Health Insurance for Students in Croatia: EHIC, HZZO and Private Cover

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Croatia has a public health insurance system run by the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (HZZO). Which cover you need as a student depends on your citizenship and on whether you apply for a residence permit. This guide follows what Study in Croatia and the HZZO publish as of October 2026. For a Europe-wide view, see health insurance for students in Europe.

What you must show for the permit

When you apply for temporary stay for study, you do not have to register for Croatian compulsory health insurance if you can give other proof of valid health insurance. Study in Croatia lists three kinds:

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for citizens of EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the United Kingdom
a certificate of entitlement to healthcare under a bilateral agreement, called a bolesnički list, for students from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey, North Macedonia and Albania
comprehensive private health insurance for citizens of other countries

Non-EU students who apply for the permit also need a certificate of health status and vaccination history, Form 18a, issued in the last 90 days. See the student visa for Croatia. Ask the police administration or the consulate what level of private cover it accepts, because we found no published minimum.

If you hold an EHIC

Students with compulsory insurance in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom use healthcare in Croatia through the EHIC, issued by their own national insurer. The HZZO says insured people from these countries use services in the same way as people insured by the HZZO, under the European regulations.

If you move to Croatia for your studies and your home country no longer insures you, ask your home insurer and the HZZO what applies.

When you register with the HZZO

Compulsory insurance with the HZZO is mandatory for several groups, among them nationals of other EU, EEA, Swiss and UK states with an approved temporary stay who are not insured in another country, and nationals of other countries with a temporary stay, unless European law, an international treaty on social security or a special law says otherwise. Registration is not required if one of those exceptions applies.

Study in Croatia adds that the rules vary with nationality and residence status, and tells students to check the current guidance with the HZZO. If you are not sure whether you are covered, ask the HZZO before you buy a policy. The fund's branch offices handle registration, changes and cancellation, which must be reported within eight days of the change.

What the fund covers

Compulsory insurance gives the right to primary care, specialist care and hospital care, to medicines on the fund's lists and to dental, orthopaedic and other prostheses on its lists. For some services you pay a participation in the cost. The HZZO states a minimum of €1.32 and a maximum of €530.88 per invoice. Supplementary insurance with the HZZO covers these participation costs for people who have compulsory insurance. The single European emergency number, 112, works in Croatia.

Choosing private insurance

A private policy has to satisfy both the authority that issues your permit and your institution. When you compare policies:

Check that it is comprehensive and valid in Croatia for the whole period of the permit.
Ask the police administration whether it accepts the policy, before you pay.
Keep the policy document, because you submit a copy with the application.

Universities may also tell you what they expect. The Faculty of Economics and Business in Rijeka, for example, tells applicants to ask about health insurance costs before applying. See how much it costs to study in Croatia.

Where to look next

Official sources

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.