Croatian A1.1 for foreign workers: the new rule for permit extensions

The rule in six points

1

Who must pass the exam

A national of a non-EU country who has lived in Croatia for at least a year on a residence and work permit issued on the basis of an opinion from the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) or a labour-market test, or for post-earthquake reconstruction or energy renovation funded from public or EU money.

2

Which level

A standardised exam in Croatian and the Latin script at level A1.1, the most basic level.

3

When the proof is needed

With the application to extend the permit, and with an application for a new one. Without it, the application is refused.

4

What counts as proof

A certificate of the passed exam, or a certificate of a completed adult-education course at A1.1 or higher from a provider approved to run the standardised A1.1 exam.

5

Who pays

The employer pays for the exam and keeps the proof in its employee records.

6

From when

The amended law has been in force since June 2026; the proof is required from June 2027.

Who is exempt

• seasonal workers
• people who completed primary, secondary or higher education in Croatia
• native speakers of a South Slavic language (the Government’s explanatory memorandum names citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia; the law does not say how this is proven)

How to get ready

Talk to your employer about a 70-hour course with an HZZ voucher. It takes about three months next to your job, so start well before your permit expires. Jantar runs the course in its own classrooms in Split, Zagreb and Zadar, and at the employer’s premises anywhere in Croatia. It is the A1.1 half of Jantar’s ministry-verified 140-hour A1 programme. The voucher programme is approved for all seven sectors in the HZZ voucher catalogue. Jantar is also on the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth list of institutions that run the Croatian exam for foreigners for long-term residence (level B1).