Family members of a deceased insured person are entitled to a survivors’ pension if the person from whom the right is executed (the deceased person) fulfilled one of the following conditions:
- Completed at least 5 years of insurance periods or at least 10 years of qualifying periods, or
- Met the requirements for the length of pensionable service for acquiring the right to a disability pension, or
- Was a beneficiary of an old-age, early retirement or disability pension, or
- Was a beneficiary of the right to occupational rehabilitation.
If the death of an insuree or insured person occurred as a result of an accident at work or occupational disease, his or her family members have the right to a survivors’ pension regardless of the length of qualifying periods completed.
The right to a survivors’ pension may not be acquired by a family member of an insured person or pension beneficiary who intentionally caused the death of the insured person or pension beneficiary, and was convicted of this criminal offence by a legally effective judgement to incarceration, and cannot be acquired by a family member of a deceased insuree, insured person or pension beneficiary who intentionally incapacitated himself or herself for work to acquire the right to a survivors’ pension.
A widow / widower / extramarital partner has the right to a survivors’ pension:
- If he or she reached 50 years of age before the death of his or her spouse, or
- If he or she is younger than 50, but suffered a complete loss of working capacity before the death of his or her spouse or within one year of the death of his or her spouse, or
- If his or her spouse left one or more children entitled to a survivors’ pension and the widow / widower or extramarital partner performs parental duties in respect of these children. If during this entitlement such person experiences general inability to work, he or she retains the right to a survivors’ pension as long as this inability exists.
A widow / widower or extramarital partner who did not reach 50 years of age before the death of his or her spouse, but was older than 45, shall acquire the right to a survivors’ pension when he or she reaches 50 years of age.
A widow / widower or extramarital partner who reached 50 years of age while exercising the right to a survivors’ pension acquired shall retain the right to a survivors’ pension on a permanent basis, and if he or she was divested of this right between the ages of 45 and 50, he or she may re-acquire it when he or she reaches 50 years of age.
A widow is also entitled to a survivors’ pension when a child was born to an insured person after his death. In such case, a widow exercises the right to a survivors’ pension from the date of the insured person’s death.
An extramarital partner is entitled to a survivor’s pension if the extramarital union existed and lasted for at least three years up until the death of the insured person or pension beneficiary.
The right to a survivors’ pension is also granted to a divorced spouse, provided that he or she is entitled to support by a court decision.
A child acquires the right to a survivors’ pension:
- If at the time of death of his or her parent, he or she is under the age of 15, or younger than 18 in periods of unemployment
- If a complete loss of working capacity occurs, until the age at which the child is entitled to a survivors’ pension, then the child is entitled to a survivors’ pension for as long as such loss exists
- If a general incapacity to work occurs after the age at which the child is entitled to a survivors’ pension, and before the death of the insured person or the beneficiary of the right, the child is entitled to a survivors’ pension if such child was supported by the deceased person before his or her death
- If he or she is in regular schooling at the time of the insured person’s death or if he or she enters regular schooling after the insured person’s death.
Children are entitled to this right until the end of regular schooling, but not after they reach 26 years of age. If a child’s regular schooling was interrupted due to illness, the child has the right to a survivors’ pension and may exercise this right for the duration of illness – up to the age of 26 and beyond, but for a period not longer than the time he or she lost due to illness, provided that the child’s regular schooling continued before he or she reached 26 years of age.
A child with a status of a disabled person with the remaining working capacity has the right to a survivors’ pension after the death of his or her parent and shall not lose this right after he or she finds employment, however pension payment shall be suspended during the term of insurance coverage.
A child who experienced a complete loss of working capacity during exercising the right to survivors’ pension, shall be entitled to such right for as long as the complete loss of working capacity lasts, and shall not lose this right after he or she finds employment, however pension payment shall be suspended during the term of insurance coverage.
A parent of a deceased insured person or beneficiary whom the insured person or beneficiary supported until his or her death is entitled to a survivors’ pension:
- If, before the insured person’s or beneficiary’s death, he or she reached the age of 60, or
- If he or she is younger than 60 but experienced a complete loss of working capacity at the time the insured person or the beneficiary died, for as long as such disability lasts.
The right to survivors’ pension shall terminate by marriage or registration of an extramarital partnership for:
- A widow or widower younger than 50, unless they obtained that right based on a complete loss of working capacity
- Children of the insured person, siblings and other parentless children, with the exception of children who are entitled to it based on a complete loss of working capacity and children attending regular schooling, as well as children with the status of disabled persons with the remaining working capacity
The Act on Amendments to the Pension Insurance Act from 1 January 2023 enabled a widow/widower to use a part of the survivor’s pension in addition to a personal pension (old age, early old age or disability pension).
The conditions for using a part of the survivor’s pension are as follows:
– the widow/widower is the only beneficiary of the survivor’s pension
– he/she turned 65 years of age
– his/her total pension from the compulsory pension insurance in the Republic of Croatia does not exceed the amount of 80 actual values of pension (AVPs).
A widow/widower who is not the only beneficiary of the survivor’s pension will also be able to use part of the survivor’s pension if other family members are entitled to it on the basis of a total loss of working capacity or as a child with the status of a disabled person.
The amount of part of the survivor’s pension is set at 27% of the survivor’s pension for one family member. The lowest amount is determined in the amount of three actual values of pension (but not more than 50% of the due survivor’s pension), and the highest amount of a part of the survivor’s pension, if the sum of the old-age, early old-age or disability pension and part of the survivor’s pension is greater than 80 AVPs, it is paid in the amount of the difference up to 80 AVPs.
Your right to a survivors’ pension pursuant to international agreements on social insurance
The procedure for obtaining the right to survivors’ pension is initiated by submitting an application to the competent pension insurance holder in the contracting state in which you have residence.
An application submitted in one contracting state shall be deemed as an application submitted in all contracting states in which the deceased insured person has completed insurance periods.
Survivors’ pension will be paid to the surviving family member regardless of the place of his or her residence in any of the contracting states.
1.4. Application for granting the right to survivors’ pension
Annexes to applications for granting the right to foreign pensions (to be completed with the application under no. 1.4) for:
