Health insurance
Along with registering for mandatory health insurance when you repatriate to Croatia, you can also conclude a contract for supplementary health insurance
All citizens of the Republic of Croatia are obliged to register for mandatory health insurance.The following persons are obliged to register for mandatory health insurance pursuant to one of the bases for health insurance:
- All persons with permanent residence in Croatia
- Foreign nationals with an approved permanent stay in Croatia
- Foreign nationals with an approved permanent stay in Croatia if an international treaty or a special piece of legislation does not state otherwise
- Nationals of other European Union (EU) Member States, as well as the citizens of other states with approved temporary stay in Croatia, on the basis of the employment with the employer headquartered in Croatia, i.e. on the basis of performing economic or professional activity, providing that the conditions of special regulations governing the issue of residence and work of aliens in Croatia have been met, unless an international treaty or EU regulations do not state otherwise.
If you have permanent residence in Croatia, but are insured under the competent health insurance in another Member state in the EU/EEA/Switzerland, you will utilize healthcare services in the same way as the persons insured in Croatia.
Access to healthcare
Please check with the Croatian Health Insurance Fund in what way and how you can acquire the status of an insured person and how to register for mandatory health insurance.
You can receive this information by coming to the local office or branch office of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund in person, by calling the toll-free number 0800 7979 or by sending an e-mail to info@hzzo.hr.
All information on health insurance and healthcare rights is available in the Health section.
Croatian citizens with foreign pensions
Croatian citizens who receive their pension in another Member State of the EU/EEA/Switzerland; i.e. in a country with which the Republic of Croatia has entered into an international treaty on regulating the issue of utilizing healthcare (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey and North Macedonia), and who do not receive a pension in Croatia, they are entitled to healthcare regulation in Croatia at the expense of their competent health insurance institution in the country where they are exercising their right to pension. The same applies to your family members. To exercise the aforementioned right, it is recommended that you contact your competent health insurance institution before moving to Croatia in order to learn the details of your rights and obtain the appropriate certificates necessary to regulate your right to health insurance in Croatia.
Persons who only receive a foreign pension and who cannot exercise their right to health insurance in Croatia in accordance with the aforementioned are obliged to register for mandatory health insurance—thereby undertaking to pay the mandatory health insurance contributions themselves—in accordance with the regulations on mandatory contributions.
The Croatian Health Insurance Fund (CHIF) is the institution competent for payment of benefits—such as sick pay, maternity benefits and equivalent paternal benefits, as well as salary compensation due to injury at work or occupational disease from mandatory health insurance—which are covered by the coordination of the social security system in the RC.
Supplementary health insurance
All citizens above the age of 18 who have mandatory health insurance can also conclude a contract for supplementary health insurance with the Croatian Health Insurance Fund or an insurance company.
For further information, please visit the Frequently asked questions section on the website of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund.