Criminal record certificate

Natural and legal persons are entitled to request a criminal record certificate from the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration for the purpose of realising a right abroad or in an international organisation

The certificate contains complete information from the Criminal Records for a particular natural or legal person, and is issued for the purpose of realising rights abroad or in an international organisation, and cannot be used for other purposes.
 
A criminal record certificate can be obtained:
  • via the e-Citizens Portal
  • at the headquarters of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration.

Issuance of certificates via the e-Citizens portal

Criminal record certificates can be issued via the e-Citizens portal for natural and legal persons.
 
No administrative fee is payable for the issuance of criminal record certificates.
 
A certificate for a legal person may be requested by a natural person authorised to represent the legal person, which is verified through the e-Authorisations system.
 
All criminal record certificates issued via the e-Citizens portal are issued by the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration.
 
The issued certificate can be found on the page listing the submitted applications and will also be delivered to the User Mailbox of registered users of the e-Citizen portal.
 
If the natural or legal person does not have a criminal record, the certificate will be issued and delivered without delay, and if a more detailed check is required, the Ministry will check all available data and issue the criminal record certificate as soon as possible.
 
All criminal record certificates issued via the e-Citizens portal are issued as an electronic record certified with an electronic signature and therefore do not contain a handwritten signature or stamp of the Ministry.
 
If the criminal record certificate required abroad or by an international organisation needs to be legalised by an Apostille certificate, the criminal record certificate must be requested at the headquarters of the Ministry only, in order for the certificate to contain the signature of an authorised civil servant and the official stamp of the Ministry.
 
The authenticity of the criminal record certificate may be verified through the Criminal Record Authentication portal during a period of three months from the date of its issue, according to the instructions on the certificate. 
 
The criminal record certificate is issued in the Croatian language.
 
Pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016 on promoting the free movement of citizens by simplifying the requirements for presenting certain public documents in the European Union and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012, natural persons who are Croatian nationals may, when requesting a criminal record certificate for use in the Member States of the European Union, request a multilingual standard form to accompany the certificate in Croatian. The purpose of the multilingual standard form is to facilitate the translation of the public document to which it is attached. However, the authority to which the public document is presented may request a translation or transliteration of the information contained in the form if this is necessary for the purpose of processing the public document.
 
Pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, the multilingual standard form is only issued if the person has not been convicted. 

Issuance of certificates at the headquarters of the Ministry

Criminal record certificates are issued at the headquarters of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration, Ulica grada Vukovara 49, 10000 Zagreb, on workdays from 9 am to 1 pm.
 
To obtain a criminal record certificate, a natural person must:
  • fill out and sign the application form Va (also available for download under Documenti)
  • enclose a photocopy of a valid personal identity card or passport.
 
To obtain a criminal record certificate, a legal person must:
  • fill out the application form Vb, with the signature of an authorised representative (form also available for download under Documenti)
  • enclose a copy from the Court Register, not older than six months (a copy from the Court Register is an original public document issued by the competent commercial court).
 
With a completed application form and a photocopy of a valid identity card or passport, i.e. a completed application and a copy from the Court Register, the certificate may be requested:
  • for a natural person, in person at the address of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration
  • for a legal person, in person by an authorised representative of the legal person at the address of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration
  • by an attorney-in-fact at the address of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration, provided that
    • the person requesting a criminal record certificate for another natural person encloses with the application the power of attorney given by the person for whom the certificate is requested, which must be notarised or certified by the Croatian embassy or consular office in the country of the person’s residence;
    • the person requesting a criminal record certificate for a legal person encloses with the application a notarised power of attorney given by the authorised representative of the legal person;
    • the attorney at law requesting the certificate for a natural or legal person encloses with the application a special power of attorney signed by the natural person or an authorised representative of the legal person, without the need for notarisation.
 
If the natural or legal person does not have a criminal record, the certificate will be issued and delivered without delay, and if a more detailed check is required, the Ministry will check all available data and issue the criminal record certificate as soon as possible.
 
Pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016 on promoting the free movement of citizens by simplifying the requirements for presenting certain public documents in the European Union and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012, natural persons who are Croatian nationals may, when requesting a criminal record certificate for use in the Member States of the European Union, request a multilingual standard form to accompany the certificate in Croatian. The purpose of the multilingual standard form is to facilitate the translation of the public document to which it is attached. However, the authority to which the public document is presented may request a translation or transliteration of the information contained in the form if this is necessary for the purpose of processing the public document.
 
Pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, the multilingual standard form is only issued if the person has not been convicted.
 
Persons residing abroad may also request the certificate through the Croatian embassy or consular office in the country of their residence.