Maternity benefits in Croatia are regulated by the Act on Maternity and Parental Benefits (Official Gazette nos. 85/08, 110/08, 34/11, 54/13, 152/14, 59/17 and 37/20).
The right to maternity and parental benefits can only be realised if you have compulsory health insurance regulated by the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO) and if you also meet other prescribed conditions.
Benefits are provided to the mother and the father of the child, adoptive parent, guardian, foster parent or other physical person to whom guardianship and upbringing of a minor child is entrusted by the decision of the competent authority.
The right to maternity leave is realised based on the Report on temporary disability/incapacity for work issued by an elected gynaecologist, in which the expected term of birth is indicated.
For other rights, it is necessary to submit an application to the regional service or branch office of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund.
If your case includes at least two Member States of the EU, EEA or/and Switzerland, the Croatian Health Insurance Fund will check whether all the conditions prescribed by Croatian legislation are met but will also take into account the principles defined by the European legal regulations.
The principles are as follows:
- Principle of assimilation of facts
- Principle of aggregation of periods, and
- Principle of possibility to export the rights / Principle of derogation from the rules on residence