New Croatian citizens: Regulation published detailing naturalisation oath and procedure

Croatian passport ranked 18th globally

The first draft of a regulation defining the manner and procedure of taking the oath for new Croatian citizens has been revealed by daily Jutarnji list on Friday. 

The regulation outlines what those seeking Croatian citizenship will have to do before their citizenship certificate is handed over. Under the new regulation, new Croatian citizens will have to take the oath at the Ministry of the Interior or in diplomatic missions abroad.

Those seeking to get naturalised, which includes residents and foreign citizens who cannot obtain a citizenship certificate by origin or birth in Croatia, must swear on their honour that they will respect Croatia’s constitution and laws and respect the legal order, culture and customs in the Republic of Croatia, Jutarnji list said.

The regulation on the administering the oath was published yesterday by Interior Minister Davor Božinović, after the government abandoned the idea of introducing the text and manner of taking the oath into the Croatian Citizenship Act. 

At the end of 2018, the Government started amending the Croatian Citizenship Act with the introduction of the oath for admission to citizenship by naturalisation, introducing the text and the procedure for taking the oath into the accompanying draft law. At the same time, the previous conditions for obtaining citizenship by birth remain in force, including coming of age, knowledge of the Croatian language and script and continuous residence for a period of five years in the territory of Croatia.

According to the original proposal, candidates for Croatian citizenship would take a collective oath once a year on the occasion of public holidays in counties, cities and municipalities in the country, or in the country’s diplomatic missions abroad.

However, the text and manner of taking the oath were removed from the final version of the law, which was adopted by the Parliament in October 2019, and instead the Minister of the Interior was obliged to pass the relevant regulation, which he did yesterday.

In the regulation, the text of the oath was literally copied from the bill that was sent for discussion at the end of 2018, but the way of taking the oath was changed. 

Instead of taking a collective exam on the occasion of national holidays, candidates for Croatian citizenship, according to the regulation, will take the oath at the invitation of the Ministry of the Interior in the premises of police administrations or in diplomatic missions abroad, reported Jutarnji list.