Fired or leaving your job in Croatia? The 6 rules on notice, pay and severance every Nepali worker should know

A dismissal must be in writing, and notice runs from 2 weeks to 3 months depending on your years of service. You are paid during notice, and after 2 years you may be owed severance. Here are the rules, step by step.

Published 2026-10-19 · Source checked 2026-10-18

Losing a job, or leaving one, is stressful when your family depends on your income and your permit is tied to your employer. Croatian law sets clear minimum rules for how a job ends. Knowing them in advance can save you weeks of pay. This is general information from the Labour Act (Zakon o radu), not advice for your own case.

1. It must be in writing. Under Article 120, any dismissal (otkaz) must be written, the employer must give the reasons in writing, and it must be handed to you. A spoken 'don't come tomorrow' is not a valid dismissal.

Also read:Work & Salary · GUIDEOvertime, night shifts and Sundays: the extra pay Croatian law gives you, and how to check it

2. The notice period grows with your years. Article 122 sets the minimum when the employer ends the contract normally: 2 weeks if you have worked there under 1 year; 1 month after 1 year; 1 month and 2 weeks after 2 years; 2 months after 5 years; 2 months and 2 weeks after 10 years; 3 months after 20 years. If the dismissal is for your own misconduct, the notice is half of that. A contract or collective agreement can set longer periods.

3. You are paid during notice. If the employer tells you to stop working during the notice period, they must still pay your wage and give all other rights as if you worked until the end (Article 122). While you work out your notice, you may take at least 4 hours a week, paid, to look for a new job.

4. Severance (otpremnina). If you are dismissed after at least 2 years of continuous work with the same employer, you are owed severance of at least one third of your average monthly pay of the last 3 months for each full year worked, normally capped at 6 monthly wages (Article 126). There is no severance when the dismissal is for your own behaviour. Illness or injury alone is not a valid reason for dismissal (Article 117), and notice does not run during pregnancy, maternity leave or recovery from a work injury (Article 121).

What to do: keep a copy of your contract, payslips and any dismissal letter, and check the notice rule in your contract. Do not sign anything you do not understand. Because your residence and work permit depends on your job, ask MUP (mup.gov.hr) or a trade union what happens to your permit before you decide, and do it quickly. Have you or a friend ever been dismissed in Croatia? Tell us in the comments what you wish you had known.

Read next

Work & Salary · GUIDEChristmas bonus, meal money, tips: what your employer can pay you tax-free in CroatiaImmigration & Residence · GUIDEA job offer is the beginning: making sense of Croatian work permits