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Residents of Ireland apply for a Croatian short-stay Schengen visa with Croatia's online form and hand it in at VFS Global in Dublin, the only official partner of the Embassy of Croatia, which decides. Croatia has been in the Schengen Area since 1 January 2023, so its visas are Schengen visas.
Croatia is not on our free Telegram channel; personal alerts for it cost €30 for 30 days. This guide covers the form, the booking rules, the documents on the Irish checklist and the fees. For the general rules, see how to apply for a Schengen visa from Ireland.
Where you apply
Apply to Croatia if it is your main destination. Applications are handed in at the VFS Global visa application centre, Cunningham House, 130 Francis Street, Dublin 8, open Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 17:30. Appointments are booked on Croatia's VFS page for Ireland, one for each member of a family or group.
You can apply up to six months before the trip, and VFS asks for applications at least 30 calendar days before it.
Family members of a Croatian or EU national may instead ask to apply at the Embassy, by email to crocons.dublin@mvep.hr, as appointments allow. The Embassy warns of a long waiting list and asks them to book at least 30 days before leaving.
Step by step
- 1
Fill in the online form
On crovisa.mvep.hr, in the Latin alphabet and capital letters. Note the serial number and PIN to come back to it, then print, date and sign the form. - 2
Book at VFS Global
On Croatia's VFS page for Ireland. You get a confirmation email with the appointment letter. - 3
Gather the documents
Follow VFS's checklist for your purpose, in its order. Documents must be in English or Croatian; you show the originals and hand in photocopies, because only the passport is returned. - 4
Attend the appointment
Hand in the form and documents, give fingerprints, and pay the visa fee and the VFS service fee. - 5
Wait for the decision
In most cases within 30 calendar days and at most 45, according to VFS. Collect the passport at the centre with your receipt, or pay extra for courier return.
Documents
The country's own checklist is the one that counts. The core of it:
- Passport issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages.
- Your Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card, valid beyond your return.
- The signed application form and a photo to the ICAO passport standard.
- Travel medical insurance with at least €30,000 cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip.
- Recent bank statements, and a letter from your employer or proof of studies or self-employment.
- A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.
On top of that, the VFS tourism checklist for Ireland asks for:
- An Irish re-entry visa or IRP card valid at least one month after you leave the Schengen Area, original and copy.
- A colour photo taken within the last six months.
- Irish bank statements for the last three months; cash is not accepted as proof. The checklist sets €70 per day in Croatia, or €30 per day with a paid tourist package.
- A letter from your employer, no more than a month old, on headed paper with the signatory's name and position, the date, address, phone number and Irish registration number, and payslips for the last three months. The self-employed bring a letter from an accountant, banker or solicitor; students, a letter from their Irish school with weekly hours and attendance.
- Travel medical insurance from an accredited Irish insurer, in your name and for the dates of the trip.
- Proof of accommodation, such as a hotel booking or a paid tourist package, and a travel schedule.
Fees and processing time
- Visa fee
- €90
- Children up to the age of 12
- Free, according to the Croatian foreign ministry
- VFS service fee
- €36 including VAT, cash or card (VFS Global, November 2026)
- Processing
- Most within 30 calendar days, at most 45
Family members of Croatian, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens pay no visa fee. Family members of Irish citizens apply with the full documents for their purpose, and VFS says they are exempt from the fee only when they travel together with the Irish family member.
Applications and refusals
In 2025, the consulates of Croatia in Ireland received 647 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 2.1% of all those lodged in Ireland, and the 12th most of any Schengen country. They refused 11.8% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in Ireland the rate was 3.1%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.
- Applications, 2025
- 647
- Rank in Ireland
- 12th of 21 Schengen countries
- Refused
- 11.8%
- All Schengen countries in Ireland
- 3.1% refused
The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so these are residents of Ireland of many nationalities. A refusal rate is an average over every applicant and says little about any one file; and the country you apply to is set by your main destination, not by its refusal rate.
What applicants reported
Not enough applicants in Ireland have reported a Croatia visa yet to show their own figures; these are the 7 reports from every origin. The median time from appointment to passport back was 14 days.
- Reports
- 7
- Appointment to passport back (median)
- 14 days; typically 10–17 days
- Approved
- 100% of 7 with a known outcome
- Validity granted (median)
- 2 months
- Multiple entry
- 57%
Getting the appointment
The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date with VFS Global: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear.
These are the ways to get a date, including ours:
Check the VFS Global portal yourself
Free
Who books: You
Log in, choose the centre and category, and look at the calendar. New dates appear when the centre releases them or someone cancels, so this means checking again and again.
Visa Catcher free channel (@UKVFSBot)Our service
Free
Who books: You
Croatia is not on the free channel, which covers Finland, Hungary, Iceland and the Netherlands.
Visa Catcher personal alertsOur service
€30 / 30 days
Who books: You
Telegram alerts for the route you choose, including routes the free channel does not carry. No passport details needed.
Visa Catcher auto-bookingOur service
€60 / applicant
Who books: Visa Catcher
We watch the route and book the appointment on the applicant's behalf, so it needs their passport details.
Each Croatia route we track has its own page, and every route is on the Ireland appointment board page. For how the booking systems work, see how to book a Schengen visa appointment in Ireland.
Questions
- Where do I apply for a Croatian visa in Ireland?
- At the VFS Global visa application centre, Cunningham House, 130 Francis Street, Dublin 8, the only official partner of the Embassy of Croatia in Dublin. Only family members of Croatian or EU nationals may ask to apply at the Embassy itself.
- Which form do I use for a Croatia visa from Ireland?
- The Croatian foreign ministry’s online form at crovisa.mvep.hr. Fill it in, then print, date and sign it and bring it to the VFS Global appointment.
- How much money do I need to show for a Croatian visa?
- The VFS tourism checklist for Ireland sets €70 per day in Croatia, or €30 per day with a paid tourist package, shown on Irish bank statements for the last three months.
- Do I need a Croatian visa with an Irish refugee travel document?
- No, according to Croatia’s VFS page for Ireland: recognised refugees and stateless persons living in Ireland with a valid Irish travel document can stay up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa. It advises them to confirm the conditions with the Embassy of Croatia in Dublin.
- What is the refusal rate for Croatia Schengen visas in Ireland?
- In 2025, the consulates of Croatia in Ireland refused 11.8% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 3.1% across all Schengen countries in Ireland, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 647 applications, the 12th most of any Schengen country.
Sources
- Embassy of Croatia in Dublin: visa application procedure
- Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs: applying for a Schengen visa for Croatia
- Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs: visa fees
- Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs: online visa application form
- VFS Global, Croatia in Ireland: tourism visa fees, documents, processing time and forms
- VFS Global, Croatia in Ireland: how to apply
- VFS Global, Croatia in Ireland: the Dublin visa application centre
- VFS Global, Croatia in Ireland: the centre moves to Cunningham House (July 2024)
- VFS Global, Croatia in Ireland: family members of Irish citizens (July 2025)
- VFS Global, Croatia in Ireland: tourism checklist (PDF)
- EU Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (consolidated text of 28 June 2024)
- European Commission: visa policy and the short-stay visa fee
- European Commission: Schengen visa statistics for consulates, 2025 (2025-consulates-schengen-visa-statistics.xlsx)
Rules and fees are set by the consulates and their visa centres and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Our coverage, prices and release statistics on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with any visa centre, embassy, consulate or government.