Croatian nationality law

Croatian citizenship can be acquired in the following ways: Citizenship by naturalisation Under Article 8 of the Croatian Citizenship Act, a foreigner can acquire Croatian citizenship by naturalisation if they have submitted a request and fulfils the following requirements: • they are 18 years old; • they are released from foreign citizenship, or submits proof that they will acquire release if granted Croatian citizenship; • they have lived and has had a registered residence in the Republic of Croatia for at least 8 years without interruption until the submission of the request and has been granted foreigner status with permanent residence; • they are proficient in the Croatian language and Latin script, and is familiar with Croatian culture and social arrangement; • by respecting the legal order of the Republic of Croatia, by paying public contributions, and that there are no security obstacles for them to receive Croatian citizenship. ==Dual citizenship==

Croatia does not require its citizens to renounce Croatian citizenship when acquiring a new citizenship. The same cannot be said though, for the reverse. Under Article 8 of the Law on Croatian Citizenship, naturalisation into Croatian citizenship requires renunciation of the previous country's citizenship, where allowed by the other country. However, this does not apply in a number of situations, including descendants of Croatian emigrants, national interest of Croatia, and former Croatians who renounced Croatian citizenship to practice a profession in another country. ==Citizenship of the European Union==

Because Croatia forms part of the European Union, Croatian citizens are also citizens of the European Union under European Union law and thus enjoy rights of free movement and have the right to vote in elections for the European Parliament. When in a non-EU country where there is no Croatian embassy, Croatian citizens have the right to get consular protection from the embassy of any other EU country present in that country. Croatian citizens can live and work in any country within the EU as a result of the right of free movement and residence granted in Article 21 of the EU Treaty. ==Travel freedom of Croatian citizens==

Visa requirements for Croatian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Croatia. In 2018, Croatian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 156 countries and territories, ranking the Croatian passport 20th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley visa restrictions index. In 2017, the Croatian nationality is ranked twenty-eighth in the Nationality Index (QNI). This index differs from the Visa Restrictions Index, which focuses on external factors including travel freedom. The QNI considers, in addition to travel freedom, on internal factors such as peace & stability, economic strength, and human development as well. ==References==