School

Steps

1. Nursery (dječji vrtić): your municipality publishes an enrolment notice every year (often in spring, in April or May, for children who are 1 year old on 31 August); you can also enrol during the year if places remain. Each nursery sets its own rules and priorities (large families, working parents, single parents, children in the year before school…).
2. Primary school grade 1: a child who is 6 on 1 April of the year starts school in September. A child who is 6 on 31 August can start earlier at the parents' request (EURES), by decision of the State administration of the county or of the City of Zagreb. The ministry page describes this early entry for a child who is not yet 6 on 31 March: the exact limit is to be confirmed with the school or the administration. Entry can also be postponed by a year, at the request of the school's assessment team and by decision of the administration.
3. Enrolment: the application goes through the e-upisi.hr portal after the municipality's announcement, generally in February. The school's team (stručno povjerenstvo) assesses the child's state of development before enrolment; all children also undergo a health check (EURES). The school depends on your catchment area (upisno područje), set in the county's (or the City of Zagreb's) enrolment plan.
4. Child already in school abroad: to continue in a Croatian school, it is the receiving school that recognises the period of schooling completed abroad. For a complete cycle completed abroad, recognition falls to the AZOO (education agency, end of primary, to continue at secondary level) or the ASOO (agency for vocational education and training and adult education, end of secondary, to continue at secondary level); they decide within 30 days (60 if the authenticity of the diploma must be verified), with a possible appeal to the ministry. Legal basis: law on the recognition of foreign qualifications (NN 69/2022).
5. Secondary school (srednja škola): online enrolment on srednje.e-upisi.hr. Children of EU citizens enrol under the same conditions as Croatians.
6. University: foreigners enrol under the same conditions as Croatians, but may pay all or part of the study fees. The AZVO (agency for science and higher education) recognises the secondary school leaving diploma during the admission procedure.

Documents

• The documents to provide for primary school enrolment are not listed on the official pages read: ask the school or the municipality. At a minimum, allow for the child's OIB (see HR-NIF-TOUS-001), proof of your registered address and their health record.
• For recognition of foreign schooling: school reports and certificates, with translation; it is the school where the child continues their schooling that recognises the period of study completed abroad (the AZOO and the ASOO intervene only for a complete cycle completed abroad): the institution gives its decision within 30 days of a complete application, with no appeal possible but with a remedy before the administrative court (upravni spor). For an application to the AZOO or the ASOO, the law requires the original or a certified copy of the diploma or certificate, with a certified translation into Croatian or English. According to the ASOO, there has been no administrative fee since 1 September 2021: page not reread on 23/10/2026, to be confirmed.

Costs and timelines

• Compulsory education: free under the Constitution (article 66, "in accordance with the law").
• School meals: the ministry prepares an annual decision each year on the criteria and funding or co-funding of primary pupils' meals (2026-2027 draft submitted to public consultation, closed on 9 July 2026; final text not read). The amount, if any, left to your charge depends on the school and the municipality: ask the school.
• Nursery: about €294 per month on average according to EURES; the price is set by the operator (often the city).
• 2026-2027 calendar: the school year starts on 7 September 2026 and ends on 15 June 2027 (21 May 2027 for the final secondary classes); first semester from 7 September to 23 December 2026; winter holidays from 24 December 2026 to 5 January 2027 (classes on 7 January), then from 22 to 26 February 2027; spring holidays from 25 March to 2 April 2027; at least 175 days of classes (160 for the final secondary classes) (minister's decision of 25/05/2026).

Common pitfalls

• Missing the February enrolment window for grade 1: watch for your municipality's announcement as soon as you arrive.
• Confusing the ages. The criterion is the age on 1 April, not on 1 January or 1 September.
• Language. Teaching is in Croatian (national minority schools exist). Croatian classes for foreign pupils are not described on the pages read: ask the school what it offers.
• French and international schools. The official pages read do not mention them. The existence and AEFE accreditation of a French school in Zagreb are to be checked in the AEFE directory and with the French embassy.

What changes by country of origin

• EU citizens: equal access with Croatians from nursery to secondary school and university (the ministry and EURES pages speak of EU Member States; for the EEA, to be confirmed with the school).
• Swiss and British citizens (Scots included): primary school is compulsory for all children (ministry page). In secondary school, non-EU nationals can also enrol and follow a normal schooling; at university, fees may be charged to them.