Croatia never required Croatian for a work permit — until June 2026, when the amended Foreigners Act made A1.1 a condition of the first renewal. It is the lowest level on the European scale, the employer pays for the exam, and seasonal staff are exempt. Here is what it means in practice and how we prepare for it in Manila.
From June 2026 a third-country national who has held a residence-and-work permit for a year must, when the permit is renewed, provide evidence of Croatian at level A1.1. Failure to provide it is a ground for refusing the renewal. The employer bears the cost of the examination. Exempt are seasonal workers, people educated in Croatian schools or universities, and speakers of South Slavic languages — which is why the rule bites on Asian workers specifically, and why employers of Filipinos should plan for it from day one.
A1.1 is the first half of the lowest CEFR level: introducing oneself, numbers and prices, days and times, basic directions, simple workplace instructions, asking and answering simple questions. For a motivated adult working among Croatian speakers it is a few months of structured learning, not a year. Filipino workers are already bilingual (Filipino and English) and typically reach A1.1 faster than the timetable requires when the employer provides classes or time for them.
We start Croatian in Manila for candidates selected for standard (non-seasonal) permits — greetings, numbers, safety vocabulary, the words of the trade — so that the first day on site is not the first day of Croatian. On site, we connect employers with language providers for a weekly course toward the A1.1 examination in the second half of the first year; the exam cost is the employer's under the law, the class time is the employer's investment in retention. English carries the first months: Croatian supervisors in tourism, shipbuilding and industry work in English routinely, and every Filipino worker we present has been interviewed in it.
Croatian is not a condition of the first permit. Since 2026 a worker must show Croatian at A1.1 at the first renewal after one year — the employer bears the exam cost, seasonal workers are exempt — so we start basic Croatian in Manila before departure and English carries the first months on site.
Recruitment runs through our own DMW-licensed agency, Prime Search Manpower Agency Inc. in Makati (licence DMW-027-LB-11182024): your company is accredited at the Migrant Workers Office in Vienna, which has jurisdiction for Croatia, the job order is registered with the DMW, and every worker leaves Manila with a verified contract, medical clearance, pre-departure orientation and an Overseas Employment Certificate. The Philippine ban on direct hiring applies; the employer is always your company, directly — the Croatian permit is issued to you, not to an agency.
Everything here is subject to the Foreigners Act as amended (NN 40/2025, NN 55/2026), the HZZ exemption list in force and MUP practice.
No. The requirement applies at the first renewal after one year, not at the first permit or the visa D.
The renewal can be refused. In practice a worker who has had a course and a year among Croatian speakers passes A1.1; we plan the course so that the exam is taken with margin before renewal.
Yes — including workers on the new multi-year seasonal permit.
General information for employers, not legal or migration advice. Rules change; we re-verify before each hire.