Almost every institution in Croatia will ask for your Croatia OIB number sooner or later: the landlord for the lease, the bank for the account, your employer for payroll, the utility company for the electricity contract. The good news is that it is free to the best of the official pages, and that a European settling in Croatia often gets it without asking.
What exactly is the OIB and why does Croatia use it?
The OIB (osobni identifikacijski broj, personal identification number) is the number that follows a person, and a company, through every dealing with the Croatian state. Once assigned, it does not change, even if you change name or address. If you already have one, for instance from an earlier stay, use it again.
It is not a proof of tax residence, and it is not a residence permit. It is a reference number. Whether you owe tax in Croatia depends on where your home is and how long you stay, which is a question for the tax administration.
When do the police give you your OIB?
If you intend to settle, the simplest route is the one built into the process. According to the tax administration (Porezna uprava), the competent police station assigns the OIB when a foreigner registers habitual residence in Croatia, and the person does not need to visit the Tax Administration. In other words, when you declare your stay at the station you leave with the number. The residence process is explained in residence in Croatia for EU citizens.
Note one detail: the Ministry of the Interior page about EEA citizens does not itself mention the OIB. The assignment rule comes from the tax administration, so if the officer does not mention it, ask.
What if you need the Croatia OIB number before you arrive?
Some jobs cannot wait. A lease, a car purchase or a bank account may need the number at once, and a Croatia OIB number obtained in advance saves a week of waiting. The tax administration describes two routes.
- Online, for EU and EEA citizens. With a valid e-Citizens (e-Građani) credential, use the electronic OIB assignment service on the platform for EU and EEA citizens.
- At a tax office. Go to a Porezna uprava branch (ispostava) with the application form (Zahtjev za određivanjem i dodjeljivanjem OIB-a) and an identity document.
The tax administration also lists the cases where an OIB is assigned because the person must be monitored: becoming a taxpayer, acquiring taxable property, or entering official records without becoming a taxpayer, for example opening a bank account or founding a company.
Which route is right depends on timing: are you signing a lease next week, arriving next month, or still deciding? Moovy can help you pick the quickest route for your situation and list the documents to bring. It does not apply for the number on your behalf.
Which documents are accepted for a Croatia OIB number?
For a foreign natural person the tax administration asks for the application form, plus one of the following: a passport (original shown, copy attached), an EU identity card, or a national identity document with proof of citizenship. A foreign company needs the form and its founding act or a registry extract, in Croatian or translated by a sworn translator.
You can also send a representative with a power of attorney. It must be in Croatian or translated, and certified unless it is issued to a notary, lawyer, public body, tax adviser or bank.
How do you keep proof of your number?
Ask for the confirmation (potvrda o OIB-u) and keep a copy. You will be asked for it surprisingly often. Many people photograph it and store it with their lease and their health insurance papers.
The number is also what ties you to the other services you will use. Your employer uses it to declare you for pension and health insurance before your first day. The tax administration uses it to calculate your income tax, and the HZZO uses it for your health file. A bank will use it for the account, and at the end of the year the tax office will use it to send your annual calculation. Treat it a bit like a social security number: give it to institutions you trust, not to a stranger who offers to sort out your paperwork for a fee.
A word of caution about intermediaries. Because the OIB is needed so early, a market of agents and websites has grown up around it. The official pages do not mention any fee, and the route through the police is built into the registration of your stay. Before you pay anybody, check what you are actually buying. If you are not comfortable at the counter in Croatian, ask a friend, or a lawyer for a power of attorney, rather than paying for a number the state gives for free.
One more practical detail: a foreign company or a self-employed person also gets an OIB, and the rules for the tax number of a business are separate. If you plan to work for yourself, the registration steps are different from those of an employee, and they are described on the START portal and by the tax office.
Common mistakes with the OIB
- Doing it twice. If the police assign the number when you register your stay, there is no need to go to the tax office as well.
- Not using your existing OIB. A second number is not issued to the same person.
- Taking the old email procedure as current. A 2020 tax page describes sending the request by email during the Covid-19 period, which was an exceptional arrangement. Use the counter or the online service.
- Assuming the number gives you residence rights. It gives you an identifier, nothing more.
- Forgetting to give the number to the right people. Landlord, bank, employer: they need it. See opening a bank account in Croatia.
What changes for Swiss and British citizens?
Swiss citizens can use a passport, or a Swiss identity card with proof of nationality. The online service is reserved for citizens of the EU and EEA, so they go through the counter or the police. British citizens follow the same logic: passport, or a British identity document with proof of nationality, and the counter or the police rather than the EU online service. For the wider picture of a move from the UK, see moving to Croatia from the UK.
Where does the OIB fit in your first weeks?
It sits at the start of the chain: first the number, then the lease, the bank account, the tax card and the health insurance. The sequence is laid out in the guide to moving to Croatia. Fees and procedures can change, so confirm them with the Porezna uprava before you go.