Easily manage employment in Croatia

Employees are entitled to at least 20 paid working days off work.

Croatian labour law mandates that employees are entitled to take the 15 national holidays off, in addition to their paid holiday entitlement.Religious employees can take additional days off in lieu of religious observances such as Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Eid-el-Fitr, etc. Additionally, employers can enter into negotiations to have employees work on a holiday as long they’re compensated as agreed.

Sickness benefits (equivalent to, at least, 70% of the employee’s normal wages) are paid out to ailing employees for up to 42 days of an illness, after which the employee can draw a benefit from the health insurance fund.

Croatia offers generous maternity benefits that both parents can exercise. Female employees are entitled to 98 – 115 days of paid maternity leave, starting 28 days (for the 98-day entitlement) before delivery, or 45 days (for the 115-day entitlement), in case of pregnancy complications.After delivery, a postpartum mother is entitled to at least 70 days off work, or until the newborn turns six months of age.

There are no specific provisions for paid paternity leave, but a father can exercise some or all of the mother’s maternity leave entitlement after the 70-day minimum postnatal leave, with the mother’s permission.Likewise, employees are entitled to 120 days of parental leave per child (for first and second children) once each child turns six months of age.The parental leave entitlement can be enjoyed in batches or at a stretch and is compensated at 50% of the full-time leave rate until the child reaches eight years of age.

- Adoption leave: Adoptive parents can take 6 months of parental leave starting when an adoption decision is finalised and extending up to an entire year off if the child is below the age of eight.- Marriage & bereavement: Employees can take up to seven days off annually for important personal functions such as marriage functions or attending a relative’s funeral.- Blood donation leave: Employees can receive one paid day off for donating blood.