Complete guide to Croatian citizenship by descent under Article 11 of Croatian citizenship law - the primary pathway for Americans with Croatian ancestors who emigrated before October 8, 1991.
Article 11 is the primary legal pathway for most Americans seeking Croatian citizenship by descent. This article covers Croatian emigrants and their descendants who can prove their Croatian ancestor emigrated from Croatia before October 8, 1991.
Under Article 11, emigrants and their descendants may acquire Croatian citizenship by naturalization even if they do not meet the standard residency, language, and cultural requirements that typically apply to foreign nationals.
This pathway is specifically designed for the Croatian diaspora - people of Croatian heritage living abroad who maintain connections to Croatia through their ancestry.
“An emigrant and their descendants may acquire Croatian citizenship by naturalization even if they do not meet the conditions from Article 8, paragraph 1, points 2-4 of this Act.”
“A foreigner who is married to a person from paragraph 1 of this article may acquire Croatian citizenship even if they do not meet the conditions from Article 8, paragraph 1, points 2-4 of this Act.”
“An emigrant from paragraph 1 of this article is a person who emigrated from the territory of the Republic of Croatia before October 8, 1991, with the intention of permanently living abroad.”
“Exceptionally, an emigrant from paragraph 1 of this article is also a member of the Croatian people who emigrated from areas within former states which, at the time of emigration, also included the territory of today’s Republic of Croatia.”
“A person who emigrated from the territory of the Republic of Croatia based on an international agreement or renounced Croatian citizenship, a person who changed residence to other states that were at that time part of the state community to which the Republic of Croatia also belonged, and a person who emigrated from the territory of the Republic of Croatia but did not have former Croatian republican citizenship or domicile on the territory of the Republic of Croatia is not considered an emigrant.”
“Iseljenik i njegovi potomci mogu prirođenjem steći hrvatsko državljanstvo iako ne udovoljavaju pretpostavkama iz članka 8. stavka 1. točaka 2. – 4. ovoga Zakona.”
“Stranac koji je u braku s osobom iz stavka 1. ovoga članka može steći hrvatsko državljanstvo iako ne udovoljava pretpostavkama iz članka 8. stavka 1. točaka 2. – 4. ovoga Zakona.”
“Iseljenik iz stavka 1. ovoga članka je osoba koja se prije 8. listopada 1991. godine iselila s područja Republike Hrvatske u namjeri da u inozemstvu stalno živi.”
“Iznimno, iseljenik iz stavka 1. ovoga članka je i pripadnik hrvatskog naroda koji se iselio s prostora u sastavu bivših država u kojima se, u vrijeme iseljenja, nalazilo i područje današnje Republike Hrvatske.”
“Iseljenikom se ne smatra osoba koja je iselila s područja Republike Hrvatske na temelju međunarodnog ugovora ili se odrekla hrvatskog državljanstva, osoba koja je promijenila prebivalište u druge države koje su u to vrijeme bile u sastavu državne zajednice kojoj je pripadala i Republika Hrvatska te osoba koja je iselila s područja Republike Hrvatske, a nije imala bivše hrvatsko republičko državljanstvo, odnosno zavičajnost na području Republike Hrvatske.”
— Croatian Citizenship Act, Article 11 (NN 102/19)For the complete text and legal context of Croatian citizenship law:
Read Article 11 in the full Croatian Citizenship Law →To qualify under Article 11, you must prove that your Croatian ancestor meets the definition of an “emigrant” under Croatian law:
Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and further descendants of Croatian emigrants can apply:
Foreign spouses married to Croatian emigrants or their descendants can also apply:
Most common scenario for Americans
Applies to Croatian people from former Yugoslav territories
Choose the clearest documented line
October 8, 1991, is the date Croatia declared independence. This date is crucial because it determines whether your ancestor qualifies as an “emigrant” under Article 11. Anyone who left Croatia after this date does not qualify under this article and would need to use other pathways.
Our experts specialize in Article 11 cases and can help determine if you qualify as a Croatian emigrant descendant and guide you through the application process.