The Ministry of Internal Affairs is issuing approximately 20,000 work permits in Croatia per month in 2024. Furthermore, by the end of July, 132,000 permits had been issued. This immense increase is amid a shortage of skilled workers in the local labor market just like many other Schengen countries.
Types of Work Permits issued
Following are the types of work permits issued:
| Permit Type | Permits Issued (Jan-Jul 2024) | Permits Issued (2023) |
| New Permits | 85,000+ | 113,000 |
| Extended Permits | 32,000 | 41,000 |
| Seasonal Permits | 15,000 |
Regional Distribution of Work Permits
The number of issued permits is increasing across all counties, with Bjelovar-Bilogorska being the only one to have already exceeded last year’s numbers.
In Istria, Dubrovnik-Neretva, and Split-Dalmatia counties, there is a significant difference between newly issued and extended permits, with far more new permits. The difference is smaller in Međimurje County and the City of Zagreb (including Zagreb County).
Permit Details by Region (January – July 2024):
| County/Region | New Permits | Extended Permits |
| Istria | 14,000 | 3,000 |
| Dubrovnik-Neretva | 7,000 | 1,500 |
| Split-Dalmatia | 9,000 | 2,500 |
| Međimurje | 1,500 | Slightly less than 1,000 |
| City of Zagreb and Zagreb | 16,000 | 10,000 |
Relative to its population, Istria has the highest outreach to foreign workers. Seasonal employment of foreign workers is highest in tourist-heavy coastal counties.
Seasonal workers constitute one-third of all foreign workers. Only 309 seasonal permits out of more than 27,000 total permits were issued.
In July 2024, 44,000 work permits were issued for jobs in tourism and catering. This number is nearly equal to the total number of permits issued for these jobs in all of 2023 (slightly less than 46,000).
The number of permits issued for construction workers in 2023 was 69,000, which dominated the “import” of workers.