Temporary stay for the purpose of studies
Foreign nationals intending to study in Croatia must regulate their temporary stay for the purpose of studying if their stay in Croatia is longer than 90 days. International students are not allowed to attend classes at a university until they have procured a residence permit.
International students can submit a residence permit application in one of two ways:
- to the diplomatic mission or consulate of the Republic of Croatia in the foreign national’s home country
- to the appropriate police department or police station immediately upon entering Croatia if they submit proof of taking part in an exchange programme approved by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports in Croatia (Erasmus, Erasmus Mundus, CEEPUS, bilateral exchange, etc.). For more information about this document, the student should contact International Relations Offi ce of the host university.
If foreigners are subject to the visa requirement they are obliged to apply for a visa prior to their entry into the Republic of Croatia, at the responsible Croatian diplomatic mission/consular post.
Students submitting an application to the diplomatic mission or consulate of the Republic of Croatia in their home country should do so prior to their scheduled arrival to Croatia. The usual procedure can take three months or longer. There is also a fast-track option for handling the application and students can request this at the diplomatic mission or consulate, in which case they pay a higher fee. Students submitting the application to the appropriate police department or police station in Croatia should do so immediately upon entering Croatia.
The temporary stay permit for the purpose of studies is valid up to one year, that is, until the end of the academic year.
Documents needed to apply for a temporary stay permit for the purpose of studies:
- Application form
- Proof of admittance to a higher education institution in Croatia written in the Croatian language
- One colour photograph (35 x 45 mm)
- Original and copy of a valid travel document
- Proof of accommodation arrangements *
- Proof of means of support **
- Certificate of impunity (not older than 6 months)
- Proof of health insurance ***
* – E.g. written proof of secured accommodation in the student dormitory or an apartment lease and proof of the landlord’s apartment ownership for students in private accommodation
** – Proof of finances: a scholarship or proof of having access to finances in the amount of at least 1,000 Kuna (approximately 133 EUR) per month during 12 months. The proof of receiving a scholarship is issued by the legal entity granting the scholarship while the proof of finances is issued by a bank in the form of a bank statement
*** – Proof of health insurance (bilingual document) coming from a home country that has a bilateral agreement on social and health security with Croatia. Nationals of countries that do not have the aforementioned agreement with Croatia have to report to the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance (HZZO – Hrvatski zavod za zdravstveno osiguranje) to establish their right to health insurance under Croatian health insurance regulations.
All original documents must be officially translated into Croatian, and an “apostille” of all original documents and certified translations may be required. It is suggested to check with the Croatian diplomatic mission or consular post whether the need for an “apostille“ exists.
Application fee
The application fee for the first temporary residence permit for the purpose of studying is 520 Kuna (approximately 70 EUR). International students receiving a grant from the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Sports are exempted from this fee.
Diplomatic Missions and Consular Offices of Croatia (in English)
Study in Croatia >Living in Croatia >Student residence permit
Upon arrival you need to register at a police station. If you have received a room in one of the student dormitories, the Student centre (Studentski centar) will do this for you.
Getting an OIB identity number
OIB is a personal identity number, called “osobni identifikacijski broj” in Croatian. This new form of identity number was introduced on 1 January 2009. The OIB is needed for all dealings with any kind of officialdom, such as paying taxes and household bills, opening and accessing a bank account, or registering a vehicle.
Foreigners temporarily staying in the Republic of Croatia will get the OIB in the procedure of registering the residence/stay in the police station.
In all other cases the OIB is issued by the Tax Department of the Ministry of Finance, which has offices all round Croatia. For example, foreigners who hold a bank account have to apply for their OIB to be issued. This is a straightforward procedure which costs nothing. The application can be submitted in person, together with the original supporting documents or by some other authorized person (employer, host institution etc.). The OIB can be issued immediately.
List of documents:
- Request for an OIB to be issued and delivered (the application form is in Croatian, and is available on this web site)*
- Authorization signed by the foreigner (if the request is not submitted in person) – in Croatian
- Copy of the valid travel document, or some other identity document (original may be asked for inspection)
*The form is divided into three parts: as an individual, please fill in part 1 and 3.
The OIB document is composed of two parts: a slip containing the number, which you should detach and keep in your wallet or in a safe place, as it is the official proof of your OIB. The upper part contains a system code and explanatory statements.
From 1 January 2010 the OIB is also considered as a tax number.
Health insurance registration procedures
During their stay in Croatia, all foreigners with temporary residence must have health insurance. Regulated health insurance is the prerequisite for being granted temporary residence (except for the foreigners on temporary stay for the purpose of scientific research – they must have the provision of health insurance stipulated in the hosting agreement).
Foreign citizens are advised before coming to the Republic of Croatia to check with the health insurance authority in their country of origin whether there exists an agreement on health insurance between the Republic of Croatia and their country of origin. In case such an agreement does exist, their local health insurance authority must issue a document on the basis of which the foreigner will be entitled to medical protection while in Croatia. In case such a document does not exist, foreign citizens may procure a health insurance policy from the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance (HZZO) in the following way:
- upon arrival they need to register at the police administration/station, where they will be issued a registered number
- on the basis of this number the HZZO office will register the person on temporary evidence and issue relevant confirmation, which entitles the foreigner and binds the HZZO to medical insurance after residence status regulation
- with this temporary confirmation from the HZZO, the foreign citizen needs to return to the police administration/station, where their temporary residence will be approved and a permit issued
- after bringing a copy of the residence confirmation to the HZZO, the foreign citizen will be fully insured
- necessary documents: a copy of the first page of the passport, a copy of the passport page with visa, a copy of the residence confirmation
An employment contract is needed in order to register a foreign researcher as an employee with the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance (HZZO). Researchers on temporary stay for the purpose of scientific research that do not have an employment contract must register with the HZZO upon arrival to Croatia by presenting their passport and residence permit.
The application process for foreigners in the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute and the Croatian Institute for Health Insurance are the same as the application procedures for workers who are Croatian citizens.
Foreigners who establish regular working relationship with the Croatian employers pay contributions for compulsory pension insurance in the same way as workers who are Croatian citizens.
School of Medicine, University of Zagreb
The main building of the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb is situated at the Šalata hill campus, a peaceful oasis in the central part of the city, and is near a sports and recreational center. It houses the administrative offices and departments of pre-medical and basic sciences, as well as some pre-clinical teaching facilities. The majority of clinical teaching is done at the clinical departments of the Clinical Hospital Center (Šalata, Rebro and Petrova premises), the Sestre Milosrdnice, Merkur and Dubrava clinical hospitals, and other health institutions, such as the Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases, the Pulmonary Diseases Clinic, the Sveti Duh General Hospital, and the Vrapče Psychiatric Hospital. Public health and general medicine courses are taught at the Andrija Štampar School of Public Health and at the ambulatory health care facilities of local health centers.A network of libraries assures access to a wide range of primary sources in almost all fields of study. The Main Library, centrally located at the Šalata campus, and the public health library housed in the Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, are major resource centers in the area of biomedical sciences, containing particularly strong holdings of periodicals. Students are also encouraged to use the supportive facilities of the computer workshop, which has Internet access. The main administration building at the Šalata premises houses a restaurant which serves food exclusively for students.
General info about the country is available on the following link: http://www.euraxess.hr/sitegenius/topic.php?id=283
General info about daily life is available on the following link: http://www.euraxess.hr/sitegenius/topic.php?id=281
Libraries
You might find the following two libraries useful in your research:
Središnja medicinska knjižnica (Central Medical Library)
Address: Šalata 3b
Phone: +385 1 45 66 745
Fax: +385 1 49 20 050
Nacionalna i sveučilišna knjižnica (National University Library)
Address: Hrvatske bratske zajednice 4
Phone: +385 1 61 64 111
During your studies in Zagreb, you might like to start learning Croatian. Faculty of Philosophy, University of Zagreb offers Croatian language courses, and you can also learn Croatian in a number of other language schools in Zagreb.
Faculty of Philosophy (Filozofski fakultet)
Ivana Lučića 3
+385 1 61 20 214
+385 1 61 56 881
+385 1 61 20 095
centar@ffzg.hr
