Establishment and registration of associations

Under the Act on Associations (Official Gazette Narodne novine, No. 74/14, 70/17 and 98/19), an association can be founded by at least three founders

All natural persons can be founders, provided that they have not been deprived of legal capacity to enter into legal transactions. A legal person can be a founder, too.
In addition, an underage person from the age of 14 or a person of age devoid of legal capacity to enter into legal transactions may be founders of an association, subject to a notarised letter of consent by their legal representative or guardian, provided before the founding assembly. However, at the time of establishment of an association, at least one founder must be of age and not deprived of legal capacity to enter into legal transactions. Only a person of age with legal capacity, i.e. not devoid of legal capacity to enter into legal transactions can be the authorised representative of an association.
 
Foreign nationals and foreign legal persons can also be founders of associations.
Registration
The application for registration of an association must be submitted to the competent administrative office of a county (or the City of Zagreb) according to the seat of the association. 

The competent administrative office issues a decision on the registration of an association. Appeals against the decisions of competent administrative offices are decided by the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration.

The application for registration must be submitted by the authorised representative of the association. The application for registration of an association or for the entry of changes in the Register of Associations must be submitted in two identical copies.

A standard application form should be used for registration, available on the website of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration.
Application Form for Registration in the Register of Associations.

Applications can be submitted electronically through the website of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration.

Registration in the Register of Associations of the Republic of Croatia/Foreign Register of Associations

The following documents must be enclosed with the application form for registration:
  • application form for registration in the Register of Associations of the Republic of Croatia;
  • minutes of the founding assembly;
  • decision of the assembly to initiate the procedure of registration in the Register of Associations, unless the decision was made at the founding assembly;
  • statute;
  • list of founders;
  • personal names of persons authorised for representation and name of the liquidator;
  • certified statements of the founder on the absence of obstacles from Article 11 (new) paragraphs 7 and 8 of the Law on Associations
  • certified statements of persons authorized for representation and liquidators on the absence of obstacles from Article 19 (new) paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Law on Associations
  • copy from the companies register or other register for the foreign legal person acting as founder;
  • copy of the ID cards or passports of founders, liquidator and persons authorised for representation;
  • approval of the competent body for the performance of a specific activity, when this is stipulated by special law as a requirement for registering an association;
  • notarised letter of consent by the legal representative or guardian, when a founder is an underage person from the age of 14 or a person of age who has been deprived of legal capacity in the part concerning the conclusion of legal transactions;
  • notarised statement of a natural person if the name of the person or a part thereof forms the name of the association, i.e. a letter of consent of the person’s heirs;
  • notarised letter of consent by an international organisation if its name or logo forms the name of the association.


More information on the registration of foreign associations is available at Registration of foreign associations.