Living in Croatia

last update: August 2014

Asylum seekers are accommodated in the open reception center (Prihvatni centar za tražitelje azila) on the premises of the old hotel Porin, in Dugave, the suburbs of Zagreb. There they receive 3 meals per day and they are supposed to receive 100kn per month (around 13euros), but in reality most do not receive this money, or they receive it with a few months delay.

Upon receiving a protection status, integration measures that exist in Croatia are very limited. The authorities are supposed to provide you an accommodation for the first two years, but in reality it often takes months before this is organised and people with a refugee or subsidiary protection status end up living in the Porin reception center for asylum seekers for several months.

There is no systematic provision of the Croatian language courses – neither for the asylum seekers, nor for people who have received the refugee or subsidiary protection status.

Because of weak integration measures by the states, migrants in Croatia continue to be pushed to the margins of the society. The Red Cross and Center for Peace Studies are two organisations that help with  integration, and they can be turned to for assistance in this respect.