Health Insurance in Croatia for Expats and Foreigners 2026: HZZO Rules, Costs and Private Cover

Written by Steffan Grund · Insurance specialist (Versicherungsfachmann BWV) · Updated October 28, 2026Facts checked: October 28, 2026

Key facts: health insurance in Croatia for foreigners (2026)

Sources: Croatian law on compulsory health insurance of foreigners, Ministry of Finance order on 2026 contribution bases, Ministry of the Interior (MUP), gov.hr, European Commission, GOV.UK; details in the source list below.

Which kinds of health cover can foreigners use in Croatia?

Foreigners in Croatia have five kinds of cover to work with: compulsory HZZO insurance, HZZO supplementary insurance on top of it, an S1 for pensioners whose pension comes from the UK or another EU state, a private or international policy, and travel insurance for short stays and the nomad permit. Which ones you need follows from your residence status rather than from taste. A remote worker on the nomad permit sits outside HZZO by law; a retiree on temporary stay for other purposes sits inside it and pays.

The table shows why the first question is never "which insurer?" but "am I inside HZZO?". Once you know that, private cover becomes a choice about speed, comfort and travel, not a legal box. For how long-term international plans work in general, start with our expat health insurance guide; this page applies the rules to Croatia.

Who must join HZZO, and who is exempt?

Foreigners on temporary stay must join HZZO within eight days whatever the purpose of their stay, unless they already have health insurance on another basis or fall under a named exemption for digital nomads, students and some EU citizens. That is the wording of article 6 of the Croatian law on compulsory health insurance and health care of foreigners. Article 4 adds permanent and long-term residents to the insured group.

Two further rules in the law deserve attention before you arrive. Article 7 says that before your rights start you make a one-off payment at the lowest contribution base for the time since any previous insurance ended, for up to 12 months; the official text does not say how this applies to someone arriving in Croatia for the first time, so ask HZZO when you register. And article 8 limits your rights to emergency care if you have not paid for at least 30 days, until you settle the arrears with interest. We read the consolidated text on zakon.hr, which is not the official gazette, so check the current version in Narodne novine if a point is decisive for you.

How much does HZZO cost a foreigner in 2026?

On the lowest base, compulsory HZZO insurance costs about €124.96 a month in 2026, or €1,499.52 a year, by our calculation from the official figures. The Ministry of Finance order for 2026, published in Narodne novine 150/2025, sets the average salary at €1,993.00 and the lowest monthly base at €757.34 (0.38 times the average). It puts foreigners (code 1600) and their family members (code 1700) on that base. The health contribution rate is 16.5%.

Official sources do not agree on one number. GOV.UK’s healthcare page, last updated in April 2024, says people who are not working pay "a fixed single amount of around 700 euros each year"; that is €700, well below a year at the 2026 base and rate. The law leaves the final word to the Tax Administration, which sets the type, base and monthly amount of your contribution by decision. Treat €124.96 as a planning figure and the decision letter as the real one. Secondary 2026 guides we checked report about the same monthly figure, which suggests the calculation is in the right range.

What do co-payments and supplementary insurance cost in Croatia?

With HZZO alone you pay 20% of most treatment, capped at €530.88 per treatment, and HZZO supplementary insurance at €15 a month removes most of those co-payments. GOV.UK gives the 20% rule and the cap; the European Commission’s EHIC page lists the minimum charges per contact.

The supplementary price rose in February 2026 from €9.29 a month, the first change since 2013, and the new price applies to existing and new policies alike. We could not open HZZO’s own price page, so the figure comes from the board decision as reported by Dnevnik.hr, Index.hr and Novi list. GOV.UK still prints an older range of €10 to €40 a month. According to gov.hr, anyone over 18 who is enrolled in compulsory insurance can sign up; the policy starts within 15 days and covers participation for family doctor visits, prescriptions, hospital treatment, specialists, diagnostics, aids, dental care and rehabilitation. It does not pay the surcharge for medicines on the supplementary drug list. Croatian private insurers sell their own supplementary policies at their own prices.

What health insurance does a Croatian residence permit need?

Every temporary residence permit for a non-EU citizen requires health insurance, but the official pages we read do not say which kind of policy counts outside the nomad route. The gov.hr service page lists the conditions as proof of purpose, a valid travel document, means of support, health insurance and no entry ban, and asks you to enclose "proof of having health insurance". The foreign ministry adds that some groups are exempt from that proof, without listing them.

The purposes listed on gov.hr are family reunification, secondary and higher education, research, humanitarian reasons, life partnership, work, posted work, long-term residents of another EEA state, other purposes and digital nomads. We found no dedicated retirement category, so a retiree should ask the police administration which purpose fits before applying. Timing matters too: a policy you show with the application has to be in force on the dates the office asks for. A long-term plan that begins on the 1st of a month after you cross the border cannot be in place before you leave home, so arrange travel or visa insurance for the application and start long-term cover on arrival. For how other countries word their rules, see visa health insurance requirements by country.

What health insurance do digital nomads need in Croatia?

Digital nomads need travel or private health insurance that covers Croatia for the whole planned stay, the Ministry of the Interior decides whether a policy meets that rule, and the law releases them from HZZO, so that policy is their only cover. The Ministry of the Interior asks for proof of insurance "for the period of time that you plan to be in Croatia", in Croatian or English. Article 6(12) of the foreigners’ insurance law says a third-country national on temporary stay as a digital nomad does not have to register with HZZO and pays their own health costs.

Because nomads sit outside HZZO, the gap between "the permit is approved" and "I am protected" is entirely about the policy you buy. A travel policy whose dates and territory fit appears to match the ministry’s wording, although only the ministry decides what it accepts, and it is built for trips: check the end date against the full permit, whether it renews, and what happens to an illness that continues past the end date. A long-term plan cannot be the document for the application if it starts only after you arrive, so the usual sequence is travel cover for the application and first weeks, then a decision about long-term cover. Croatia’s nomad permit is compared with other routes on digital nomad visas by country, and our digital nomad health insurance guide compares travel and long-term policies. Freelancers with clients in several countries can also read health insurance for freelancers abroad.

How do EU citizens, EHIC holders and S1 holders use healthcare in Croatia?

EU visitors use their EHIC at HZZO-contracted providers, EU citizens living in Croatia register with HZZO unless they are insured in another member state or hold comprehensive private insurance, and pensioners with a UK or EU pension can bring an S1. The European Commission says EHIC care is free only at doctors and hospitals under contract with HZZO, with the normal co-payments, and that HZZO does not refund EHIC holders who paid.

GOV.UK describes the S1 for UK residents of Croatia who draw a UK State Pension or certain exportable benefits: you register the S1 with HZZO and get state healthcare paid for by the UK. A dependant covered through someone else’s S1 loses that cover once they claim their own UK State Pension, so couples should plan both dates. Britons who move before State Pension age have no S1 and fall under the general rules, which means HZZO registration and a monthly contribution unless an exemption applies. Who qualifies for the document is set out in our S1 form guide; the years between moving and drawing the pension are the subject of health insurance for the S1 gap, and EU readers can compare rights on health insurance for EU citizens abroad.

What do private clinics and tests cost in Croatia?

Private and self-pay prices in Croatia are set by each provider, and the one published list we used shows an MRI of one segment at €215 and a specialist examination at €60 to €70. That list is the 2025 self-pay price list of Thalassotherapia Opatija, a special hospital on the Kvarner coast; it states that uninsured patients are charged according to the HZZO price list for hospital cases. We found no official national price survey, so treat the table as one example, not an average.

Why people pay privately at all is mostly a question of time. Croatian press reported in December 2025 that the first free public slot for a knee MRI at Dubrava hospital in Zagreb was in July 2026; we found no national waiting-time statistics, so this is one dated example. Dental care is the other area: GOV.UK notes that many people in Croatia use private dentists. Croatia’s system is otherwise strongly public, with households paying only 9.4% of health spending out of pocket (WHO data, 2023), a figure you can set against other countries in our healthcare systems by country comparison. When you compare private policies, check the territorial scope, entry and exit ages, renewal terms, how pre-existing conditions are handled, and whether you pay first and claim later.

Coast and islands: what changes for healthcare?

HZZO rights are the same on the coast and the islands as in Zagreb, but the distance to a hospital is not, and that is the main health question when you pick a place to live. We have not checked an official HZZO list of hospitals by town, so we name none here: before you sign a lease, find out which health centre (dom zdravlja) and which hospital serve the address, and how far away the hospital is.

The emergency number across Croatia, as in the rest of the EU, is 112. If you have a condition that needs regular specialist care, choosing a base within reach of a hospital that offers that care is a stronger protection than any policy. Private cover does not shorten a ferry crossing, but it can pay for a private clinic in the city instead of waiting for a public appointment.

Where does Care Expat World fit for expats in Croatia?

Care Expat World is a long-term international plan that can sit next to HZZO as private cover in Croatia and anywhere else in Zone 1 (all countries other than the USA, China and Singapore). It does not replace a legal duty to join HZZO, and we make no claim that the Croatian police administration or ministry accepts it for a permit; the insurer’s own terms say it cannot promise that the contract satisfies a local compulsory insurance rule. Its job is the private layer: private treatment with free choice of doctor, cover on trips within the zone and, in Comfort and Premium, dental care, check-ups and glasses.

Three plan rules shape a move to Croatia. You can book the plan up to four months in advance, but it always begins on the first day of a month and only once you are outside your home country, so arriving on the 17th means about two weeks to bridge. You also need to have been insured until no more than 12 months before the start date; after a gap a 31-day waiting period applies. Can Medicare, the NHS or a travel policy serve as that earlier insurance? The documents don’t confirm this; ask Care Concept in writing. Finally, nothing in the terms promises that the insurer settles bills with Croatian clinics itself, so budget to pay first and claim afterwards. The terms in full are on the plan details page. For a Croatian whose home is Croatia but who lives in another country, the plan covers visits home for up to 180 days a year, because Croatia is an EU state; that benefit is explained on international health insurance with home-country cover.

How does health cover in Croatia differ for Americans and Britons?

The S1 is the dividing line: a Briton drawing the UK State Pension can register UK-funded public cover with HZZO, while an American has no such document and pays the HZZO contribution or relies on a policy, depending on the permit. Medicare generally does not pay for care outside the United States.

For Americans the open question is Medicare Part B: giving it up before the move may mean higher premiums if they come back and re-enrol; health insurance for Americans living abroad walks through that decision. Britons should note when their State Pension starts, because that is when an S1 becomes possible; health insurance for UK expats covers the NHS side, including what changes on visits home.

What does health cover in Croatia cost? 2026 comparison

A year of compulsory HZZO on the lowest base costs about €1,499.52, adding dopunsko brings it to about €1,679.52, and Care Expat World starts from €120 a month at 45–49 and €325 at 60–64. Plan premiums below come from our registry; HZZO amounts are our calculation from the official base and rate.

Foreign residents on temporary stay who are not exempt pay HZZO in any case, so the real comparison is the cost of adding a private layer, not choosing one over the other. At 60–64, HZZO with dopunsko plus Basic at the €3,600 deductible comes to €5,579.52 a year in premiums and contributions. A nomad outside HZZO pays only the private policy. For the full premium table by age, see what international health insurance costs.

Checklist: health cover for your move to Croatia

• Residence purpose confirmed with the police administration or consulate (there is no separate retirement category)
• Proof of health insurance in force for the dates the office asks for (a long-term plan cannot start before you arrive)
• Nomads: travel or private policy covering Croatia for the whole planned stay, in Croatian or English
• HZZO registration within 8 days of the permit decision, unless you are exempt
• Asked HZZO whether the one-off back payment for up to 12 months applies to you
• Budget for about €124.96 a month until the Tax Administration decision arrives
• Standing order set up, because 30 days without payment cuts rights to emergency care
• Dopunsko supplementary policy considered (€15 a month)
• UK and EU pensioners: S1 requested from the pension country and registered with HZZO
• Family doctor chosen at the local health centre; nearest hospital and ferry links checked
• Private plan dated from the first day of a month after you land; written answer from Care Concept on your earlier insurance
• Visits to the US or UK insured separately; Americans have decided whether to keep Medicare Part B

Worked examples: an American aged 57, a Briton aged 62 and a Dutch nomad

Linda, 57, from Arizona, retires early to Split on savings and investment income. The gov.hr purpose list has no retirement category, so she asks the police administration which purpose fits before she applies, and she shows a travel policy for the application dates. Once the permit is approved she registers with HZZO within eight days. On the lowest base her contribution is about €124.96 a month; she adds dopunsko for €15, so the public side costs her about €1,679.52 a year. For private clinics and travel around Europe she picks Care Expat World Basic with the €3,600 deductible from the 1st of the month after she arrives: €200 a month, €2,400 for the 12-month minimum term. Together that is €4,079.52 a year. Her visits to Arizona are outside the plan, because the USA is her home country. From 1 January of the year she turns 60, the 60–64 rate applies.

Graham, 62, from Leeds, moves to a town near Zadar before reaching UK State Pension age, so he has no S1 yet. He registers with HZZO and pays about €124.96 a month. He wants dental cover and check-ups, so he compares Care Expat World Comfort with a €1,200 deductible at €655 a month (€7,860 a year) with Basic at €325. When his State Pension starts, he asks NHS Overseas Healthcare Services for an S1 and registers it with HZZO, which ends his own HZZO contribution. Trips back to Leeds stay outside the plan throughout.

Sanne, 46, a Dutch designer, is an EU citizen, so the nomad permit (a route for third-country nationals) is not her path. She registers her stay as an EU citizen. As she is not insured in the Netherlands any longer, she either registers with HZZO or proves comprehensive private insurance, which HZZO judges; we make no claim that any particular plan passes that test. With Care Expat World Basic at the €3,600 deductible she pays €120 a month, and because her home country is in the EU, visits to the Netherlands of up to 180 days a year are covered.

What if you are 65 or older?

At 65 or older HZZO stays open, because the rules we read set no age limit, and S1 holders keep their UK- or EU-funded public cover, but the private international option narrows. For Care Expat World the last possible start is 1 December of the year in which you turn 64. Croatian private insurers publish their own age rules. Anyone in their early sixties should therefore apply sooner rather than later; for the options that remain after the cut-off, read expat health insurance over 65 and age limits on international health insurance.

How does health insurance in Croatia compare with other EU countries?

Croatia charges non-working foreign residents a monthly contribution on a fixed base, Italy charges a yearly fee with a minimum, and Greece and Malta each set their own rules for non-EU residents. All the countries below are in Zone 1 of Care Expat World.

Croatia belongs to Zone 1. The USA, China and Singapore are outside it: there the plan pays emergencies only, on trips lasting no more than 42 days, and never in the insured person’s home country, so an American is not covered in the USA at all. Home-country cover applies only when your home country is an EU or Schengen state, which leaves Americans uncovered in the USA and Britons uncovered in the UK. Nothing here claims that HZZO, the Ministry of the Interior or a police administration will accept the plan. Already 65 or older in the year cover would start? This plan is closed to you; we are preparing a comparison of plans without an entry-age limit. The Care Expat World overview lists the premium for each age band.

Plan your move to Croatia

• Expat health insurance for retirees: what matters in your fifties and sixties.
• Pre-existing conditions: how Care Concept assesses your health history by video call.
• Family cover: one contract for a couple or a family moving to Croatia together.

Where these facts come from

• Zakon o obveznom zdravstvenom osiguranju i zdravstvenoj zaštiti stranaca u Republici Hrvatskoj (law on compulsory health insurance and health care of foreigners), Narodne novine 80/2013 as amended, articles 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10; consolidated text read on zakon.hr, 28 October 2026
• Ministry of Finance: order on contribution bases for compulsory insurance for 2026, Narodne novine 150/2025 (12 December 2025)
• Contributions Act amendment raising the health contribution to 16.5%, Narodne novine 1/2019
• gov.hr: compulsory health insurance; HZZO supplementary insurance; registration of temporary residence for third-country nationals (read 28 October 2026)
• Ministry of the Interior (MUP): temporary stay of digital nomads (forms dated April 2026)
• Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs: stay of aliens in Croatia (read 28 October 2026)
• HZZO board decision on the supplementary insurance price from 1 February 2026, as reported by Dnevnik.hr, Index.hr and Novi list (January 2026)
• European Commission: European Health Insurance Card, Croatia (read 28 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: Healthcare in Croatia (29 April 2024)
• WHO Global Health Expenditure Database via the World Bank: Croatia out-of-pocket share (2023)
• Thalassotherapia Opatija: self-pay price list 2025 (read 28 October 2026); tportal.hr: waiting-time report (9 December 2025)
• Medicare: rules on care received outside the US
• Care Concept: Care Expat World premium table and terms (VB-KV 2026_05, read 27–28 October 2026)

The official figures conflict on the yearly HZZO amount for people who are not working (GOV.UK 2024: about 700 euros; our 2026 calculation: higher) and on the supplementary price (GOV.UK still shows the older range). We found no official list of the insurance documents accepted for non-nomad permits, no national private-price survey and no national waiting-time data. Check with HZZO, the Tax Administration and your police administration before you rely on a figure.