Croatian citizenship for Australians
Australia at a glance
- Where you lodge
- In person, by appointment, at the Croatian office for your state
- Apostille
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), A$105 per document
- Police check
- National police check, no older than six months, apostille and translation
- Birth and marriage certificates
- Originals from your state or territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
- Certified translators
- NAATI-accredited translators into Croatian
- Third-party costs
- About A$946 by our estimate
Croatians in Australia
At the 2021 Census, 43,302 people living in Australia had been born in Croatia, and Croatian was named as an ancestry 164,362 times. Each person could give up to two ancestries, so that is a count of responses rather than of people, but it shows how many Australian families trace a line back to Croatia.
For the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Croatians who settled here before 8 October 1991, Article 11 of the Croatian Citizenship Act is usually the way in. Read who qualifies to find your path.
Which office takes your application
Citizenship applications are lodged in person, by appointment, at the Croatian office that serves the state or territory where you live.
- Canberra: Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in AustraliaAustralian Capital Territory
- Sydney: Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia in SydneyNew South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory
- Melbourne: Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia in MelbourneVictoria, South Australia, Tasmania
- Perth: Consulate of the Republic of Croatia in PerthWestern Australia
The consulates in Sydney and Melbourne also hold consular days in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide and Hobart, and the Perth consulate in Carnarvon. The consular fee is paid when you lodge and is not refundable.
Getting your documents ready in Australia
- Order your certificates. Birth and marriage certificates come from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the state or territory where the event was registered. Order the official certificate: the decorative one handed out at a wedding cannot be apostilled. The consulate wants certificates issued no more than six months before you lodge.
- Get a police check. The consulate asks for a criminal record check issued no more than six months before you lodge. If you use the AFP’s National Police Check, ask the AFP for a hard copy, which the apostille needs. If you were born outside Australia, the consulate also wants a check from your country of birth.
- Have DFAT apostille them. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade apostilles Australian public documents, at A$105 per document; allow 10–15 business days including postage.
- Translate into Croatian. After the apostille, a certified translator translates each document, including the apostille itself. NAATI lists accredited translators; expect about A$35–A$70 a page.
- Book and lodge. Contact your office by email or phone for an appointment, and bring originals of everything, your passport, a short biography in Croatian and the completed form.
Third-party costs in Australia
| Item | What it is for | Approximate cost |
|---|---|---|
| Citizenship application fee | Consular fee; confirm the current amount with your consulate | about AUD 300 |
| Passport fee | After citizenship is granted; confirm with your consulate | about AUD 150 |
| Apostille (each) | Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | about AUD 105 each |
| Birth certificate (long form) | State or territory registry; fees vary by state | about AUD 70 |
| Criminal record check | AFP National Police Certificate | about AUD 56 |
| Birth certificate | Certified translation (NAATI in Australia) | about AUD 80 |
| Criminal record | Certified translation (NAATI in Australia) | about AUD 80 |
| Other documents | Per document (one or two pages) | about AUD 80 each |
| Our estimated total | about AUD 946 | |
Prices are estimates and may vary. Exchange rates and fees subject to change. Our apostille guide quotes the current DFAT fee; the figures here are the ones on our fee page.
Keeping your Australian citizenship
You keep it. Until 2002, an adult Australian who voluntarily took another citizenship lost their Australian citizenship automatically under section 17 of the Australian Citizenship Act 1948. That section was repealed by the Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment Act 2002, so becoming Croatian today does not affect your Australian citizenship.
Croatia does not ask Article 11 applicants to give up their other citizenship either. Read more about holding both.
Frequently asked questions
Where do Australians lodge their application?
In person, by appointment, at the office for your state: the embassy in Canberra for the ACT; Sydney for New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory; Melbourne for Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania; Perth for Western Australia.
Embassy and consulatesWhich police check do I need in Australia?
A criminal record check no older than six months, with an apostille and a certified Croatian translation. If you use an AFP National Police Check, ask the AFP for a hard copy, because the apostille needs one.
I was not born in Australia. Do I need another police check?
Yes. The consulate asks for a check from the country where you hold citizenship or permanent residence and, if you were not born in Australia, from your country of birth as well.
What do third-party fees come to in Australia?
Our estimate is about A$946 for government fees, apostilles and translations, whether you apply yourself or with us. The consular fee is paid when you lodge and is not refundable.
Full fee breakdownWill I lose my Australian citizenship?
No. Australians used to lose their citizenship automatically when they took another. That rule, section 17 of the Australian Citizenship Act 1948, was repealed in 2002.
Related guides
Sources
- 2021 Census QuickStats: people in Australia who were born in Croatia, Australian Bureau of Statistics. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Applying for Croatian Citizenship (Australia), Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Embassies and consulates of the Republic of Croatia: Australia, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Apostilles and authentications, Australian Embassy, Germany. Checked 13 November 2026.
- How to obtain a police and character clearance report from Australia, Australian Embassy, Ireland. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment Act 2002 (No. 5, 2002), Federal Register of Legislation, Australian Government. Checked 13 November 2026.
- Croatian Citizenship Act (Zakon o hrvatskom državljanstvu), consolidated text, Narodne novine, as reproduced on our law page. Checked 13 November 2026.