Temporary stay
The FIRST TEMPORARY STAY PERMIT should be requested at the competent diplomatic mission or consular post of the Republic of Croatia (Article 48(1) of the Aliens Act).
An alien may apply for the first temporary stay permit at a local police administration or a police station in the following cases:
  serious humanitarian reasons
  request for the family reunification with a Croatian national or an asylee
  where the person concerned is the holder of a scholarship within the framework of a programme approved by the ministry responsible for education and science matters
  work
  where the alien concerned comes for scientific researches.
Exceptionally, an employer may on behalf of an alien and on the basis of a work permit apply for the first temporary stay for the purpose of work at the same time while applying for a work permit (Article 48 (4) of the Aliens Act).
Temporary stay shall be granted on the following grounds:
  family reunification
  work
  secondary school education and university-level studies
  scientific researches
  humanitarian grounds
Exceptionally, an alien may be granted temporary stay for other purposes as well, for a maximum period of 6 months within a single year (Article 51 of the Aliens Act).
Autonomous stay – a type of temporary stay which shall be granted to aliens who have been granted temporary stay for the purpose of family reunification for an uninterrupted four-year period at least, provided that they meet the conditions for granting temporary stay in the Republic of Croatia (Article 61(1) of the Aliens Act). Autonomous stay may be granted to spouses or unmarried partners, children coming of age and to parents and adoptive parents of minor children (Article 61 (2) of the Aliens Act).
The Ordinance on the manner of calculating and the height of the means of subsistence for aliens in the Republic of Croatia (Official Gazette, No:88/09) proscribes the manner of calculating and the height of the minimum means of subsistence needed by aliens as a minimum for granting of temporary and permanent stay in the Republic of Croatia. The relevant provisions came into force on 30 July 2009.