The Ultimate Guide for Health & Safety in Croatia for International Citizens

Mandatory health insurance at the HZZO is claimed on different grounds (for example, employment contract, conduct of economic activities, pension, family member of an insured person).  You can claim healthcare covered by mandatory health insurance if you are registered for insurance at the HZZO. You prove your status of an HZZO insured person with your health card or certified copy of your health insurance registration.  If you are insured under mandatory health insurance and older than 18 years of age, you can also be insured under supplementary health insurance.

You claim your mandatory health insurance rights by registering with the HZZO office in your place of residence or stay. As a rule, you must register within 30 days. Insurance gives you the right to:  

• primary healthcare;     
• specialist and consultation healthcare;     
• hospital healthcare;     
• use the medications on the HZZO's primary and supplementary list of medications;     
• dental and prosthetic care and dental and prosthetic replacements;      
• orthopaedic and other aids and the right to healthcare abroad.  

Mandatory health insurance also covers accidents at work and occupational diseases! 

As a rule, no prior insurance is required to be entitled to healthcare although this may be required for some orthopedic and dental aids. Children and disabled people are exempt from the prior insurance requirement.  

Note; you must cover some of the costs of medical care. The minimum amount of co-participation is HRK 10.00 (EUR 1.00) and the maximum amount of co-participation cannot exceed HRK 2,000.00 (EUR 265.00) for a single bill.  However, the HZZO will cover some forms of healthcare in full. For example, for children under the age of 18, full-time students, disabled people requiring permanent assistance and pregnant women.

You can find out about your legal rights at the links below. They are not European Commission websites and do not represent the views of the Commission:      

• Mandatory Health Insurance Act;     
• Voluntary Health Insurance Act;     
• Healthcare Act;     
• Mandatory Health Insurance and Healthcare for Foreigners in the Republic of Croatia Act;  
• Maternity and Parental Assistance Act.    

Commission publications and websites:

EU social security coordination – Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion – European Commission

Who do you need to contact?  

Croatian Health Insurance Fund 

Margaretska 3 HR-10000 Zagreb Croatia 

Phone no. +385 8007979 (mandatory health insurance), +385 8007989 (supplementary health insurance) 

http://www.hzzo.hr/en/  

Ministry of Health 

Ksaver 200A HR-10000 Zagreb Croatia 

Phone no. +385 14607557, +385 8007999 

https://zdravlje.gov.hr/

All expats with temporary or permanent stay must have health insurance. Even though basic health insurance plan is required by law and administered by the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (known as “HZZO”), when appyling for temporary stay, one of requirements is having a proof of health insurance (travel or private health insurance must cover the territory of the Republic of Croatia).

As a digital nomad or long-term traveler, it is not that easy to find an insurance provider that covers your unconventional lifestyle AND that doesn’t cost a fortune. But, just as anywhere in the world, you should always be covered when it comes to your health. You could get the flu and need medication, have an unexpected allergic reaction to something, hit your toe and get a bad infection, or have an accident and need emergency treatment at a hospital. There are many things that can happen to you on the road and we all know how expensive medical treatments can be. Most of us won’t be able to pay thousands and thousands of dollars from our pocket money. So make sure you have an insurance policy wherever you are.

What is SafetyWing?  

Ok, now to the company. SafetyWing is an international travel medical insurance that is specifically made for digital nomads. This means if you are a remote worker or traveling freelancer and entrepreneurs or even if you are living abroad somewhere, this might be the perfect insurance for you.

It was founded by three Norwegian friends, all digital nomads themselves, who realized that there is no insurance out there, that covered the special needs of this target group. They decided that since the digital nomad lifestyle is constantly growing in popularity, it is about time to change that and so they founded SafetyWing.

What does SafetyWing cover?  

Now to the most important facts: What is covered in your SafetyWing insurance policy?  Here are only some of the things that are covered:

• emergency medical treatment,     
• lost luggage,     
• travel delay,     
• evacuation in the event of terrorism, political disruption or medical emergencies,
• accommodation in the event of natural disasters,
• transportation of a family member from your home country to you in case you have to stay in the hospital for an extended duration,
• personal liability for losses or injuries to third-parties.

What does SafetyWing NOT cover?

I think it is also important that we talk about the things that SafetyWing doesn’t cover. As most travel and international health insurance provider, they don’t cover things like cancer treatment, routine check-ups, or pre-existing conditions. If you would want to cover that, it’s going to be super expensive and in most cases won’t be reasonable. The only two things that they don’t cover and that might be important to some of you are:      

- Trip cancellation &     

- Adventure sports.  

What countries does SafetyWing cover?  

With SafetyWing you can travel to more than 180 countries worldwide, which is pretty much everywhere ;) Bear in mind that, as with any digital nomad health insurance, the monthly rate increases if you are traveling to the USA because medical care is so expensive there.