Croatia's care homes are short of hands and its hospitals short of nurses; HZZ lists care workers, geriatric aides and nurses among the occupations exempt from the labour-market test. The Filipino caregiver route works now on an NC II certificate; the nurse route works with professional recognition and Croatian — and we say which is which before you brief.
Croatian care homes (domovi za starije) employ care workers without professional registration; the role is on the HZZ exemption list, and the Philippine supply is deep: TESDA Caregiving NC II, hospital and care-home experience in the Gulf, Israel and Asia, and the cultural fit that has made Filipino caregivers the reference in Israeli and Gulf eldercare. English works with management and the medical staff; Croatian with residents comes fast because the work is conversational, and the A1.1 exam at the first renewal is passed in the normal course of a year on the floor.
Nursing is a regulated profession: a Filipino BSN nurse practises in Croatia after recognition of the qualification and registration with the Croatian Chamber of Nurses, which requires Croatian at the level the Chamber sets. The professional side is rarely the problem — Philippine nursing degrees are recognised across the EU — the language is. Hospitals that want Filipino nurses plan a Croatian programme of six to twelve months, in Manila and on arrival, and often bring nurses in as care assistants under the employer's supervision while recognition and language complete. We structure that path with the employer and tell you the realistic timeline before you commit.
Pay must be at least the statutory minimum — €1,050 gross a month in 2026 — or the extended sector collective agreement where one applies (construction, hospitality), and accommodation must meet the legal standard for the whole stay; we put both in the offer before the interview so nothing is renegotiated at the police counter.
Care and health pay follows the applicable collective agreements; accommodation near the facility must meet the legal standard. Permits run for up to three years.
The route is Croatia's combined residence-and-work permit: you file one application online through the joint HZZ/MUP platform, HZZ runs the labour-market test unless the occupation is on its exemption list and gives its opinion on your eligibility, MUP decides within 90 days, and the permit runs for the contract period — up to three years, depending on the route. Before anything is filed we check the 2026 employer conditions — €100,000 turnover over the last twelve months, at least one Croatian or EEA employee for the previous year, Croatian/EEA staff at 20 % of third-country headcount (10 % for exempt occupations), no arrears, adequate accommodation.
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.
Yes — care workers and geriatric aides are not regulated professions in Croatia, and they are exempt from the labour-market test.
Twelve to eighteen months including Croatian and Chamber recognition; six to nine if the nurse starts as a care assistant and completes recognition in Croatia.
We recruit for employers — care homes, home-care companies and clinics — not for private households.
General information for employers, not legal or migration advice. Rules change; we re-verify before each hire.