Croatia Visa from the UK: Appointments, Checklist & Fees

Do UK residents need a visa for Croatia?

British, Irish and EU citizens do not need a visa to visit Croatia for up to 90 days in any 180. Most other nationals living in the UK do, whatever their UK status, because the requirement follows your passport, not where you live.

That includes nationals of India, Pakistan, Nigeria, China, South Africa, Turkey and many other countries living in the UK on a Skilled Worker, Student, Graduate or family visa, or with settled status: UK residence does not exempt you. You can apply from the UK as long as your permission lasts beyond the trip: Croatia’s official guidance asks for UK residence valid at least 1 month after your return, and a longer margin is safer (see UK visa validity for a Schengen visa). The Croatian ministry states it does not accept applications from holders of UK short-term visit visas, so visitors must apply in their country of residence; see Schengen visas on a UK visitor visa.

One Croatia-specific exception: under Article 8(3) of Croatia’s Regulation on the Visa Regime, recognised refugees and stateless persons resident in the UK who hold a UK-issued travel document do not need a visa for Croatia for up to 90 days in 180. The ministry notes that holders of the UK Certificate of Travel still do. This is a Croatian national rule, so check each other Schengen country separately; see our refugee travel document guide.

You prove UK status with a UKVI eVisa share code, not a BRP; our eVisa share code guide shows how. ETIAS, the €20 authorisation for visa-exempt travellers such as British citizens, has no launch date yet and never replaces a visa for anyone who needs one.

Croatia visa appointments in the UK

Croatia short-stay applications in the UK are lodged in person at VFS Global, which runs centres in London, Manchester and Edinburgh as the official partner of the Embassy of Croatia in London. The ministry’s UK page lists all three centres for foreigners living in the UK and does not divide the UK into regional jurisdictions; its general guidance refers to applying at the centre nearest your home.

VFS checks your file, takes fingerprints and collects the fees. It has no say in the outcome: the embassy in London decides every application. The embassy itself does not accept postal applications and only sees family members of Croatian or EU citizens in person, from a long waiting list. The Croatian Honorary Consulate in Edinburgh cannot process visas at all.

London

The London centre is the obvious choice for London and the South of England, and the embassy that decides every UK application is also in London. VFS centres are sometimes shared between countries and can move, so take the exact address and opening hours from the VFS Croatia UK site and your booking confirmation rather than from older guides.

Manchester

The Manchester centre is the nearest option for most people in the North West, Yorkshire and North Wales. After submission your file is sent on to the embassy in London for a decision, so build in transfer time and check current timings with VFS if your travel date is close. Confirm the address on your booking confirmation.

Edinburgh

The Edinburgh centre is the nearest option for most people in Scotland. As with Manchester, your file goes to the embassy in London for a decision. Do not confuse the VFS centre with the Croatian Honorary Consulate in Edinburgh, which the ministry says is not authorised to process visa applications.

How to book

1. Complete the Crovisa form at crovisa.mvep.hr, upload your supporting documents as the ministry asks, then print and sign it. Completing it online does not submit your application.
2. Create an account on the VFS Croatia UK booking site with an email address you will keep.
3. Add each applicant; every person, including each child, needs their own appointment.
4. Choose London, Manchester or Edinburgh and pick a date and time.
5. Skip or choose optional services and save the confirmation.

The Croatian ministry says appointments for the following month usually open on the 15th of each month, so that is the day to check. Booking problems go to the VFS helpline the ministry names, [email protected], rather than to the embassy.

Important: We do not book, hold or supply appointments. The Croatian ministry says VFS is the only provider authorised by the embassy to deal with Croatian applicants and asks applicants not to use any other agent for booking, so book on the official VFS site in your own name. We help you create your account and complete the booking correctly on the official system, and prepare your file so it is ready for the day.

Availability by season

Croatia is a popular summer destination, so expect more competition for slots in the months before the summer holidays. Check on and just after the 15th, when the ministry says the next month’s appointments usually open, look at every centre you can reach, and keep your file complete so you can take an earlier slot if one appears.

On the day

Arrive on time with your printed and signed Crovisa form, originals and a copy of each document; the ministry asks for copies of everything you submit. Follow the attendance rules in your VFS confirmation, for example on bags and electronics. Staff check your file and take fingerprints (unless you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months or are under 12). The visa fee is paid by card only; check on the VFS site how its own service fee is taken. Your passport normally stays with the embassy while it decides and is returned via VFS courier. Any optional paid extras VFS offers are not required and do not affect the decision.

Croatia visa document checklist for UK residents

Croatia’s checklist is standard Schengen with three local additions: the Crovisa form, certified guarantee letters for hosted or business visits, and the official approval decision for any private holiday rental. Every name, date and address on the form must match your documents.

The Crovisa form must be printed and signed. Enter your name exactly as it appears in your passport and use the same photo you uploaded online. Your passport must have been issued in the last 10 years, have two blank pages and be valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area. The photo must be recent and meet ICAO standards.

Accommodation must cover every night and, for hotels and rentals, be booked in your name. The ministry does not accept a voucher in someone else’s name unless the provider confirms it in yours, which matters for group bookings. Many Croatian holidays use private apartments, and for those you also need a copy of the competent Croatian office’s decision approving the rental, in Croatian. The ministry says you must request it from the owner, so ask when you book rather than the week before your appointment.

The guarantee letter replaces an invitation, and the ministry recommends its official forms. A private host (a Croatian citizen, or an EEA, Swiss or other foreign national with residence in Croatia) completes it, has the signature certified by a Croatian public notary and adds proof of income or funds in Croatia for the last 3 months. Business visitors need one from the Croatian company, signed by the person authorised to represent it, with proof of the company’s solvency. You normally submit the original, so allow time for your host to arrange it and post it; an emailed scan is not enough. Alternatively the host can lodge the original with the ministry in Zagreb for a fee of €18.58, naming the embassy where you will apply, and you submit a copy; ask VFS or the embassy what else to bring in that case.

Bank statements should cover the last 3 months, including the day you apply. Travel insurance needs at least €30,000 of medical cover, valid across Schengen for every day of the trip (see our travel insurance guide). A ferry, flight or coach reservation is enough; you do not need to buy tickets. A short cover letter explaining your route helps, especially if you are island-hopping.

Employed

An employer letter on headed paper confirming your role, salary, start date and approved leave, plus your last 3 months’ payslips. Leave dates must match the Crovisa form.

Self-employed

Your Companies House record or HMRC registration, latest SA302 and tax year overview, and recent business statements. See our self-employed guide.

Students

An enrolment letter from your UK institution with term dates, plus your own funds or a sponsor’s letter and statements. See our students guide.

Retired

Pension award letters and 3 months of statements showing the pension arriving.

Sponsored

A signed sponsorship letter, the sponsor’s 3 months of statements, proof of their UK status and evidence of your relationship. If the sponsor lives in Croatia, the certified guarantee letter does this job. Our invitation and sponsor letter guide has a structure to follow.

Children

A full birth certificate, a consent letter from any parent not travelling with a copy of their passport, and both parents’ UK status. See Schengen visas for children.

How much money do you need for a Croatia visa?

Croatia fixes the figure in law (Article 9 of its Regulation on the Visa Regime): €70 for each day of your stay, reduced to €30 a day with a certified guarantee letter, proof of a paid tourist booking or a similar document. If your host’s certified letter shows they fully cover all costs of your stay and departure, you are exempt.

For a 10-day holiday with a paid tourist booking, that means at least €300 available to you; without a booking or guarantee, €700. Border guards may also ask for proof of funds when you enter. Treat these as minimums on top of your travel costs and normal UK outgoings. Our guide to bank statements for a Schengen visa explains what officers look for.

Croatia visa fees from the UK

The consular fee is €90 for adults, which the Croatian ministry lists as £78.28, paid by card. VFS adds its own service fee per applicant; its Croatia one-pager lists €33 in London and €36 in Manchester and Edinburgh, but that page is not always kept current, so confirm the amount and how it is paid on the VFS booking site.

Family members of Croatian, EU, EEA or Swiss citizens who travel with or join them pay no visa fee, according to the ministry. Its fee table also exempts pupils, students and accompanying teachers travelling for study or training, researchers, and representatives of non-profit organisations aged up to 25 attending events, and its UK page gives a reduced fee of £30 for nationals of Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Sterling figures can change with exchange rates, so check the current amount before your appointment.

How long does a Croatia visa take from the UK?

The ministry says the regular processing time is up to 15 days from when the embassy receives your file, and exceptionally 30 to 60 days or more if further checks are needed. Allow extra time for files lodged in Manchester or Edinburgh to reach London, and for your passport to come back by VFS courier.

The clock starts when the embassy receives your file, not when you book, and in spring the wait for a slot is often longer than the decision itself. You can apply up to 6 months before travel (9 months for seafarers on duty) and, as a rule, no later than 15 calendar days before. See our processing time guide for the wider picture.

You will not have your passport while the embassy decides, so avoid other international travel in that window.

Croatia visa types for UK residents

Most UK residents apply for a short-stay (type C) Schengen visa for tourism, a family visit or business, valid across all 29 Schengen countries. The purpose you choose on Crovisa decides the evidence the embassy expects.

Tourist. Accommodation in your name for every night, with the approval decision for any private rental, and a simple itinerary. Croatia must be your main destination: the most nights or, if nights are equal, the country you enter first. If your trip also takes in Slovenia or Italy, our guide on which country to apply to helps you count. Planning a day trip to Mostar or Kotor? Ask for multiple entries. UK students on a term-break holiday apply as tourists, adding an enrolment letter.

Family or friends visit. The original guarantee letter from your host with the signature certified by a Croatian notary, plus the host’s proof of income or funds. Evidence of your relationship also helps. See our family visit visa guide.

Business. A guarantee letter from the Croatian company, signed by the person authorised to represent it and backed by proof of the company’s solvency, and a letter from your UK employer confirming your role and who pays. See our business visa guide.

Seafarers. Crew joining or leaving a ship in a Croatian port apply with documents from the shipping company or manning agent, and seafarers on duty may apply up to 9 months ahead.

Events, medical treatment and short courses. Performers, athletes and course participants need the organiser’s confirmation; medical visitors need a letter from the clinic and proof of payment.

Long stays. Stays beyond 90 days, such as work, follow a separate process: you first need an approved temporary stay or stay and work permit in Croatia, and then, if your nationality needs a visa, a national D visa, which the ministry lists at £82.48 plus the VFS fee.

Croatia-specific tips

The Croatian embassy is strict on form-filling detail and on the originals of local documents.

• Treat Crovisa as the master record. Your name exactly as in the passport, the same photo as you uploaded, and dates that match your bookings. The printed form must be signed.
• Get local documents moving early. Certified guarantee letters normally have to reach you as originals, and rental approval decisions come from the owner. Both take time to arrange.
• Count nights if you are touring. Many itineraries combine Croatia with Slovenia, Italy or non-Schengen neighbours such as Montenegro. Only apply to Croatia if it is your main Schengen destination.
• Carry your evidence at the border. EES has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 and the temporary summer flexibility has ended, so expect face and fingerprint registration on first entry. Croatia’s regulation also lets border guards ask for proof of funds. Our EES and ETIAS guide explains what to expect.

Why Croatia visas are refused (and how to avoid it)

Croatian refusals usually turn on doubts about the trip’s purpose, your funds or your return to the UK, rather than one missing page. Most are avoidable with a consistent file.

• Main destination unclear. More nights in Italy or Slovenia than in Croatia. Count nights and apply to the right country.
• Accommodation not in your name or not licensed. Group vouchers, gaps between bookings, or private rentals without the approval decision.
• Guarantee letter not certified, or a copy. Croatia needs the original with the signature certified by a Croatian notary, unless the host lodged it with the ministry.
• Funds below Croatia’s figures. Statements that do not reach €30 or €70 a day, or a recent unexplained deposit.
• Weak ties to the UK. UK permission ending soon after the trip, or no evidence of a job or studies to return to.
• Inconsistent details. Dates, names or addresses on Crovisa that do not match your bookings or employer letter.

If you are refused, the letter lists the grounds. You can appeal in writing, in Croatian or with an official translation, within 15 days of receiving the decision, through the embassy in London. The ministry’s UK page lists an appeal fee of £113.37 (€130 in its central fee table), and its visa division decides within 60 days of receiving the appeal. Because of the short deadline, the language requirement and the timescale, a fresh application that answers each refusal ground is often quicker. Our Schengen visa refusal guide explains both routes.