Entry into a civil partnership

Two same-sex persons can enter into a civil partnership before a registrar

Civil partnership is the union of two same-sex persons entered into before a registrar to form a family. In the Republic of Croatia, a civil partnership is entered into in the presence of the person intending to enter into a civil partnership, a registrar and two witnesses. A civil partnership is formed when the persons consent to entering into a civil partnership.

Conditions for the entry into a civil partnership

For a civil partnership to produce legal effects and be valid, the following conditions have to be met:

• That the persons intending to enter into a civil partnership are of the same sex
• That the persons have given their consent to enter into a civil partnership
• That the civil partnership is performed by a registrar.

Any person who has reached the age of 18 may enter into a civil partnership.

A person without legal capacity to make statements which refer to strictly personal situations can also enter into a civil partnership with their guardian’s approval.

A civil partnership may not be entered into by:

• Persons under the age of 18
• Persons who lack the capacity to make decisions
• Persons who are lineal blood relatives and persons who are collateral blood relatives up to the fourth degree of kinship
• Persons who have already entered into a life partnership or marriage.

Any person over the age of majority having legal capacity can be a witness to the marriage.

Declaration of the intention of entry into a life partnership

At the occasion of declaring the intention of entry into a life partnership, the registrar will set the date of entry into a life partnership with the persons intending to enter into a life partnership. The date of the entry into a life partnership may be set in the period between 30 to 45 days after the date of declaring the intention to enter into a life partnership. In exceptional circumstances, when there are justified reasons for this, the ceremony can take place even before the expiry of 30 days from the date of declaring the intention to entry into a life partnership.

Choosing the surname

When entering into a life partnership, persons intending to enter into it can agree that:

• Each person will keep their own surname
• They will use one of their surnames as their family name
• They will use both of their surnames as their family name and can decide which surname will be the first and which the second
• They will add their partner’s surname to their own and can decide which surname will be the first and which the second.

Required documents

For Croatian citizens, registrars determine ex officio whether a person has been married or has entered into a life partnership with the help of an application. An identification document has to be presented to the registrar and the registrar may photocopy this document, but not at the expense of the client. By way of exception and depending on the particular situation, the registrar may also request other documents.

Costs of entry into a life partnership

Persons intending to enter into a life partnership will have to pay a total of 27,87 EUR, more specifically:

• The administrative fee in the amount of 9,29 EUR to declare their intention to enter into a life partnership
• The administrative fee in the amount of 18,58 EUR for the ceremony performed by a registrar

If you wish to enter into a life partnership outside the official premises, you also need to pay a special fee, the amount of which depends on how far the location of the ceremony is from the official premises, time of the ceremony, whether the ceremony is to take place on a Sunday, holiday or bank holiday.

You can choose any location in the Republic of Croatia as the location of your life partnership ceremony.

With the e-Fee system, taxpayers can pay prescribed fees and charges, instead of state stamps or payment slip, faster and simpler through their bank cards (for a current account, giro account or credit card) such as Visa, Maestro, MasterCard and Diners.

Entry of foreign nationals into a life partnership

In the Republic of Croatia, foreign nationals may also enter into a life partnership, but they have to meet the same conditions for the entry into a life partnership as Croatian citizens.

To enter into a life partnership, foreign nationals need to provide:

• An extract from the birth register issued in their country of birth
• A certificate confirming they have not already entered into a life partnership or been married issued by the country of their citizenship.

The following documents also have to be presented to the registrar, who may photocopy them, but not at the client’s expense:

• Identification documents
• Proof of citizenship

By way of exception and depending on the particular situation, the registrar may also request other documents.