01
Filed in the wrong place
In-person filing at a Croatian police station is for nationals who need no visa. A Pakistani file lodged there is dismissed.
How we handle itWe settle the route and the mission before any document is gathered.
Croatia Digital Nomad Permit · Checked 10 September 2026
Croatia Digital Nomad Visa from Pakistan
Remote employees, freelancers and business owners working for companies outside Croatia may qualify for the digital nomad stay of up to eighteen months.
Next Visa Step checks your funds against the Croatian formula, prepares the file for the right Croatian mission, and plans the visa and arrival steps after approval.
Funds, main applicant
€3,622.50 / month
- How it is set
- 2.5× average net salary
- Each family member adds
- €144.90 / month
- Permit length
- Up to 18 months, one extension
- Filing fee at an embassy
- €55.74
Follows last year's average salary, up from €3,295 on 4 March 2026. See every change since 2024
The short answer
Funds requirements for the Croatia digital nomad permit
Savings, monthly inflows or payslips can prove the funds.
€3,622.50 a month, which is two and a half times Croatia's average net salary for
the year before. The multiplier sits in the funds decree and the average, €1,449
for 2025, is gazetted each spring, so the figure moves in March rather than January.
The Ministry of the Interior sets out the calculation.
Croatia accepts any one of three proofs: the whole amount for the stay in the bank, monthly inflows at the figure, or at least six months of payslips. Savings settle the funds, not the file: the remote work still has to be proven.
This route may suit you
- Remote employees of a foreign companyA contract, and the employer confirming the work is online.
- Freelancers with clients abroadContracts, and your own statement on how you deliver.
- Owners of a company registered elsewhereThe Act names your own company, as long as it is not Croatian.
- Savings rather than salaryThe full amount for the stay covers the funds test.
What to check before applying
- A Croatian employer or clientExcluded by the definition itself.
- Planning to file at a police stationVisa-required nationals who file there in person are dismissed.
- A permit that ended less than six months agoThe wait applies to you and to family who came with you.
- Insurance that stops at the borderTravel or private cover must include Croatia for the whole stay.
How much does the Croatia digital nomad permit cost?
What the government charges
At a Croatian embassy or consulate: €55.74 on applying. After approval, €93 for the D visa, or €41.14 where the mission issues the card.
At a police station, visa-free nationals only: €46.45 after approval, plus €9.29 and €31.85 for the card (€59.73 fast-track).
No separate online fees are listed. We confirm yours before you pay. Our fee is separate. The Ministry's fee table.
Documents
What documents support the application?
The Ministry's list, sorted by what each item proves.
Identity and admissibility
Who you are
- Form 1a, one per person
- Passport, three months beyond the stay
- Criminal record certificate, legalised
- Health insurance covering Croatia for the whole stay
- Address of intended stay
Professional activity
What work you do
- Employment contract with a foreign employer
- Or a contract for work with a foreign client
- Or your own company's registration abroad
- A statement, yours or the employer's, that the work is done online
Financial evidence
How the money reaches you
- One proof of funds, from these three:
- Statement holding the whole amount for the stay
- Statements with monthly inflows at the figure
- At least six months of payslips
- Family: the higher figure, and a bank account
Freelancer
Clients established abroad
Client contracts, your statement, and inflows or savings.
Remote employee
One foreign employer
Contract, the employer's statement, and one proof of funds.
Company owner
Your own business, outside Croatia
Registration abroad, your statement, and inflows or savings.
Apostille proves a document is genuine. A translation makes it readable. The criminal record certificate must be legalised, which for Pakistan means the Ministry of Foreign Affairs apostille. Documents must be in Croatian or English, translated by an authorised translator where they are not.
What happens after the permit is approved?
A visa, then the police. Approval is not the visa. You contact the mission again for the long-stay D visa, which can be applied for online. After entry, register your address with the police within three days and give your biometrics for the card.
Filing from Pakistan: Pakistani nationals need a visa, so the Ministry directs the application to a Croatian embassy or consulate, and the Embassy in Tehran covers Pakistan. Read the Ministry's own list before you submit.
Accompanying family
How much income should a family show?
Croatia adds a flat ten percent of the average salary for each family member, whoever they are.
Family members joining you
Nothing is sent anywhere. This runs in your browser.
Indicative family funds estimate
€3,622.50 / month
Enter your income to see where you stand.
Where these come from: the Ministry's funds calculation adds ten percent of the average net salary for each family member or partner. At €1,449 that is €144.90 a month per person.
Treat the result as an estimate, not a decision. This tool compares income against a threshold. It does not assess eligibility.
Conversions are approximate, at 1 EUR = 1.1592 USD = 0.8581 GBP, the European Central Bank reference rate for 2026-09-11.
From experience
Why do strong applications still get questioned?
Usually the plan, not the income.
02
Savings shown for the wrong period
The whole-amount route means the amount for the stay you request. Eighteen months of stay with twelve months of funds is a file that does not add up.
How we handle itWe match the stay you request to the funds you can show, before the form is filled.
03
A contract with no word about where the work happens
Croatia asks for proof that the work is done through communication technology, not only that you are employed. A standard contract rarely says so.
How we handle itWe draft the employer's statement, or yours, so it says exactly what the Act asks.
04
Family added after the budget was set
Family join once your stay is approved, and each member raises the funds figure. Savings sized for one fall short for three.
How we handle itWe size the funds for everyone who will come, before your own application is filed.
Working with us
How Next Visa Step prepares your application
Three stages. The first decides whether the other two happen.
Stage 1
Profile and income review
We review how you earn, your recent bank statements and the documents supporting your ongoing work. You receive a clear explanation of any gaps to address before applying.
Stage 2
Document preparation
We help organise the forms, letter of intent, work evidence and supporting records for your application. Your checklist reflects how you earn and whether family members are included.
Stage 3
Submission guidance
We guide you through the Embassy filing, the fees and the documents expected on the day. We also explain the D visa and the police registration steps that follow approval.
Questions
Croatia digital nomad permit FAQs
What is the income requirement for the Croatia digital nomad permit in 2026?
€3,622.50 a month, which is two and a half times the average net salary Croatia gazetted for last year. Any one of three proofs works: the whole amount for your stay in the bank, regular monthly inflows at that figure, or at least six months of payslips.
Can a Pakistani passport holder apply, and where?
Yes, at a Croatian embassy or consulate. The Embassy in Tehran covers Pakistan; if you live elsewhere, we confirm which mission takes your file. Filing in person at a police station in Croatia is not open to Pakistani nationals.
Can I apply online?
The Ministry accepts online applications. For visa-required nationals it describes that route for people already in Croatia on a short-stay visa, who may stay only as long as that visa allows and still need a D visa once approved.
Can I show savings instead of monthly income?
Yes, and this is Croatia's own rule. The full amount for the intended stay meets the funds requirement; for twelve months that is €43,470. You still prove the remote work.
How long does the permit last, and can it be extended?
Up to eighteen months. Inside that period it can be extended once, for up to six months, if you apply at least sixty days before it expires. After it ends you wait six months before applying again.
Can my spouse and children come with me?
Yes, through family reunification once your stay is approved. Each family member raises the funds figure by €144.90 a month, ten percent of the average salary, on top of your own €3,622.50. The calculator above shows the total.
Do my Pakistani documents need an apostille, or a translation?
The criminal record certificate must be legalised, which for Pakistan means the Ministry of Foreign Affairs apostille. Everything must be in Croatian or English, translated by an authorised translator where it is not.
Can I work for a Croatian company or Croatian clients?
No. The Aliens Act defines a digital nomad as someone working through communication technology for a company, or their own company, that is not registered in Croatia, and who does not provide services to employers in Croatia.
Will I pay Croatian income tax on my remote income?
The Income Tax Act exempts income from work for an employer not registered in Croatia, earned on the basis of digital nomad status. Other income can still be taxable, so ask a Croatian adviser about your own position.
Does the permit lead to permanent residence?
Not on its own. Long-term residence needs five continuous years of temporary stay. The nomad stay lasts up to eighteen months, and a new one can only be requested six months after it ends.
What happens after I arrive in Croatia?
Register your address with the police within three days of entry, give your photo and fingerprints for the residence card, and collect the card in person.
The tax answer follows the Tax Administration's note on the 2021 changes, which introduced the exemption. We do not give tax advice. The residence answer follows articles 150 and 57 of the Aliens Act, as amended in 2025.
Find out if your Croatia file is ready
Tell us how you are paid, what you can show and how long you want to stay. The first conversation gives you a straight read on the funds, where you file and the documents, and it costs nothing.