Croatia visa guideThe Croatia business visa is a Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for meetings, negotiations, trade fairs and training, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. It does not allow work. You apply in person at VFS Global in New Delhi, the nearest Croatia centre for Punjab, and the Embassy of Croatia in New Delhi decides, as a rule within 15 calendar days.
The Croatian company supplies two documents: a signed and stamped invitation, and a sponsorship letter by a legal person, notarised and backed by proof of the company's liquidity. Its original is either sent to you or deposited with the Ministry in Zagreb.
Do Indians need a visa for a business trip to Croatia, and which one?
Yes. An Indian citizen travelling to Croatia for meetings, negotiations, a trade fair or training needs a Schengen short-stay visa, type C, issued for a business purpose. Croatia has applied the full Schengen rules since 1 January 2023, so this is the standard Schengen visa, decided by the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in New Delhi. There is no e-visa route.
The visa allows up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted together with every other Schengen state. It can be issued for one, two or more entries, with a validity of up to five years, which matters to anyone who visits a Croatian partner several times a year.
It is not a work visa. VFS Croatia states that a foreigner cannot work in Croatia on the basis of a short-term visa. Meeting a supplier in Rijeka or attending a conference in Zagreb is business. Fitting equipment, running a project on site or taking a job is work, and paid work needs a work visa, not a business visa.
Croatia business visa in brief
- Visa
- Schengen type C, business purpose
- Stay
- Up to 90 days in any 180
- Decided by
- Embassy of Croatia, New Delhi
- Lodge atPersonal appearance mandatory
- VFS Global, New Delhi
- From the Croatian company
- Signed invitation plus a notarised sponsorship letter (jamstveno pismo)
- ProcessingVFS warns it can take 45 to 60
- 15 calendar days as standard
Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and VFS Global Croatia India, checked 14 Oct 2026
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
At VFS Global in New Delhi. Croatia's seven VFS centres in India are in Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi, so a company in Ludhiana, Mohali or Panipat sends its staff to Delhi. The centres open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, except public holidays.
Points for business travellers:
- You must come yourself. VFS's notice says personal appearance is mandatory at submission for every C and D category. A company representative or travel desk cannot lodge the file for you.
- Book carefully. VFS says the fee paid while booking a Croatia appointment online is non-refundable, so book once the trip dates are fixed.
- Your passport during processing. The Ministry's page on supporting documents says that if you need to travel and cannot leave the passport for the processing time, you can take it back right after filing in person and resubmit it once the visa is approved. Ask about this at submission if you have another trip coming up.
- Biometrics. Ten fingerprints and a photo, unless you gave biometrics for a Schengen visa recently.
Our Croatia appointment availability page shows how dates are opening up.
Which documents depend on your situation?
The common checklist is printed further down this page. The business file then rests on two documents from Croatia and two from India.
From the Croatian company
- Letter of invitation from the Croatian business partner, signed and stamped by an authorised person of the business, as the Embassy's 2026 business checklist asks.
- Notarised sponsorship letter by a legal person (jamstveno pismo), stamped by a public notary. The Ministry's page sets the rules: it is signed by the person authorised to represent the company, and the company encloses proof of its liquidity, such as a BON 1 or BON 2 form, or a certificate from the commercial court that no liquidation proceedings have started. If the signatory is a foreign national, they must hold an approved stay in Croatia that covers the dates of your visit.
The original of that letter goes one of two ways:
- Enclosed with your application. The company sends you the notarised original. You submit it and receive a copy to show at the border if asked.
- Deposited with the Ministry in Zagreb. The company lodges the original with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and pays a storage fee of €18.58, naming the embassy where you will apply. VFS warns that Zagreb issues no deposit slip, so you must attach a scan of the letter and a signed note from the inviting person stating that the original has been deposited at the Ministry in Zagreb. Without both, VFS will not accept the application.
If you are invited by a Croatian state authority, VFS lists a copy of the invitation letter instead.
From your side in India
An employee
- What to add
- A letter from your employer and your last three salary slips; VFS asks for the letter on official letterhead with your position, years in service and leave granted
A company owner or self-employed
- What to add
- A visa request letter on your company's letterhead with the company's registration papers
Paid for by the Croatian company
- What to add
- If its letter says it accepts all expenses of the visit and departure, VFS says you can be exempt from showing your own funds
Travelling on a first Schengen visa
- What to add
- A letter of intention, in addition to the covering letter
Unless the Croatian side covers everything, the checklist asks for financials of both the sponsor (with proof of solvency) and the applicant: proof of salary, three months of bank statements and the last three years of ITR. VFS adds a copy of your international credit card with three months of statements, and proof of foreign exchange bought.
How much is the Croatia business visa fee?
The fee is the standard €90, which VFS listed as ₹10,200 when we checked on 14 October 2026, plus the VFS logistics fee of ₹2,553, GST included, payable by cash, card or UPI. If your host deposits its letter in Zagreb, it also pays the €18.58 storage fee. VFS states that the fee paid when booking online is non-refundable. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
The Ministry says a decision is generally taken within 15 calendar days of lodging, extendable to 45 days in individual cases. VFS India warns that it can stretch to 45 to 60 days when documents are not as required or for other reasons. Build your plan around the VFS figure.
Timing rules:
- Earliest: six months before the trip.
- Latest: VFS says that, on the Mission's instruction, applications with less than 15 days to the travel date are not accepted. A business trip at ten days' notice is not possible.
- Allow for the Croatian side. Notarising the sponsorship letter, getting a BON form and posting the original to India, or depositing it in Zagreb, all take time before you can even book.
For regular visitors, ask for a multiple-entry visa in the covering letter and show the pattern of trips. Under the EU's cascade rules for Indians, two Schengen visas obtained and lawfully used within the previous three years can lead to a two-year multiple-entry visa, normally followed by a five-year one.
Why do Croatia business visas get refused for Indian applicants?
The grounds are the EU's standard ones. In business files, these four cause most trouble.
The sponsorship letter is missing or incomplete
No notarised letter, no proof of the company's liquidity, or a Zagreb deposit with no signed note from the inviting person: VFS will not even accept the last one. Get every piece from Croatia before you book the appointment.
Papers that disagree on who pays
The Ministry asks companies to fill in clearly which costs the host bears and which the visitor bears. If the letter says the company pays and your covering letter says you do, the officer has two stories. Make all three letters match.
A programme that looks like work
Long stays at one site, hands-on technical tasks or open-ended dates suggest employment, which a short-term visa does not allow. Keep the agenda to meetings, training and events, with fixed dates and a return to your post in India.
Weak personal finances
Three months of statements, three years of ITR and salary slips are on the checklist unless the company covers all costs. A thin or freshly topped-up account suggests the trip is not what it seems.
What each refusal ground means is set out on our Schengen refusal reasons page. An appeal must be lodged within 15 days of receiving the refusal, through the Embassy and in Croatian or with an official translation, with a fee of €130.
Tips for a stronger business file
- Use the Ministry's forms. The Ministry recommends that companies use the forms on its official website for the sponsorship letter, and asks that every field be filled in legibly.
- Agenda with addresses. A day-by-day programme naming companies, addresses and meeting times, matching the invitation and the flight reservation.
- Covering letter. The checklist wants it to explain your intention, your occupation and who covers the expenses. Mention your return date and your role in India.
- Accommodation. A hotel reservation, or accommodation arranged by the company if its letter says so.
- Insurance. From an insurer on the pre-approved list for India, with at least €30,000 of cover for the whole trip. For a multiple-entry visa, cover for the first visit is enough with the signed declaration.
- Carry copies. Take a copy of the sponsorship letter, bookings and finances in your hand luggage. The Ministry says the border may ask for them.
Do business visitors register with the Croatian police?
Not if they stay in a hotel. The Ministry says a hotel or other commercial accommodation registers you within one day of arrival. If the company puts you up in a private flat, you have two days to register with the police, and again within two days if you move. For other trips, see the Croatia tourist visa guide and the Croatia country page.
Official sources
- Supporting documents for Schengen visa, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs
- Decision on Schengen visa application, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs
- Fees, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs
- Appeal against refusal, annulment or revocation of visa, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs
- Information for Schengen visa holders, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs
- VFS Global Croatia India: business visa
- VFS Global Croatia India: home and notices
- VFS Global Croatia India: visa application centres
- European Union adopts more favourable Schengen visa rules for Indians, EU Delegation to India
