Croatian citizenship: proving Croatian on paper, and the 15-question culture test at the police
Article 8 of Croatia's citizenship act asks an applicant for naturalisation to know the Croatian language and the Latin script, Croatian culture and the social order. The ministry's rulebook splits that in two. The language is proved with a document, not tested by the police. Culture and the social order are tested on the spot, with a 15-question questionnaire you fill in alone at the police administration when you apply. You need 10 right answers.
Everything below was read on 18 October 2026 in Narodne novine, Croatia's official gazette (the act's amendments of 2011 and 2019, the rulebook NN 6/2021 and the fee tariff NN 156/2022), on gov.hr and on Croaticum's own pages. The act's wording and the residence rules are in our citizenship requirements table.
Who has to prove anything
The condition applies to people naturalising on the basis of residence: eight years of registered residence and permanent-stay status, under article 8(1). People over 60 do not have to meet it (article 8(5), added in 2011).
Emigrants and their descendants do not have to meet it either. Since 1 January 2020, article 11 lets them naturalise even without meeting points 2 to 4 of article 8(1), and point 4 is the language and culture condition. A foreign spouse of such a person is covered too.
The 2019 amendment also exempts people born in Croatia who live there with permanent residence from points 3 and 4.
The language: a certificate, not a police test
Article 2 of the rulebook accepts three kinds of proof. First, a certificate of a passed exam in Croatian and the Latin script from a university or university unit with Croatian programmes, or from a secondary school, the National Centre for External Evaluation of Education, or an adult-education institution approved to run that exam. Second, Croatian school or university certificates. Third, a foreign course certificate or transcript showing at least B1.
So B1 is named for one route only, the foreign course certificate. The rulebook names no level for an exam certificate under the first route.
Two groups prove their Croatian simply by filling in the application form alone in front of the official: people who were refugees in Croatia for at least ten years, and people who lived in Croatia on 8 October 1991 and benefit from the return, reconstruction or housing programmes.
As one example of an exam body, Croaticum at the University of Zagreb's Faculty of Humanities lists its Croatian language test, one CEFR level, at €140, with a further certificate at €40. It tests listening, reading, grammar, writing and speaking, in Zagreb or at Macquarie University in Sydney, and asks you to register at least 10 days ahead.
The culture questionnaire: 15 questions, 10 to pass
Articles 5 and 6 of the rulebook set the test. The questionnaire has 15 questions on the social order, history, culture, customs, art, literature, sport, the economy, tourism and geography. You fill it in alone, without consulting anyone, in front of the official who takes your application at the police administration or police station, within 60 minutes.
The official picks the questionnaire at random. Each question asks you to circle one answer or fill in a missing word, and the official marks it on the spot. The questionnaire may not leave the premises.
You pass with at least 10 correct answers out of 15. That is 67%, more forgiving than France's 80% or the 75% asked by the UK, Canada and Australia (our comparison, from each country's own pages).
All 110 possible questions are published. They are Annex 1 of the rulebook, printed in full in Narodne novine. One example, question 89, asks how many times a person can be elected President of Croatia.
If you fail, the rulebook says only that the official may show you the marked questionnaire on request. We found no rule on retakes.
Where you apply, and the fee
You apply in person at a police administration or police station, or through a Croatian embassy or consulate.
The fee tariff of December 2022 sets €139.36 for the decision granting citizenship, paid when you collect it in Croatia, and €185.81 when you apply through a mission abroad, paid on filing. Minors included in a joint family decision pay nothing. The tariff has been amended since, and we have not confirmed that these two amounts are unchanged.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Waiting for the police to test your Croatian.
Getting an exam certificate from an approved university, school or adult-education body before you apply.
The rulebook makes the language a matter of documents. Only culture and the social order are tested at the police.
Treating 10 of 15 as easy.
Working through all 110 published questions.
The questionnaire is picked at random from the published list, filled in alone in 60 minutes, and we found no retake rule.
Assuming a descendant of Croatian emigrants needs the test.
Checking whether article 11 applies to you.
Since 1 January 2020 emigrants, their descendants and their spouses can naturalise without meeting the language and culture condition.
Questions
Is there a test for Croatian citizenship?
Yes, for people naturalising on residence. Croatian and the Latin script are proved with a certificate, and culture and the social order are tested with a 15-question questionnaire at the police administration when you apply.
How many questions must I answer correctly on the Croatian citizenship test?
At least 10 of the 15, in 60 minutes. The questions come from a published list of 110 in the rulebook NN 6/2021.
What level of Croatian do I need for citizenship?
The rulebook names B1 only for foreign course certificates and transcripts. For an exam certificate from an approved Croatian institution it names no level.
Who is exempt from the Croatian language requirement?
People over 60, emigrants and their descendants and their spouses under article 11, and people born in Croatia who live there with permanent residence.
How much does Croatian citizenship cost?
The December 2022 fee tariff sets €139.36 for the decision, or €185.81 when you apply through a mission abroad. The tariff has been amended since, and we have not confirmed these two amounts are unchanged.
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