Electronic identity card (eID)
An identity card is an electronic public document that the Croatian citizen uses to prove identity, Croatian citizenship, sex, date of birth, and permanent residence in Croatia.
All Croatian citizens have the right to hold the Croatian electronic identity card, regardless of their age and whether or not they have permanent residence in Croatia.
The Croatian citizen who does not have the permanent residence in the Republic of Croatia, can acquire the identity card and their residence outside the Republic of Croatia will be entered in it. In such a case the identity card cannot be used as proof of permanent residence in the Republic of Croatia.
The identity card is a mandatory document for Croatian citizens over 18 years of age who have registered permanent residence in the Republic of Croatia.
The application for issuing an identity card can be submitted at a police administration or police station that deal with administrative affairs, competent according to the applicant’s permanent residence. The person who has, in addition to their permanent residence, registered a temporary residence can also submit their application at a police administration or police station competent according to their temporary residence. Applicants who have a permanent residence abroad can submit their application at any police administration or police station in charge of administrative affairs.
An identity card contains an electronic data carrier (chip) where, in addition to the visible data printed on the card, one or two certificates can be stored, and those are:
- identification certificate used for electronic proof of identity and authentication when accessing electronic services
- signature certificate used as support to advanced electronic signature and substitute for a handwritten signature, in line with the law that regulates electronic signature
An electronic identity card with an active identification certificate is used for registration on e-Citizen portal on the Internet site https://pretinac.gov.hr and other e-services. Together with the signature certificate an electronic identity card can be used for certification of documents with an electronic signature, as a valid substitute for a handwritten signature.
Types and validity period of eID
An identity card has an electronic data carrier (chip) where, depending on the age of the holder, digital certificates are stored:
- eID issued to children up to the age of 5 does not contain either identification or signature certificate
- eID issued to children between the ages of 5 and 18 contains identification certificate
- eID issued to persons between the ages of 18 and 65 contains both an identification and a signature certificate
Persons who have attained the age of 65 can depending on their preference , obtain an identity card with or without an identification and a signature certificate.
Validity period of eID and the certificates it contains is 5 years.
Exceptionally, identity card issued to the person over 65 years of age has no validity period (permanent identity card).
The applicants for an identity card that contains the certificates who have attained the age of 65, can use the identity card after the validity period expires (5 years), but they will not be able to use it as a proof of their identity, or use it to create a qualified electronic signature. If they wish to use their identity card as an electronic proof of their identity and to create a qualified electronic signature ( as an electronic document) they will have to make an application for issuing a new identity card.
Application for issuing a new eIC
Application for issuing a new eIC is submitted in person. An application for issuing an identity card of a child or a person deprived of legal capacity in the matter related to his or her status shall be submitted by a legal representative.
A legal representative of a child may be his or her parent, guardian or a person who has been awarded custody of a child by a court order in full or in that matter.
If parents have joint custody of the child, the application for issuing an identity card shall be submitted by both parents in person.
Exceptionally, the application for issuing an identity card to a child may be submitted by one of the parents together with the statement that the other parent shall collect the identity card in person.
If the other parent is prevented from collecting the identity card in person, the parent who submitted the application may collect the identity card if he or she provides a written consent from the other parent with the signature certified by a notary or by a competent authority, or in a consular office of the Republic of Croatia if he or she is not present in the territory of the Republic of Croatia
The application for issuing an identity card may be independently submitted by one of the parents if the other parent has died or has been declared dead, if he or she has been deprived of legal capacity in the matter related to acquiring the identity card, if he or she has custody in full or in that matter based on a court order or if the other parent’s custody has been suspended based on a court order.
In cases of emergency, when a child is in danger or the issuance of an identity card is in child’s particular interest, the application for issuing an identity card for the child may be submitted and the issued identity card may be collected by the same parent with a written consent from the social care centre competent according to the location of the permanent or temporary residence of the child, or if a child does not have a permanent or temporary residence in the Republic of Croatia, from the social care centre competent according to the headquarters of the authority to which an application for issuing an identity card has been submitted.
A child under the age of 12 is not obliged to be present when the application for issuing an identity card is submitted.
When submitting the application for issuing the identity card, the applicant has to:
- make a payment, depending on the type of issuance procedure
- provide previously issued identity card or another public document that can be used to verify the applicant’s identity and Croatian citizenship. (public document with a photo, and identity of children who do not hold identity documents is confirmed in the statement made by the parents)
- provide one colour photograph sized 3.5cm x 4.5cm
- sign an Agreement on certification services
When an applicant has to renew an identity card that expired he or she has to provide the old identity card which is then annulled and returned.
If the identity card or the passport of the Republic of Croatia has not yet been issued to the applicant, and he or she has not been registered to Register of births in the territory of the Republic of Croatia, the applicant has to provide an extract from foreign Register of births or a birth certificate.
If a person has multiple names and surnames, which due to the number of characters cannot be entered into the space for entering names and surnames, those words which a person has declared by statement made in front of a registrar as the name and surname to be used in legal transactions will be entered into the form of the identity card.
Exceptionally, the photo does not have to be provided if the applicant has been issued with a passport or an identity card within the last five years that contains a personal identification number (OIB) and for which a photo had already been provided and the applicant’s appearance has not significantly changed)
A Croatian citizen who does not have a registered permanent residence in the Republic of Croatia may obtain an identity card in which information on his or her permanent residence outside the Republic of Croatia is entered according to the data on permanent residence contained in the public document issued to him or her by the competent authority of the state in which he or she has a registered permanent residence or in which he or she has been granted stay.
Agreement on certification services
The applicant has to sign the Agreement on certification services with a service provider for issuing an identity card containing one or two certificates
After the application for issuing an identity card has been received, a filled out contract will be provided to the applicant, and by signing the contract the applicant will complete the contract with certification service provider.
When retrieving eIC the applicant is given a sealed code envelope containing initial password and the PIN.
The person has to activate the identity card in order to use it successfully. The activation procedure can be completed on the eID Portal (www.eid.hr) and consists of three basic steps:
- first login on the eID Portal and change of initial password
- downloading free software and instructions for activating the electronic part of the eID
- activation of the electronic part of the eID and change of initial PIN.
After the activation, the eID is ready for use.
Deadlines and Prices of Issuance of Identity Card (eIC)
In a regular procedure, electronic identity cards are issued within 30 days from the day of application:
- The cost for the issuance of the identity card to children below the age of 5 not containing the certificates is HRK 60.
- The cost for the issuance of the identity card to children who have attained the age of 5 and adults containing one or two certificates is HRK 79,50 .
- The costs for the issuance of the identity card to persons who have attained the age of 65, without certificates, costs HRK 49,50.
- The costs for the issuance of an identity card in the expedited procedure is HRK 195 for all applicants and is issued within 10 days.
- The costs for the issuance of an identity card in the urgent procedure is HRK 500 for all applicants and is issued within 3 days.
Persons who hold valid identity cards do not have to substitute them until their expiry date, and the persons who hold valid identity cards with permanent validity do not have to substitute them, but can replace them with electronic identity cards.
The costs for the issuance of an identity card, depending on whether in a regular, expedited or urgent procedure, are paid at a post office, FINA office, bank, or via internet banking to the state budget account of the Republic of Croatia, IBAN number: HR1210010051863000160, purpose of payment: “za osobnu iskaznicu”, model: HR65 7005-442-OIB (applicant’s OIB is entered).
Collection of the identity card
A person has to collect the identity card within 90 days from the date the complete application was submitted (in the regular procedure within 120 days, in the expedited procedure within 100 days, and the urgent procedure within 93 days from the date the application was submitted). If a person does not collect an issued identity card and the data for the activation of the electronic part of the identity card and the data for the registration on the Electronic Identity Card Portal in the 90 days following the date of the expiry of the deadlines a police administration or a police station will annul the identity card and the data for the activation of the electronic part of the identity card and the data for the registration on the Electronic Identity Card Portal and the person has to apply again for a new identity card.
A person who holds an identity card has to submit an application for issuing a new identity card if:
- personal information referring to his or her personal name, personal identification number (PIN), sex, date of birth have changed or if he or she has changed permanent residence in the Republic of Croatia
- the identity card photo no longer matches the person’s appearance
- its period of validity has expired
- it has been damaged to the point that the reading of data manually or by use of a machine in the zone that is manually or machine readable has been made difficult or impossible, if it has been partially or entirely broken or if it does not serve its purpose for any other reason
- If personal information referring to a personal name or personal identification number have changed, the person is obliged to request a revocation or suspension of the certificates within two days from the date on which the change occurred
An identity card will cease to be valid even before the date of expiry if:
- the person is deceased (an adult member of the household of the deceased person is obliged to return the identity card of the deceased person to the police administration or the police station which issued it within 15 days from the date on which the person deceased).
- the person ceases to be a Croatian citizen (a person must return his or her identity card to the police administration or the police station which issued it immediately upon the occurrence of the stated circumstances)
- the person has cancelled permanent residence in the Republic of Croatia (a person must return his or her identity card to the police administration or the police station which issued it immediately upon the occurrence of the stated circumstances)
- the person has been deregistered ex officio from the database of the permanent and temporary residences in the Republic of Croatia. ( a person must return his or her identity card to the police administration or the police station 8 days from the date of the enforcement of the decision on the ex officio deregistration from the database of the permanent and temporary residences in the Republic of Croatia
Missing identity card or the suspicion of its abuse
A person is obliged to report a missing identity card, the suspicion of its abuse or its recovery to the nearest police administration or police station without delay.
If an identity card is missing or is found abroad, a person is obliged to report the fact of it being missing or found to the nearest diplomatic mission or consular office of the Republic of Croatia which immediately has to notify of the fact the police administration or the police station which issued the identity card.
After the status of the missing identity card has been registered as invalid, a request for suspension of the certificates must be automatically initiated.
For the purpose of suspension of the certificates a missing identity card or a suspicion of its abuse may be reported by using an electronic service of the certification service provider. In that case the person is obliged to report the missing identity card to the nearest police administration or the police station as soon as possible for the purpose of registering the identity card as wanted in the record kept in the IT system of the Ministry of the Interior.
If a person whose identity card certificates have been suspended due to the missing identity card reports the recovery of the identity card within eight days from the date of the suspension of the certificates, the certificates will become valid again.
Upon the expiry of the eight-day period from the date of the suspension of the certificates, the certificates will be automatically revoked and can no longer be used.
The missing identity card issued without certificates to a person over 65 may continue to be used by the person to which it was issued if he or she reports its recovery within 15 days
If a person over 65 reports the recovery of the missing identity card issued without certificates within 15 days from the date on which the status of identity card was registered as invalid in the identity card records, he or she may continue to use it.
https://www.mup.hr/gradjani/osobna-iskaznica
https://www.mup.hr/gradjani/osobna-iskaznica