From June 2027, renewing your work permit will need a basic Croatian test: who must take it and how to prepare

Under the amended Aliens Act, workers from outside the EU who have lived in Croatia for at least a year on a work permit must pass an A1.1 exam in Croatian and the Latin alphabet to renew it. The rule applies from 4 June 2027, the employer pays for the exam, and seasonal workers are exempt.

Published 2026-10-11 · Source checked 2026-10-06

This week the Rijeka broadcaster Kanal Ri spoke to Nepali workers who said that Croatian is very hard to learn, even after months of classes. The deadline is now less than eight months away. Croatia's parliament (Sabor) passed the amendments to the Aliens Act (Zakon o strancima) on 15 May 2026, with 80 votes in favour, 37 abstentions and none against, HRT reported. They were published in the official gazette as NN 55/2026. Most of the changes took effect on 4 June 2026, but the language obligation starts exactly one year later, on 4 June 2027.

Who must take the test? According to the law, a third-country national who has lived in Croatia for at least one year on a residence and work permit (dozvola za boravak i rad) issued under Article 97 – the standard work permit an employer obtains after the employment service (HZZ) procedure – or on such a permit that has been renewed. The same applies to permits under Article 110, point 32. Such a worker must attach proof of a passed exam when applying to renew the permit, or when applying for a new Article 97 permit. The amendments also add a missing language certificate as a new reason for refusing a permit.

Also read:Immigration & ResidenceFewer Nepali work permits this year: what the Croatian police figures show, and what they don't

Who does not? The law exempts people who completed primary, secondary or higher education in Croatia, people who speak a South Slavic language, and seasonal workers.

What the exam is: a standardised test of Croatian and the Latin script at level A1.1, the most basic level. Poslovni dnevnik, citing Novi list, described it as about thirty basic phrases. It can be run by language schools approved by the Ministry of Labour for its voucher programme for learning Croatian, by universities that teach Croatian, and by adult-education institutions approved by the Ministry of Education. A certificate of completing an A1.1 course at such an approved institution counts as a passed exam. The law says the employer pays the cost of the exam, and the proof becomes part of the employer's worker records. The exact way the exam is taken and its cost are to be set in a ministry regulation (pravilnik); we have not yet seen it published.

The language rule was part of a wider package. The Interior Ministry (MUP) presented it as helping foreign workers manage daily life, and Minister Davor Božinović said it is not a formality. The same amendments let workers change employer after six months without a new permit, and allow up to three months without a job while a permit is valid, or six months for those who have held a permit for more than two years.

What to do: check the expiry date on your residence card. If your renewal will be filed after 4 June 2027, start learning now rather than in the last months. Ask your employer which approved school they will use, when classes start and whether they will fit your shifts – the law makes the employer pay for the exam, but does not say who pays for a course. Practise the letters that English and Nepali do not have: č, ć, dž, đ, lj, nj, š and ž. Keep the original certificate and give your employer a copy. Because this is a legal requirement, confirm your own situation with your employer or your local police administration before you rely on any date.

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