temporary stay for the purpose of university studies
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | privremeni boravak u svrhu studiranja as of 2026-05-27[6][8] The Act's own term, heading of art. 73. |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | temporary stay for the purpose of university studies as of 2026-08-15[2] The Ministry's English rendering of the second purpose in art. 57(1), 'secondary school education and university studies', and of art. 58(3)(3), 'arriving for the purpose of studying at a university at undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate level'. |
| Legal basis | Zakon o strancima (NN 133/20, 114/22, 151/22, 40/25, 55/26), čl. 73. u vezi s čl. 59., 89. st. 1. t. 10. i čl. 151. st. 2.; Uredba o načinu izračuna i visini sredstava za uzdržavanje (NN 14/21, 3/26), čl. 3. as of 2026-05-27[5][8] Art. 73 sets the conditions and the term; art. 73(2) was substituted by NN 55/2026. Art. 89(1)(10), also substituted by NN 55/2026, sets the work right. Art. 151(2) governs how study time counts toward long-term residence. Regulation art. 3 sets the means and return-funds levels. |
| Instrument type | residence permit as of 2026-08-15[2] Granted as temporary stay; the holder is issued a biometric residence permit. |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA, EFTA as of 2026-08-15[2] The Aliens Act's temporary-stay chapter applies to third-country nationals; EEA nationals and their family members are governed by a separate chapter and a separate Ministry page. |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | Not established from a qualifying source No minimum age is stated for the study route. |
| Criminal-record condition | Yes as of 2026-04-10[4][6] The general condition in art. 59(1)(5) applies on a first application. The exemption in that article, as reproduced in ordinance art. 7(1) as substituted by NN 43/2026, is written for a student using mobility from another EEA member state, not for students generally, so a first-time student coming from outside the EEA must produce the proof. |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | up to 3 years as of 2026-05-27[8] Art. 73(2) as substituted by NN 55/2026: the permit is issued either for a term of up to one year, or until the end of the expected duration of the study programme the student is enrolled on and at most three years, in which case the student must deliver a certificate of enrolment for the current academic year to the police administration by 31 October each year. Before that amendment the term was up to one year or to the end of the academic year, so the multi-year permit is new. |
|---|---|
| How the initial term is set | matches the course |
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-05-27[6] Art. 62(1): an application to extend temporary stay is lodged at the latest 60 days before the current permit expires, at the police administration of the holder's place of residence; the holder may remain in Croatia until the decision is enforceable. |
| Renewal duration | up to 3 years as of 2026-05-27[8] Art. 73(2) states one rule for issue; no separate renewal term is set. |
| Work rights | hours capped as of 2026-05-27[8] Art. 89(1)(10) as substituted by NN 55/2026: a student on temporary stay for study may work without a stay and work permit or a work registration certificate where the student placement is an integral part of the study programme, and otherwise for at most 25 hours a week doing student work under the rules governing student jobs, or as an employee, or self-employed. The cap was 20 hours before that amendment, and the Ministry's English page still states 20. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
Requirements
| Enrolment status required | enrolled as of 2026-05-27[6][8] Art. 73(1): temporary stay for study is granted to a third-country national who meets the general conditions of art. 59, studies at a higher-education institution in Croatia, and has sufficient funds to return. Art. 73(2) second indent then requires a certificate of enrolment for the current academic year each year, so enrolment rather than mere admission is the operative test. |
|---|---|
| Means requirement | 0.25 × average monthly net paid salary, previous year per month as of 2021-02-12[5] |
| Savings alternative | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Work-hours cap | 25 as of 2026-05-27[8] Art. 89(1)(10) as substituted by NN 55/2026: at most 25 hours a week, except where the student placement is an integral part of the study programme, in which case the cap does not apply. Raised from 20 hours by that amendment. |
| Post-study route exists | Not established from a qualifying source |
Process
| Where to apply from | either as of 2025-03-07[2][7] Art. 58(1) puts the application at a Croatian diplomatic mission or consular post; art. 58(2) allows a visa-free national to apply at a police administration or station; and art. 58(3)(3) expressly extends that to a visa-required national coming to study at a higher-education institution at undergraduate, graduate or postgraduate level – one of only eight such carve-outs. Art. 58(3)(5) extends it to their close family members. |
|---|---|
| Statutory processing time | Not established from a qualifying source No statutory decision period for a temporary-stay application is stated on the Ministry's page, and the general procedure article (art. 60 as substituted by NN 40/2025) sets none. |
| Fees |
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| Quota |
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Physical presence
| maximum total absence | 90 days · to keep the permit as of 2025-03-07[2][7] Art. 87(1)(5) as substituted by NN 40/2025: a temporary stay granted for one year or less expires if the holder is abroad for more than 90 days in total on multiple occasions from the day the stay was granted. A single absence of up to 90 days for justified reasons does not end the stay if the holder notifies the competent police administration before leaving. |
|---|---|
| maximum consecutive absence | 30 days · to keep the permit as of 2025-03-07[2][7] Same provision: more than 30 days on a single occasion, for a stay granted for one year or less. |
| periodic reporting | 1 year · to keep the permit as of 2026-05-27[8] Art. 73(2) second indent: where the permit was issued for the expected duration of the study programme rather than for a single year, the student must deliver a certificate from the higher-education institution confirming enrolment in the current academic year to the police administration by 31 October every year. This obligation does not attach to a permit issued for up to one year. |
| registration only | to keep the permit as of 2025-03-07[2][7] Registration of residence within 30 days of the grant, or six months where a long-stay visa was required, and reporting of the address within three days of entry. Art. 87's absence rules do not apply to a student using short-term or long-term mobility in another EEA member state. |
Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | Yes as of 2025-03-07[2][7] Art. 58(3)(5) expressly allows the close family members of a student under art. 58(3)(3) to lodge at a police administration even where they need a visa, which presupposes that family reunification is open to them; art. 63(4)'s list of sponsor categories excluded from family reunification does not include students. |
|---|---|
| Eligible relations | spouse, unmarried partner, minor child as of 2026-08-15[6] Art. 64(1) applies unchanged. |
| Family may apply at the same time | Not established from a qualifying source Not stated for this route in the sources retrieved. |
| Family members' work rights | authorisation required as of 2026-08-15[3] Family reunification with a student is not among the categories in art. 89(1) that may work without a permit or a work registration certificate. |
Your next step
Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.
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Verification
| Sources cited | 8 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 8 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2021-02-12 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-15 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-22 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Long-Term Residence and Permanent stay
Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-15 · Archived copy - [2] Temporary stay of third-country nationals
Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-15 · Archived copy - [3] Work of third-country nationals
Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia (MUP) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-15 · Archived copy - [4] Pravilnik o izmjenama i dopunama Pravilnika o boravku državljana trećih zemalja, NN 43/2026
Narodne novine / Ministarstvo unutarnjih poslova · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-04-10 · Accessed 2026-08-15 - [5] Uredba o načinu izračuna i visini sredstava za uzdržavanje državljanina treće zemlje u Republici Hrvatskoj, NN 14/2021
Narodne novine · Vlada Republike Hrvatske · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2021-02-12 · Accessed 2026-08-15 · Archived copy · Amended by hr-uredba-uzdrzavanje-3-26 - [6] Zakon o strancima (Aliens Act), NN 133/2020
Narodne novine (Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia) / Hrvatski sabor · gazette · Tier 1 · Published 2020-12-04 · Accessed 2026-08-15 · Amended by hr-zakon-o-strancima-114-22, hr-zakon-o-strancima-40-25, hr-zakon-o-strancima-55-26 - [7] Zakon o izmjenama i dopunama Zakona o strancima, NN 40/2025
Narodne novine / Hrvatski sabor · gazette · Tier 1 · Published 2025-03-07 · Accessed 2026-08-15 - [8] Zakon o izmjenama i dopunama Zakona o strancima, NN 55/2026
Narodne novine / Hrvatski sabor · gazette · Tier 1 · Published 2026-05-27 · Accessed 2026-08-15