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The Croatian authorities have issued 34,440 residence and work permits in the first two months of 2025, the majority of which were granted to Nepalese workers.
According to data from the Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP), out of 34,440, about 22,000 or 64 per cent of the total are new permits, while the rest are extensions of existing permits, Schengen.News reports.
Overall, the data reveals that the number of residence and work permits granted to workers has approximately increased by 2,000 compared to the previous year, showing that more foreign workers are coming.
Nearly a Quarter of All Work & Residence Permits Were Granted to Nepalese Workers
During January and February 2025, Nepalese workers were issued 8,200 work and residence permits, accounting for nearly 24 per cent of all granted in this two-month period.
These numbers make Nepalese the leading nationality group for most work and residence permits in Croatia, leaving Bosnians behind.
Data from the Croatian National Bank has also revealed that Nepalese nationals sent €68.5 million home in 2023, known as remittances, and that is twice the amount they sent in the previous year, showing a strong indication of migration from this nationality group.
On the other hand, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been the top source market for workers to Croatia, with the language and geographic proximity making it more favourable for Croatian employers and Bosnian workers, to equally benefit from each other.
The remaining work and residence permits granted to foreign workers were distributed among workers from the Philippines (4,400) and India (4,000).
Work & Residence Permit Issuance in Croatia Up by 20%
The year-on-year difference on work and residence permits issuance was 20 per cent in 2024, showing that a total of 206,500 workers obtained necessary documents to continue their activity in Croatia.
Last year, the most work permits and residence permits were granted to workers from Bosnia and Herzegovina (38,100), Nepal (35,600), Serbia (28,000), India (20,500) and the Philippines (14,700), as Sjeverni Info reports.
Most work and residence permits were issued to construction workers – about 75,000 or 36.3 per cent, followed by tourism and hospitality with 56,000 residence and work permits, while another 28,500 were granted to workers of the industry.
Foreign workers are needed across these sectors, especially in the tourism and hospitality sector, which is very important for the Croatian economy. Thanks to the foreign workforce, Croatia managed to save this year’s tourism season, which will be filling in occupations that are needed to maintain the country’s reputation.
Source: https://schengen.news/nepalese-overtake-bosnians-as-top-foreign-workers-in-croatia/
