5 Things Diaspora Members Get Wrong About Croatian Citizenship

Every week we hear from people who assumed they couldn't get Croatian citizenship — and were wrong. The misinformation floating around in diaspora communities, online forums, and even some legal offices is remarkable. People rule themselves out based on myths that haven't been true for years, or that were never true in the first place.

Here are the five most common misconceptions we encounter, and what the law actually says.

1. "My Croatian ancestor is too far back — there's a generational limit"

This is the single most widespread myth, and it stops more people from applying than any other. We hear it constantly: "My great-great-grandmother was the one who came from Croatia, so I'm too many generations removed."

The reality: There is no generational limit under Croatian law.

Article 11 of the Croatian Citizenship Act (Zakon o hrvatskom državljanstvu) grants citizenship rights to "emigrants and their descendants" — with no cap on how many generations can pass. Your Croatian ancestor can be a parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent, or further back. As long as you can document an unbroken lineage and prove the ancestor emigrated from Croatian territory before 8 October 1991, you are eligible.

The only thing that changes with more generations is the length of the paper trail. A fourth-generation applicant needs more birth certificates and marriage certificates than a second-generation applicant, but the legal right is the same.

2. "I'll have to pass a Croatian language test"

This used to be partially true — and it's the reason many older diaspora members never applied. Before the 2020 amendments, some citizenship pathways did require a basic knowledge of Croatian language and culture.

The reality: The language test was abolished for descent-based applicants in 2020.

If you are applying under Article 11 (emigrant descendants) or Article 16 (members of the Croatian nation), you are completely exempt from any language or cultural knowledge requirement. You do not need to speak, read, or write Croatian to obtain citizenship.

You will, however, need certain documents in Croatian — specifically your CV, motivational letter, and the Obrazac application form. But these can be prepared with the help of a translator or a service provider like us. Not speaking Croatian is not a barrier to citizenship.

3. "I'll have to give up my American (or Canadian, or Australian) passport"

This fear comes up in nearly every initial consultation. People assume that obtaining a second citizenship means renouncing their first one.

The reality: Croatia fully permits dual citizenship for those acquiring it by descent.

This is explicitly provided for in the Citizenship Act. If you are obtaining Croatian citizenship through Article 11 (descent from an emigrant) or Article 16 (Croatian nation membership), you are not required to renounce your existing citizenship. You can hold both simultaneously, indefinitely.

This means you keep your American passport and gain a Croatian (EU) passport. You keep your American voting rights, Social Security, tax obligations — everything stays the same. You simply also become a Croatian citizen with the right to live, work, study, and access healthcare anywhere in the European Union.

The only scenario where renunciation comes into play is naturalization — that is, if you were trying to become a Croatian citizen through extended residency in Croatia without any ancestral connection. That is a completely different pathway with different rules, and it does not apply to diaspora applicants.

4. "The process takes years and costs thousands in legal fees"

There is a kernel of truth here that gets exaggerated into something much worse than reality. Yes, the process is not instant. But it is not the decade-long nightmare that some people describe.

The reality: Most cases take 15–36 months from start to finish, and costs are manageable.

Here is a realistic timeline:

• Research and document gathering: 1–4 months
• Apostille seals and translations: 1–3 months
• Consulate appointment wait: 1–6 months (varies by location)
• Ministry review and decision: 12–24 months

The Ministry review is the longest phase and is outside anyone's control. But the preparation stages are well within your control, and doing them efficiently saves months.

As for costs, the main expenses are:

• Consular application fee: $237.50 per adult
• FBI background check + Apostille: roughly $50–100
• Birth and marriage certificates: varies by state, typically $15–50 each
• Certified Croatian translations: varies by translator and document count
• Professional assistance (optional): depends on the package

With our Full Representation package, translation costs are included and we handle everything from archive research to Ministry follow-up. The only things you must do in person are gather your US documents, obtain your Apostille seals, and attend the consular appointment.

The total cost is a fraction of what people imagine — and the result is an EU passport that opens up the entire European Union to you and your descendants.

5. "My ancestor left from a region that isn't Croatia anymore, so I don't qualify"

Borders in the Balkans have shifted multiple times over the past century. Some people assume that because their ancestor left from a town that is now in Bosnia, Serbia, or another country, they can't claim Croatian citizenship.

The reality: What matters is whether the ancestor emigrated from Croatian territory as it existed at the time, and whether they can be documented as Croatian.

Article 11 refers to emigration from Croatian territory. The boundaries of what constituted Croatian territory have changed across different periods — the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, the Banovina of Croatia, the Socialist Republic of Croatia within Yugoslavia — and the interpretation can depend on the specific time period and location.

Additionally, Article 16 provides an alternative pathway for "members of the Croatian nation" — people who can demonstrate belonging to the Croatian people through ethnicity declarations in legal transactions, public documents, or active participation in Croatian cultural organizations abroad. This pathway can apply even if your ancestor's birthplace is now outside the borders of modern Croatia.

The key point is: don't rule yourself out based on modern borders. Many people from regions that are now in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example, have successfully obtained Croatian citizenship through Article 16.

If you are unsure whether your family's specific situation qualifies, our free eligibility check can help you figure that out in under two minutes.

The bottom line

Most of the reasons people give for not pursuing Croatian citizenship are based on outdated information, forum hearsay, or simple misunderstandings of the law. The 2019 and 2020 amendments removed the biggest historical barriers — the generational limit and the language test. Dual citizenship is fully permitted. And the process, while not trivial, is straightforward if you know the steps.

If you've been putting off your application because of any of these myths, it might be time to take another look. Start with our eligibility check, review the complete document checklist, or explore our service packages to see how we can help.