Working in Croatia: without a permit, with a minimum wage of € 1,050 and a rate your municipality sets

May you work in Croatia? Yes, without a permit: the ministry of the interior says so in the first sentence of its page for EEA nationals, who may work and provide services in Croatia without a stay and work permit and without a work registration. What it brings in is the honest message: the minimum wage in 2026 is € 1,050 gross per month, and the government aims at € 1,250 in 2028. The find at the source is the tax rate: it is not in the national law but chosen by your municipality, between 15 and 23 percent up to € 60,000 a year. The pitfall is the self-employed person who thinks that "no permit" also means "no paperwork": the registration with the police asks for proof of your work, and without an OIB nothing starts.

What do you show at registration?

As an EU citizen you register your stay with the police after three months, and for the registration certificate on the basis of work MUP asks for one of three proofs: an employment contract or employer's statement; for a self-employed person an extract from the crafts and trades register (obrt) or, as majority owner, from the register of companies; or for a posted worker an A1 certificate. Whoever keeps working remotely for a Dutch employer falls under that last category only if the employer really arranges the posting; otherwise, for Croatia, you are simply a resident with income from abroad.

What is left of the gross salary?

Item	Rate	Who pays
Pension contribution, first pillar	20%, or 15% plus 5% for those in the second pillar (capitalised savings)	withheld from your salary
Health contribution	16.5%	the employer, on top of your salary
Income tax, lower bracket	up to € 60,000 a year (€ 5,000 a month): 15 to 23%, chosen by the municipality; 20% without a decision	withheld from your salary
Income tax, higher bracket	above € 60,000: 25 to 33%, chosen by the municipality; 30% without a decision	withheld from your salary
Basic allowance	€ 600 a month, plus € 300 for the first child, € 420 for the second, € 600 for the third	—
Minimum wage	€ 1,050 gross a month (2026)	—

The employer calculates and pays the contributions together with the salary. A posted worker has a base of their own: the highest salary they would earn for the same work in Croatia, increased by 20 percent. For income tax, worldwide income applies once you are a resident; what the Netherlands may tax of it is in the article on AOW, pension and tax.

Your municipality is a tax choice. Between a municipality at the bottom and one at the top of the band there are eight percentage points over your entire income up to € 60,000. Ask for the municipality's rate before you sign a lease; it is one of the few countries where the tax rate literally hangs on your address.

Looking for work, and taking your unemployment benefit along

The employment service HZZ registers EU citizens with three things: an OIB, a Croatian address (the registration certificate, or in the first ninety days a printout from the tourist e-Visitor system) and a valid identity document from your own country; a diploma is welcome but not required. Whoever wants to take their Dutch unemployment benefit along arranges a U2 document with UWV before departure; with it the benefit continues in Croatia, and HZZ coordinates that. The accumulated insurance periods travel along on a PDU1. You apply for the OIB at the tax authority, separately from the registration with the police; how, is in the article on the OIB.

Does my diploma count?

That depends on one question: is your profession regulated in Croatia? If so, you must have your foreign professional qualification recognised by the competent body, usually the professional chamber or the competent ministry, before you may practise the profession; the act follows the European directive that gives you access to the same profession in every member state on the same terms as Croats. The national ENIC/NARIC office at AZVO is the help desk that tells you which body that is; the list of regulated professions is in a national database.

If your profession is not regulated, the employer decides. Whoever still wants an official document applies to AZVO for an assessment of the diploma: since 25 June 2022 no longer a recognition but an opinion on the level of knowledge and skills, without comparison of study programmes. The appointment itself remains the employer's decision. As a self-employed person you walk the same route, with the entry in the crafts or companies register as the final piece; the place of this step in the journey is at /kroatie.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.2: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Croatia or go straight to step 5.2 in the open plan.