What will happen when I first arrive?
If you are resettled, after arrival in Croatia you will be placed in Reception Center for Asylum Seekers first. While you are there, asylum procedure will be carried out and you will receive your asylum decision within one to two months after arrival. You will receive medical assistance and psychological help if you need it. You will start learning the language and getting to know about country, culture and your rights and responsibilities.
What social welfare services are available to me?
When you are granted international protection, you have the right to welfare benefits the same way as Croatian citizens. You can receive welfare benefits if you are unemployed and have no other means to support yourself.
Guaranteed minimum benefit
If you are living alone, you will receive a guaranteed minimum benefit of approximately 105€ per month (minimally). For a household, guaranteed minimum benefit depends on the number of family members: For each adult the family will receive monthly cca 63€, and for each child under 18 cca 42€. Single parent will receive cca 105€ per month, and each child of a single parent cca 58€ per month.
One-time assistance
One-time assistance is provided to a single person or a family, who receive guarantied minimum benefit, at the time they have extraordinary costs. For example, for the birth of a child, enrollment to school, illness or death of a family member, essential clothes and footwear. For an individual, the highest amount of one-time assistance is cca 327€, and for a household it is cca 458€.
There are also other welfare benefits in kind, about which your social worker will inform you if you are entitled to them.
Can I bring my family to Croatia?
When granted international protection you have the right to bring your family to Croatia – this is called family reunification. Family members that you can bring to Croatia are:
- husband or wife if you are married, or your unmarried partner
- underage children; children who are adults (over 18 years) can be reunited with you if they are unmarried;
- if you are a child (under 18 years) your parents or legal guardians;
- your other immediate relatives (elderly parents, for example) with whom you lived in common household and who are dependent on your care.
Accommodation (On arrival and in the future e.g. renting, social housing etc.)
When you arrive to Croatia, you will firstly be accommodated in the reception center for asylum seekers. You will stay there until you’re granted international protection.
Once you are granted international protection, if you have no money or income, you are entitled to a government-funded accommodation for up to two years. Apart from rent, you will also not have to pay bills for the utilities like water, electricity, gas, heating.However, you will have to pay telecommunication services like land or mobile telephone services, internet services or TV.
After the two years you will have to move from the government funded accommodation, find a place to live and pay for it yourself. You have the right to buy real estate in Croatia. People who don’t have money to buy, rent a flat or house to live in. You need to have a written contract with your landlord to register place of residence in Croatia.
If you find yourself in a situation that you can’t pay for your accommodation, you have the right to be placed in a shelter. This is a temporary solution until you are able to pay for your own accommodation again.
Further Information and Links
Reception centers for asylum seekers in Croatia
Conditions in reception centers
Web sources for finding accommodation:
This website was funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund. The content of this website represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.
