could be easily obtained, but that state-mandated period has ended.



Spouses of Croatian citizens


Spouses of those who qualify to apply based on Article 11 or obtained citizenship based on Article 11 can also apply based on this article without meeting any residence or language requirements (Article 10).


Here are a couple of examples:

  • If you are married to a person who acquired Croatian citizenship based on Article 11, you can apply for citizenship based on Article 11

  • If you are married to a person who qualifies to apply for Croatian citizenship based on Article 11, you can apply for citizenship based on Article 11 at the same time as the descendant



When could you be disqualified from Croatian citizenship based on descent?


There are reasons why a person could be disqualified from applying for Croatian citizenship based on Article 11.


Here are the rules:

  • If your ancestor left Croatia to move to another country within Yugoslavia (or ex-Yugoslavia), the right to citizenship based on descent is negated for all descendants

  • If your ancestor left Croatia after October 8, 1991, the right to citizenship based on descent is negated for all descendants

  • If your ancestor returned to live in Croatia, the right to citizenship based on descent is negated

  • If you are a Croatian emigrant and you moved to another country within Yugoslavia (or ex-Yugoslavia), the right to citizenship based on descent is negated

  • If you are a Croatian emigrant and you left Croatia after October 8, 1991, the right to citizenship based on descent is negated

  • If you returned to live in Croatia as a Croatian emigrant, the right to citizenship based on descent is negated.


If you are disqualified based on any of these reasons, you could try to apply based on Article 16 instead. For this path, you must prove your connection to the Croatian people.


 
 
 

Kommentare


  • Grey Twitter Icon
  • Grey LinkedIn Icon
  • Grey Facebook Icon

© 2035 by Talking Business. Powered and secured by Wix

bottom of page