Croatia – Doctors

How does the healthcare system in Croatia work, and does it cover expats?

Croatia operates a universal healthcare framework that provides compulsory public insurance coverage to all residents. This basic coverage, called obvezno, is a legal requirement administered by the Hrvatski zavod za zdravstveno osiguranje — HZZO (Croatian Health Insurance Fund). Rather than a purely tax-financed arrangement like the UK’s NHS, Croatia uses a social insurance model in which contributions are drawn from earnings and channelled into funding care — structurally comparable to Germany’s statutory health insurance system (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung).

Croatia’s healthcare system operates under central administration. Hospitals are run by the state, while county governments oversee their respective medical centres. The Ministry of Health sets national health policy, manages the health sector, supervises public health programmes and planning, and collaborates with HZZO and county authorities on matters relating to hospital services and workforce planning.

The Croatian health insurance framework is made up of three tiers: obvezno, the mandatory foundational public plan; dopunsko, a supplemental layer that covers most co-payments; and dodatno, private top-up insurance designed for more comprehensive healthcare needs such as specialist consultations and longer hospital stays.

Health insurance is compulsory in Croatia and is provided through HZZO; all individuals with legal residency are covered under this mandatory scheme. Obvezno is required for all residents unless you are an EU citizen or permanent EU resident who holds state health insurance in another EU/EEA member state, or you have been granted digital nomad status.

EU/EEA/Swiss travellers who carry a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) are entitled to necessary state-funded healthcare under the same conditions as Croatian insured residents during their temporary stay. If you receive a pension from another EU/EEA/Switzerland/UK member state and reside in Croatia, you are entitled to full healthcare coverage in Croatia, provided your competent health insurance institution has issued an S1 form or the equivalent electronic SED form S072.

For comprehensive information on eligibility categories and the relevant legal framework, consult the HZZO official website directly. Compulsory health insurance is implemented by the Croatian Health Insurance Fund and governed by the Compulsory Health Insurance Act (Official Gazette, no. 80/13, 137/13, 98/19 and 33/23). Health insurance and healthcare for foreign nationals is addressed by a separate statute — the Compulsory Health Insurance and Health Care of Aliens in the Republic of Croatia Act (Official Gazette No. 80/13, 15/18, 26/21 and 46/22).

How do you find and register with a doctor in Croatia?

Having a registered family doctor (GP) is a prerequisite for accessing public healthcare services. Specialist consultations, hospital referrals, and diagnostic procedures all require a formal referral (uputnica). The GP — known as an obiteljski liječnik — serves as your primary entry point into the entire HZZO-funded network.

Primary-level healthcare services are provided to insured individuals by HZZO based on their free selection of a GP and dentist, typically determined by place of residence. Individuals are matched to a doctor according to their home address, though they retain the right to switch doctors once per year. If you wish to find a doctor who consults in a language other than Croatian, you may need to proactively request a transfer to another practice.

Registering with a GP involves several steps, beginning with enrolment in HZZO. The process unfolds as follows:

1. Obtain your OIB (personal identification number). This Croatian tax and identification number is indispensable for all public services, healthcare registration included.
2. Visit your regional HZZO office. Application forms are available both online and in person at any regional HZZO administration office. To enrol in obvezno, attend your nearest regional HZZO office.
3. Submit your documentation. You will need your Croatian personal identification number (OIB), proof of residence or permission to stay, and — if you are employed in Croatia — your work permit and employment contract.
4. If applicable, provide proof of prior payments. Should you be required to pay contributions for the preceding year, evidence of those payments must be presented during registration. HZZO will supply you with the relevant payment instructions.
5. Select your GP. When registering with HZZO for the first time in Croatia, you must choose your family doctor (GP), dentist, and — if required — a gynaecologist. Confirm that your preferred doctor is accepting new patients, obtain a confirmation document from them, and present it to HZZO.
6. Receive your health insurance card. First-time applicants for obvezno health insurance will be issued an insurance card called Iskaznica zdravstveno osigurane osobe (commonly referred to as zdravstvena iskaznica). Delivery by post may take a little time, but this does not affect the validity of your insurance cover.
7. Report any changes without delay. All changes to your obvezno status must be registered at a regional HZZO office. Notifications must be submitted within 8 days of the occurrence, change, or cessation of the circumstances upon which your compulsory health insurance is based.

If your employer is a Croatian company, they will typically handle HZZO registration on your behalf. The e-Građani digital government portal can also be used to manage certain HZZO-related tasks online. Regional HZZO office locations and up-to-date guidance are available at hzzo.hr.

How do you pay for a doctor’s appointment in Croatia?

Public healthcare in Croatia is primarily funded through compulsory social health insurance contributions collected by HZZO, supplemented by the state budget, co-payments, voluntary additional insurance, and contributions from local government. While care is not entirely cost-free, mandatory contributions substantially reduce what patients are required to pay at the point of use.

Under the obvezno scheme, the majority of core care areas are covered, including general medicine, prescription medications, emergency treatment, ambulance transport, diagnostic services, and a basic level of dental care. In many instances, however, only 80% of the treatment cost is met by the scheme, leaving the patient responsible for a 20% co-payment (as of 2024).

For foreign expats working in Croatia, the amount payable depends on earnings in the previous year — contributions are ordinarily 16.5% of the previous year’s salary, though this is borne by the employer as a social security contribution (as of 2024). Those who are self-employed in Croatia are responsible for paying their own healthcare contributions.

The minimum monthly contribution amount is approximately €110, with a ceiling of approximately €295 (as of 2024). Always consult the HZZO website or your regional office for the most current figures, as these thresholds are subject to periodic revision.

The intermediate tier, known as dopunsko, allows you to make modest additional contributions on top of your obvezno to cover those 20% co-payments, making many services effectively free at the point of use. Expats can add dopunsko supplemental coverage for around €10 per month (as of 2024). Dopunsko plans are offered by a range of providers, HZZO itself among them, and are generally affordable.

Croatian residents also have the option to access healthcare through private providers that are not contracted with HZZO, paying either out of pocket or through supplemental insurance. Private consultation fees vary widely; contact individual providers directly for current pricing information.

Do you need private health insurance to see a doctor in Croatia?

In the vast majority of cases, making HZZO contributions is a legal obligation — even for those who intend to rely primarily on private healthcare rather than the public system. For most expats settling in Croatia, the obvezno contribution forms the legal minimum, not a voluntary option.

That said, private health insurance (dodatno) is widely taken up as an additional layer of protection. It represents the highest tier of health insurance in Croatia, offered exclusively by banks and private insurers. Such policies extend cover to specialists, further treatments, preventative care, private hospital consultants, laboratory tests, and lengthier hospital stays.

Although Croatia’s health system provides fundamental coverage, waiting times for certain treatments can be lengthy and access to some specialist services may be restricted. Many expats therefore choose to take out private health insurance to gain broader coverage, swifter access to specialist care, and protection against costs not reimbursed by HZZO, such as dental treatment, optical care, and non-covered medications.

Some expats residing in Croatia opt for internationally designed expat health insurance plans. These products frequently offer more extensive benefits, including medical evacuation and repatriation cover — provisions that are not typically part of locally issued health insurance policies.

Regarding visa and residency requirements: foreigners with temporary residence in Croatia, whose entitlement to compulsory health insurance or healthcare is not secured on another basis, are obliged to obtain coverage by paying health insurance contributions. Exceptions apply to foreigners granted temporary residence for the purpose of secondary or higher education who hold proof of insurance against healthcare costs, and to digital nomads, who form a separate exception category. Always verify your individual circumstances with the Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP) and HZZO, as rules differ according to residency type and nationality.

How do you transfer your medical records to a doctor in Croatia?

Before departing your home country, it is advisable to gather a thorough record of your medical history to present to your new GP in Croatia. Your new doctor will have no automatic access to records held overseas, and the mechanism for sharing them differs depending on your country of origin.

Useful steps to take before and after your relocation include:

• Ask your current doctor for a complete patient summary or medical history printout before you leave. Where possible, request this in both your native language and with a certified Croatian translation.
• Carry medications in their original packaging together with a letter from your doctor specifying your condition, the drug name, and its generic equivalent. Consider uploading your medical records to a secure cloud server so they are accessible from anywhere.
• Once you have registered with an HZZO-contracted GP in Croatia, share your records in person at your first appointment. Your new doctor can then incorporate the relevant details into the Croatian health record system.

Within Croatia, the system is increasingly paperless. Your GP issues an electronic referral (e-uputnica) for all external services, including specialist consultations, diagnostic tests, and beyond. Results from medical procedures are similarly returned to the GP, and you can monitor your records through the e-Građani online portal.

When changing GP within Croatia, the process is straightforward. Following notification from HZZO to your current doctor, they are required to deliver your medical documentation to your new doctor within 3 days.

For those arriving from within the EU, Croatia takes part in cross-border digital health data exchange. The EU ePrescription and eDispensation service enables EU citizens to collect medication at pharmacies in other EU Member States, thanks to the electronic transfer of prescriptions from their country of residence. Patient Summaries provide essential health background information — including allergies, current medications, previous illnesses, and surgical history — making this data digitally accessible during medical consultations abroad. Consult the European Commission’s eHealth Network for the current list of participating countries, as the network is progressively expanding. For guidance on cross-border health data, contact HZZO’s National Contact Point.

What should expats know about language barriers and finding a doctor in Croatia?

Locating an English-speaking doctor in Croatia when you do not speak Croatian can present a real challenge. This is especially true outside the main urban centres of Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, and Dubrovnik, where the availability of multilingual medical staff is considerably more limited.

Croatia’s healthcare system benefits from solid clinical training and well-equipped medical facilities; however, like many EU countries, it faces challenges related to uneven geographical distribution of the healthcare workforce, with a notable imbalance between urban and rural areas and constrained capacity in certain hospitals. In rural communities and on the islands, finding a doctor who can consult in any language other than Croatian becomes considerably more difficult.

There are several practical approaches to finding a doctor with whom you can communicate comfortably:

• Most expats locate an English-speaking GP through personal recommendations from friends, expat Facebook groups, or lists maintained by their country’s embassy — such as the US Embassy in Zagreb.
• The US Embassy in Zagreb publishes a list of English-speaking doctors. Other embassies and consulates frequently produce similar listings for their own nationals, which can be equally useful for any expat seeking a multilingual practitioner.
• Expat community networks — both online forums and local social media groups — are consistently regarded as among the most reliable sources of current, firsthand recommendations for multilingual doctors.
• Private polyclinics (poliklinika) in larger cities are more likely to employ staff with foreign language skills and are popular among expats for routine consultations, though fees will be out of pocket unless covered under a private insurance policy.

HZZO does not maintain a formal national register of multilingual doctors, so word of mouth and community networks remain the most effective means of finding one. Most people successfully locate a suitable practitioner through a referral from a friend, colleague, or fellow resident who shares their language.

What do expats need to know about prescriptions and medication in Croatia?

The Croatian prescription and pharmacy system is well structured and largely digital for patients registered with HZZO. Pharmacies, known as ljekarna, are identified by the green “+” sign and can be found throughout most neighbourhoods. In larger cities they are abundant and frequently open for extended hours.

When consulting a public doctor within the HZZO network, your prescription will be generated electronically — referred to as an e-recept. At the pharmacy, you present your HZZO card and the pharmacist will look up which prescriptions you have available to collect. If you also hold dopunsko supplemental insurance, presenting that card will reduce or eliminate your co-payment for the medication.

Private doctors issue paper prescriptions, which you take directly to the pharmacy. Prescriptions from private doctors are not reimbursed by HZZO. In some situations, you may be able to forward your private prescription to your public family doctor, who can then reissue it as an electronic prescription.

The majority of prescriptions are either fully covered or subsidised under obvezno health insurance. Certain non-essential medications, however — such as oral contraceptives — must be paid for entirely out of pocket. HZZO maintains a list of medicines reimbursed under both the basic (Lista A) and supplemental (Lista B) medicine schedules. Consult the HZZO website for the current approved medicines list, which is updated on a regular basis.

If you arrive carrying a prescription issued abroad, you will generally need to have it reissued by a Croatian doctor. Your new GP will assess your condition and, where appropriate, provide a local prescription. It is strongly recommended to bring a sufficient supply of medication to last through the initial period of registering with a doctor, and to carry documentation from your original prescribing physician that includes the generic (non-brand) name of your medication. For EU patients, e-prescriptions issued in certain countries can be used cross-border in Croatia without a paper copy — check the current list of participating countries via the European Commission’s eHealth portal, as the network continues to expand.

Frequently asked questions

What do I do in a medical emergency in Croatia?

Call 112 for urgent medical assistance. Public hospitals provide emergency treatment, though private facilities may offer shorter waiting times. Emergency care is accessible to everyone in Croatia regardless of insurance status. If you are covered by obvezno, ambulance services are partially reimbursed; without supplemental insurance you may incur some out-of-pocket costs for non-emergency transport.

Will my pre-existing conditions be covered under HZZO?

All individuals insured under obvezno health insurance in Croatia are entitled to the same rights on equal terms. Croatia’s compulsory public scheme does not exclude pre-existing conditions. That said, coverage for certain treatments may be subject to limitations or may require referrals. Confirm the specifics of your situation with HZZO at the time of registration.

How long does it take to register with HZZO and get a GP?

Your HZZO health insurance card may take a little time to arrive by post after registration, but this does not affect your insured status once the process has been completed. Registration at an HZZO office is typically concluded in a single visit, provided all required documents are in order. Selecting and confirming a GP may require a few additional days depending on the availability of practices in your area.

What happens to my healthcare if I lose my job in Croatia?

Any alteration to your obvezno status must be reported to a regional HZZO office within 8 days of the change occurring. If you become unemployed, it may be possible to register under a different HZZO category. Contact HZZO without delay to ensure your coverage remains uninterrupted. Individuals who lose their entitlement to obvezno may continue to exercise their rights for 30 days from the date their insured status ends.

Can family members be added to my HZZO insurance?

Foreigners holding permanent residence in Croatia may make HZZO contributions and secure public healthcare coverage for their spouse, children, and in certain circumstances their parents and grandchildren. Dependants of employed individuals receive their healthcare coverage through contributions made by the working family member, subject to meeting specific eligibility requirements. Visit your regional HZZO office to register family members at the same time as yourself.

Can I see a specialist directly, or do I always need a GP referral first?

Specialist consultations within the public system require a referral (uputnica) from your family doctor, issued either in paper form (crvena uputnica) or electronically (e-uputnica). Certain specialties, such as dermatology, may allow direct appointments without a referral. Private clinics can generally be attended without one, though you will be required to pay out of pocket unless your supplemental private insurance provides cover.

Is the public healthcare system the same quality in rural areas as in cities?

Croatia’s healthcare system is underpinned by solid clinical training and well-equipped facilities; however, like many EU nations, it faces challenges arising from uneven distribution of the healthcare workforce between urban and rural areas, and from constrained capacity in some hospitals. Croatia has a broad network of healthcare establishments including public hospitals, clinics, medical centres, and GP surgeries, but larger cities tend to offer better-equipped facilities and a wider range of specialist disciplines.

Do I need to speak Croatian to navigate the healthcare system?

Croatian is the language of public healthcare administration, though many doctors — particularly younger ones and those working in regions with high tourist footfall — have a functional knowledge of other languages. Nevertheless, finding a doctor with whom you can communicate comfortably without Croatian can prove difficult. It is advisable to bring a trusted bilingual companion, draw on expat networks for personal recommendations, or seek out a private clinic offering multilingual consultations while you develop your language skills.