January the 15th, 2021 - The United Kingdom has officially left the European Union (no, really this time) and its transition period which ran until December the 31st, 2020, has now ended. The UK is now a third country and that carries implications for its citizens. How are Brexit Brits in Croatia affected and how can they secure their legal residence status? 

I have been covering residence rights, citizenship and all things Brexit for a while now, and with a number of in depth articles easily accessible and regularly updated, I thought it would be best to do a quick and simple one on how Brexit Brits in Croatia can make sure their residence and other related rights go unaffected now the UK's transition period has drawn to a close.

I recently wrote an article explaining the ins and outs of the Withdrawal Agreement, you can read that here. Now let's get down to business by outlining some basic points which can be read about in more detail in the aforementioned link.

1) If you were resident in Croatia (legally) before the end of the UK's transition period - you are protected by the Withdrawal Agreement and can stay, enjoying broadly the same rights as you did before.

2) You do not need to apply for a new residence status, you are merely registering the fact that you are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement and as such as obtaining a new ID card which no longer has the letters EGP (Europski gospodarski prostor/European Economic Area) on it, but Article 75 (the law you are now protected by). The system is one of declaration pursuant to Article 18, paragraph 4 of the Agreement.

3) Once you have permanent residence as a British citizen covered by the Withdrawal Agreement, you are free to be absent from Croatia for five consecutive years without losing any of your rights.

4) Family members (such as current spouses and registered partners, parents, grandparents, children) may join their family member in the future.

5) Children born after the transition period will also be protected by the Withdrawal Agreement, wherever they are born.

Now that is out of the way, let's look at just what you need to do. As explained by MUP, you are protected and covered by the Withdrawal Agreement but you still need to take a few administrative steps which should be painless (I know, I can hear the laughter). Let's look at what you need to do.

The residence status of British nationals and their family members will be regulated pursuant to Article 18, paragraph 4 of the Agreement (which is a declaratory scheme). Accordingly, British nationals and their family members who are subject to the Withdrawal Agreement will not be obligated to apply for a new residence status as a requirement for their legal residence in Croatia. Rather, a declaratory system will be applied on the basis of which British nationals and their family members will have a residence status on the basis of the very fact that they meet the conditions laid down in the Agreement and will continue to have the said status for as long as they meet these conditions. This means that their residence status is not subject to the constitutive decision of the competent authority.

The conditions of residence are, and will remain, the same as those under current European Union law on free movement. In essence, British nationals meet these conditions if they are any of the following:

1) Workers or are self-employed.

2) Are enrolled at a private or public establishment, for the principal purpose of following a course of study, including vocational training; and have health  insurance and sufficient resources for themselves and their family members.

3) Have sufficient resources and health insurance.

4) Are family members of another person who meets these conditions.

5) Have already acquired the right of permanent residence and are therefore no longer subject to any conditions.

So how do Brexit Brits go about registering for their new ID cards under this declaratory scheme? 

If you already hold permanent residence in Croatia:

If you're already a permanent resident (you have lived in Croatia lawfully for five years or more), you are no longer subject to any conditions and you will need to send a copy of your valid passport or travel document (this can be an ID card but if you're British you'll know this isn't really a thing in the UK) and fill in Form 9B. You will need to send these documents in PDF form via email to the administrative police station responsible for your area/for the area in which your permanent residence is registered.

If you have acquired the right to permanent residence but have never registered and as such don't have a residence card, you will need to demonstrate sufficient evidence that you have lived in Croatia for five years or more and still do.

A list of administrative police stations and their email addresses and contact numbers can be found at the bottom of this page.

If you hold temporary residence in Croatia:

If you're a temporary resident (you have lived in Croatia lawfully for less than five years), you will need to fill in Form 7B and send a copy of your valid passport/travel document, you will need to send these documents in PDF form via email to the administrative police station responsible for your area/for the area in which your temporary residence is registered.

If you have never registered and as such don't have a temporary residence card, you will need to demonstrate sufficient evidence that you have lived in Croatia in line with the EU's freedom of movement laws and still do.

A list of administrative police stations and their email addresses and contact numbers can be found at the bottom of this page.

If you're the family member of a British national covered by the Withdrawal Agreement:

If you're the family member of a British national (you obtained the right to live in Croatia as the family member of an EEA citizen) you will need to fill in Form 8B and send a copy of your valid passport/travel document, you will need to send these documents in PDF form via email to the administrative police station responsible for your area/for the area in which your residence as the family member of an EEA/British national is registered.

If you have never registered and as such don't have a temporary residence card, you will need to demonstrate sufficient evidence that you have lived in Croatia in line with the EU's freedom of movement laws as the family member of an EEA/British and still do.

A list of administrative police stations and their email addresses and contact numbers can be found at the bottom of this page.

I don't have a residence card/resident status, what documents should I present?

A work contract, certificate of employment issued by the employer (clearly stating employment period, OIB, seat of the company), proof of self-employment.

Proof of enrollment at an establishment for following a study, including vocational training.

Rental agreement or property sale contract, or title deed.

Utility bills, bank statement covering certain period.

Proof of covering health insurance costs/using health insurance.

Documents proving family ties.

Narodne Novine also explains what documents are needed if you want to read it in Croatian.

British citizens living in Croatia have until the 30th of June 2021 to register. They will not lose any rights if they fail to do so, but they may face an administrative fine if they fail to meet the deadline.

October the 2nd, 2019 - Last night, a meeting between affected British expats living in Croatia and British Ambassador to Croatia, Andrew Dalgleish on the topic of citizen's rights took place in Zagreb.

During the meeting, which took place between 18:00 and 20:00, numerous questions were raised by concerned British expats and the ambassador did his best to answer them. We have also covered the topic of Brexit and what that means for British citizens living legally in Croatia extensively and numerous times.

Updated information on what a potential no deal Brexit would mean for British nationals living in Croatia can be found by clicking here.

Our advice, as well as that directly from MUP (Ministry of the Interior), can be read here.

If you are a British national who has legal residence in Croatia, be it temporary or permanent, you will be covered by transitional measures which will have no end date, allowing you to continue your lives in Croatia just as you did before the UK's withdrawal from the EU. All you will need to do is exchange your current residence permit for a different one within twelve months following a no deal Brexit date. 

Please note that the new cards are not another application procedure, but merely a formality. You can read much more detail on that here.

If you're a British national and for some reason or another you have not yet registered your residence with the local police, make sure to do so as soon as possible as an EU national in order to be covered by the aforementioned transitional measures with no end date, and avoid needing to apply as a third country national following (what is currently) expected to be Brexit day - October the 31st, 2019.

Watch Andrew Dalgleish's video, which touches on the appropriate legislation on both residence and healthcare here:

Make sure to stay up to date with the UK Government's Living in Croatia page for updates, follow British Embassy Zagreb on Facebook, and stay up to date with us on our politics page as we update you on any further news on Brexit that may affect you.

September the 30th, 2019 - As the majority of you will know, I've been writing articles to try to keep you up to date with Brexit and the unfolding situation in the UK.

Numerous articles have been written to update, inform and attempt to answer your questions on what Brexit with or without a deal means for you as a British citizen with legal residence in Croatia. 

The first article, which can be read here, covers what would happen if Theresa May's deal (withdrawal agreement) is adopted by British Parliament.

The others cover the situation as it unfolded. As individual EU member states came forward with their proposals for UK citizens following the UK promising to protect EU citizens in any scenario (be it deal or no deal), and after a request for a ''generous and pragmatic'' offer from the EU, Croatia finally shed some light on the situation here, citing special measures.

With little else to go on, we wrote an article on the steps British residents in Croatia affected by Brexit can take to ensure they're secure. You can read that here.

Eventually, MUP spoke out and offered guidelines in the event of any Brexit scenario, this echoed much of what we had already written. It can be read here and also contains our advice written in italic font. Here is the original on their website.

For a breakdown of the legal jargon which surrounds this issue and what it all means in the real world, click here.

Given the fact that very little help is being offered to Brits living in the rest of the EU in general, a generous sum was allocated to help out those who are struggling with residence applications and registrations forms.

As Theresa May stepped down after her withdrawal agreement was rejected three times by parliament, Boris Johnson entered Number 10 and shamelessly prorogued parliament. Until MPs managed to pass a law making no deal illegal, the threat of a no deal Brexit became very real once again. That is now unlikely indeed, and a further extension is expected, but just in case it happens, click here for all you need to know.

Please note that there is no need to panic as long as you are a British citizen correctly registered and with a valid residence permit of either type (privremeni boravak/temporary residence or stalni boravak/permanent residence). If you hold permanent residence already, there is nothing for you to be concerned about.

I keep seeing very concerning comments from various individuals about people being ''kicked out'' of countries, this simply is not true. Croatia has made it quite clear that it will protect its legal British residents regardless of the outcome of Brexit, through transitional arrangements that will have no end date. This will allow you to continue your life in Croatia exactly as you did before.

If there is a no deal Brexit, all you will need to do is exchange your residence card for another one, but its validity and type will remain exactly the same. If you hold permanent residence, it will still be permanent residence. Much more detail on that is provided here.

If you are a British citizen living in Croatia and you have not yet registered your residence, please do so as soon as possible in order to have your rights protected.

We'd like to announce that the British Embassy Zagreb will be holding an outreach meeting for British citizens in Zagreb on October the 1st, 2019.

The location will be at Preradoviceva 12, at the Garden Bar and Kitchen from 18:00 to 20:00.

You need to register that you'll be attending by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please remember to bring your British passport along with you.

Make sure to follow our dedicated politics page for more information on Brexit as we get it, and much more.