Holidays

• 1st January – New Year’s Day

• 6th January – Epiphany

• 4th April – Easter Sunday

• 5th April – Easter Monday

• 1st May – Labour Day

• 30th May – Statehood Day

• 3rd June – Corpus Christi

• 22nd June – Day of Antifascist Struggle

• 5th August – Homeland Thanksgiving Day

• 15th August – Assumption of Mary

• 1st November – All Saints’ Day

• 18th November – Remembrance Day

• 25th December – Christmas Day

• 26th December – St. Stephen Day

Accruals

PTO (Paid Time Off)

• Vacation/Annual Paid Leave

Employees who have been employed for at least 6 consecutive months are entitled to paid annual leave of a minimum of 18 working days per year. If the employee has interrupted work between two jobs for more than eight days, he or she is entitled to annual leave after a period of 6 consecutive months of service. An interruption of work caused by temporary inability to work, military service, or other justifiable reason determined by law will be included in the term of continuous work.

A minor employee is entitled to paid annual leave of a minimum of 24 working days per year.

Employees who perform dangerous jobs are entitled to paid annual leave of a minimum of 30 working days per year.

Holidays and non-working days established by law are included in the duration of annual leave, as well as a period of temporary inability to work which was confirmed by an authorized doctor.

An employee is entitled to one-twelfth of annual leave for each full month of work in the following cases:

• if in the calendar year in which he or she commenced employment: he or she did not acquire the right to annual leave because the six-month term did not expire;

• if employment is terminated before the expiration of the six-month term;

• if employment is terminated before July 1.

• Rollovers and payout of unused hours

• Use-it-or-lose-it policy 

Employees who have not used their annual leave due to an illness or maternity leave, are entitled to use it by 30th June of the following year.

• PTO payout at the termination 

If the contract of employment is terminated, the employer must provide the employee with a confirmation of use of annual leave.

Employees who have used all their annual leave when they were working for the previous employer, are not entitled to annual leave.

Maternity Leave, Child Raising Leave, Parental Leave

Maternity Leave

The woman employee is entitled to take maternity leave 45 days before the expected delivery date and can take such leave at any time until her child is one year of age. The employee must take maternity leave 28 days before delivery until the child is six months of age.

For twins, or for the third child or any subsequent child, the woman employee is entitled to take maternity leave until the child is three years of age.

If the child is born prematurely, leave can be extended.

Paternity Leave

After the lapse of the mandatory maternity leave, if the parents so agree, the right to maternity leave can be used by the child’s father.

If the mother dies, abandons the child, suffers from an illness or, due to the other important reasons she is unable to take care of the child, the father of the child is entitled to all the rights and benefits in order to care for the child.

Leave due to a Stillbirth

If an employed woman gives birth to a stillborn child or if the child dies before the conclusion of maternity leave, she is entitled to maternity leave for as long as, in the opinion of a qualified physician, it is necessary for her to recover from giving birth and the psychological condition resulting from the loss of the child. This period is not less than 45 days.

Leave for Parents of Children with Serious Developmental Problems 

One of the parents of a child with serious developmental problems is entitled to leave for the purpose of taking care of the child or to work fifty percent of a full working schedule until the completion of the child’s seventh year.

Adoption Leave

One of the adoptive parents of a child under twelve years of age has the right to an adoptive parental leave of 270 continuous days from the date of adoption.

Sick Leave

Croatia Leave Laws – Sick Leave

In the case of illness or injury, employees are entitled to sick leave and to receive full regular compensation from their employer.

Depending on the reasons for sickness or injury, sick pay is paid:

• During the first 42 days of sick leave, from the employer’s funds.
• After the 42nd day, after advancing the funds the employer is entitled to recover payment from the Croatian Government or the Croatian Health Insurance.

Jury Duty Leave, and Voting Leave

Not specified by law.

Bereavement Leave

Employees are entitled to up to 7 days of paid leave due to the death of the immediate family member. The following persons are considered to be members of the immediate family:

spouse, direct relatives by blood and their spouses, brothers and sisters, step-children and adopted children, foster children, step-fathers and step-mothers, adoptive parents, and persons whom the employee is obligated to support under law as well as a person with whom the employee is married to under the common-law.

Military Leave

Not specified by law.

Please consult your local legal counsel to learn more about Croatia Leave Laws.

To learn more about laws in various countries, check out our Leave Laws page.