Glossary
Croatian citizenship glossary
The Croatian words and legal terms you will meet on the way to citizenship, explained in plain English, with a link to the guide that covers each one.
A
- Apostille
- A certificate attached to a public document confirming that it is genuine, under the Apostille Convention. Australia (since 1987) and New Zealand (since 2001) are members, so their birth, marriage and police documents need an apostille before Croatia accepts them.The apostille guide
- Article 11
- The part of the Croatian Citizenship Act that lets emigrants, their descendants and their spouses naturalise without the usual conditions of release from another citizenship, residence in Croatia or a language and culture test.Article 11 in English and Croatian
- Article 16
- The route for members of the Croatian people who do not live in Croatia. Membership is shown by earlier declarations, public documents and taking part in Croatian associations abroad.Article 16 explained
C
- Citizenship by originpodrijetlom
- Croatian citizenship acquired through a parent who was a Croatian citizen when you were born. Children born abroad must be registered before they turn 21 (Article 5).Citizenship through a parent
- Consular areaconsular district
- The territory a Croatian embassy or consulate serves. Australians lodge at the office for their state; New Zealand falls within the consular area of the embassy in Canberra.Embassy and consulates
- Consular fee
- The fee paid to the Croatian mission when you lodge your application. It is reviewed every year and is not refunded, whatever the outcome.Government and translation fees
D
- DFATDepartment of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- The Australian government department that issues apostilles for Australian public documents.Apostille in Australia
- DIADepartment of Internal Affairs
- The New Zealand government department that issues apostilles and, through Births, Deaths and Marriages, New Zealand birth and marriage certificates.Apostille in New Zealand
- Domovnicacertificate of Croatian citizenship
- The certificate that confirms you are a Croatian citizen. You receive it once your application is approved, and you need it to apply for a Croatian passport.What happens after approval
E
- Emigrantiseljenik
- In the Citizenship Act, someone who left Croatia before 8 October 1991 intending to live permanently abroad, including members of the Croatian people who left former states that included today’s Croatia.Who counts as an emigrant
M
- Matica rođenihregister of births
- The Croatian register in which births are recorded. A Croatian ancestor’s birth record comes from these registers, kept by registry offices.Documents you need
- Matični uredregistry office
- A Croatian civil registry office. Children born abroad to a Croatian parent can be registered as citizens at a registry office in Croatia or at a Croatian mission abroad.Registering children
- MUPMinistarstvo unutarnjih poslova, Ministry of the Interior
- The Croatian ministry that decides citizenship applications. Its review is the longest stage of the process.Processing times
N
- NAATINational Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters
- The Australian body that accredits translators. Its directory is a starting point for finding a certified Croatian translator.Certified translation
- Narodne novineNN, the Official Gazette
- Croatia’s official gazette, where laws are published. References such as NN 102/19 point to the issue that published an amendment.The Act and its amendments
- Naturalisationprirođenje
- Becoming Croatian by application rather than by birth. Emigrants’ descendants naturalise under Article 11, without most of the usual conditions in Article 8.Article 8 and Article 11
- NZSTINew Zealand Society of Translators and Interpreters
- The New Zealand professional body whose directory lists translators, including translators into Croatian.Certified translation
O
- Osobna iskaznicaCroatian identity card
- The Croatian national identity card. If your parent is a Croatian citizen, the consulate accepts their identity card, passport or Domovnica as proof.Citizenship through a parent
Ž
- Životopisbiography or motivation letter
- The short biography every adult applicant includes, written in Croatian or translated into Croatian with the English version enclosed.Documents you need