What is a Domovnica, and how do you get one from Australia or New Zealand?

If you are applying for Croatian citizenship by descent, you will hear the word Domovnica early and often. It is the document at the end of the process: the certificate that says, in Croatian law's own terms, that you are a Croatian citizen. Here is what it is, where it comes from and what you do with it.

What the law says a Domovnica is

The Croatian Citizenship Act deals with the Domovnica in a few short articles near its end. Article 28 says the Domovnica is a public document that proves Croatian citizenship, and that it is issued by the registry office, the matični ured.

Article 29 puts it in context. Croatian citizenship is proven by a valid identity card, military identity card or passport. A citizen who has none of those proves their citizenship with a Domovnica, which the registry office issues on the basis of the citizenship records. In other words, the Domovnica is the certificate drawn from the official register of who is Croatian.

The Act also leaves the details of the form to the government. Under Article 31, the Minister prescribes the forms for keeping citizenship records and the content of the Domovnica, and sets the price of the form, which the applicant pays. You can read all of these articles, in English and Croatian, on our page with the Citizenship Act in English.

Where it fits in your application

For most Australians and New Zealanders with Croatian roots, citizenship comes through Article 11 of the Act, as the descendant of someone who emigrated before 8 October 1991. You lodge your application at the Croatian embassy or a consulate, the Ministry of the Interior reviews it, and once it is approved you are entered in the citizenship records. The Domovnica follows from that entry.

That is why it appears near the end of our step-by-step guide, as step six: after approval, and before the passport. Our timeline allows about two months for it, against 12 to 18 months for the ministry's review; the processing times page shows where it sits overall.

Why you need it for your passport

A Domovnica on its own does not let you travel. For that you need a Croatian passport, and the Domovnica is what opens the door to one. The Croatian foreign ministry's passport page asks first-time applicants to bring their original Domovnica and original birth certificate to the consulate, along with proof of address and one biometric photo. The officer can make certified copies of the originals.

The same page notes that passport applications are made in person, that a parent or guardian applies for a child under 18, and that children aged 12 and over must attend. When you later renew an expired passport, you bring the old passport and, if it has expired, your Domovnica as well. Our page on what a Croatian passport gives you covers the rest.

When a family Domovnica helps you

The Domovnica is not only something you receive. If one of your parents is a Croatian citizen, their Domovnica can be part of your evidence. The Croatian foreign ministry's application page for Australia asks for a parent's Domovnica, Croatian passport or Croatian identity card when the parent is a Croatian citizen.

So before you order anything else, ask your family what they kept. An old Domovnica in a drawer can shorten your paper trail considerably, especially on the parent path. If the papers are lost, Croatian records may still show the citizenship, and requesting them from here is one of the tasks our Premium service handles.

What a Domovnica is not

It helps to be clear about what the certificate does not do:

• It is not an application. You cannot apply for a Domovnica to become Croatian; it records citizenship you already hold.
• It is not a travel document. For travel you need the passport, which you apply for with the Domovnica.
• It does not come from the consulate itself. The Act gives that role to the registry office, working from the citizenship records; the consulate is simply where you deal with the paperwork from Australia or New Zealand.

Keeping it safe

Treat your Domovnica like a birth certificate. You need the original for your first passport and for renewals after a passport expires, so store it with your other important documents and keep a copy. If your children become Croatian with you under Article 13, or are registered by origin later, they will have their own records and, in time, their own documents.

Tip: Make a list of the original documents you used for your application and where they are now. When it is time for the passport, you will need several of them again.

Your family's certificates

A Domovnica belongs to one person. If your children become Croatian with you, their citizenship is recorded in their own right, and in time they will have their own documents. Under Article 13 of the Act, a child under 18 becomes Croatian by naturalisation when a parent does so under Article 11, paragraph 1; one parent applies with the written consent of the other. A child born after you are Croatian is Croatian by origin once registered with a Croatian mission or registry office before they turn 21.

That matters later, when each child applies for a passport. A parent applies on behalf of a child under 18, and children aged 12 and over attend the appointment. Keep each child's documents together with yours, so that nothing has to be ordered twice. Our page on citizenship for your children has the details.

The short version

The Domovnica is the proof of Croatian citizenship that the registry office issues from the citizenship records. You receive it once your application is approved, you need it to apply for your first passport, and a parent's Domovnica can help prove your own claim. If you are still at the start, the document checklist shows everything you need before you get there.