Health insurance in the Republic of Croatia is compulsory, meaning that every citizen of the Republic of Croatia must have a regulated compulsory health insurance.
The compulsory health insurance is provided by the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO) and is regulated by the Compulsory Health Insurance Act (Official Gazette, Nos. 80/13, 137/13, 98/19 and 33/23).
The health insurance and health care of foreigners is regulated by a special act – the Act on Health Insurance and Health Care of Foreigners in the Republic of Croatia (Official Gazette, No. 80/13, 15/18, 26/21 and 46/22).
Within the compulsory health insurance, the rights and obligations of compulsory health insurance are provided to all insured persons of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund, based on the principles of reciprocity, solidarity and equality, in the manner and under the conditions laid down by the Regulation (EC) No. 883/04, Directive 2011/24/EU on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare, the Compulsory Health Insurance Act and the regulations adopted on the basis of this Act and the special act.
The following persons are required to obtain compulsory health insurance:
- Persons who are residents of the Republic of Croatia
- Foreigners with approved permanent residence or long-term residence in the Republic of Croatia
- Citizens of other Member States of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), as well as citizens of other countries with approved temporary residence in the Croatia, based on an employment contract, or based on economic or professional activities performed on the territory of the Republic of Croatia, if the conditions set out in special regulations governing the issue of residence and work of foreigners in Croatia are met, unless otherwise specified by regulations of the European Union or international treaties;
- Citizens of other EU / EEA Member States / Switzerland / the UK with approved temporary residence in Croatia, if they are not compulsorily insured in one of the EU / EEA Member States / Switzerland, and
- Citizens of a state that is not a Member State of the EU / EEA / Switzerland / the UK, or a contracting state, who are on temporary residence in the Republic of Croatia.
Application for health insurance is not mandatory if it is otherwise regulated by the EU regulations, international agreements or special acts.
Compulsory health insurance rights, including rights related to injuries at work and occupational diseases, cover:
- The right to health care and
- The right to monetary benefits.
The insured persons are obliged to participate in the costs of health care from compulsory health insurance, for services that are not fully insured at the expense of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund.
In order to cover the costs of participation, insured persons may enter into a supplementary health insurance contract with the Croatian Health Insurance Fund.
MORE – Compulsory health insurance | HZZO
Relevant links and contacts
- Compulsory insurance | HZZO
- Homepage | DZO (hzzo.hr)
- Legal acts | HZZO
- Free info phone for questions regarding compulsory health insurance 0800 7979
- Free info phone for questions regarding supplementary health insurance 0800 7989