Croatia sees a decline in new work permits, but the share of renewals is rising, signaling a shift from temporary labor migration to permanent settlement and family reunification.
After years of focusing solely on filling vacant jobs in construction, tourism, and industry, Croatia is entering a new phase of its migration cycle. The first major wave of foreign workers who arrived in 2021 and 2022 is now meeting the conditions for more permanent stay, bringing to the fore a question that goes beyond mere work permit statistics: how many will choose to bring their families and settle permanently?
Under the 2026 amendments to the Foreigners Act, a worker who has held a temporary residence permit in Croatia for at least two consecutive years, and meets other prescribed conditions, can initiate a family reunification procedure. This means that spouses and children are no longer just an abstract future possibility but a real option for some of the workers who arrived in the country several years ago.
An even more significant milestone comes after five years of legal and continuous residence, when a third-country national can apply for long-term residence. This makes their status considerably more stable, and Croatia ceases to be just a stopover for temporary work. A worker who arrived alone can, over time, become a family of four living, working, and schooling their children permanently in Croatia.
Although at first glance it may seem that immigration is waning, data from the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) reveals a more complex picture. By the end of July 2026, a total of 106,395 residence and work permits had been issued, about 9,000 fewer than last year and approximately 25,000 fewer than in the same period of the record year 2024. However, the structure of these permits clearly shows that the nature of migration is changing.
Of the total, 41,716 permits were for new employment, 41,388 were renewals of existing permits, and 23,291 were for seasonal workers. This means that nearly 40 percent of this year's permits do not represent the arrival of new workers but rather the continuation of stay and work for those already in the country. The decline in new permits does not necessarily mean the end of the immigration wave but rather its transformation from the first phase of "importing workers" to a second phase of "staying and integration."
The highest number of permits is traditionally issued to citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, nearly 20,000. Serbia follows with about 18,000 permits, and then a significant number of workers from Asia: the Philippines with 15,700 and Nepal with 14,500 issued permits. Interestingly, Nepalese workers saw a decline of about 6,000 permits compared to last year, while Filipinos saw an increase of approximately 5,000 permits.
Large differences are also noticeable by sector. Construction is experiencing a dramatic decline: from about 44,000 permits in 2024, the number fell to 33,000 in 2025, and this year it has reached only 27,000. That represents a drop of nearly 40 percent in just two years. On the other hand, tourism and hospitality show much greater stability. This year, about 43,700 permits were issued in that sector, almost identical to the record year 2024 when there were about 44,100.
If some workers decide to stay and bring their families, Croatia will face entirely new challenges. It will no longer be enough to provide beds in worker accommodations and regulate work permits. There will be a need for family apartments, kindergarten and school places, access to healthcare, learning the Croatian language, and a more serious and comprehensive integration policy. The consequences of the large immigration wave will only begin to be felt more seriously, and society will have to adapt to the fact that temporary labor migration is increasingly turning into permanent settlement.
