CONDITIONS FOR ENTERING INTO A LIFE PARTNERSHIP
A life partnership is registered publicly before a registrar and in the presence of both partners and a minimum of two witnesses.
A life partnership can be concluded if both persons are of the same registered sex and over 18 years old. They must not be married, already be in another registered same-sex partnership, or related in a direct or collateral line up to the fourth degree (cousins and their children).
A person who has been partially deprived of legal capacity may enter into a life partnership with the prior approval of their legal guardian, provided the limitation does not restrict decisions concerning personal status.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FROM CROATIAN CITIZENS FOR ENTERING INTO A LIFE PARTNERSHIP
Croatian citizens only need an ID card or passport. The registrar can make a copy free of charge. They might ask for other documents only in rare or specific situations.
If you were born abroad and you are a Croatian citizen, make sure you are registered in the Croatian birth register first.
Documents required from foreign citizens for entering into a life partnership
To enter into a life partnership, non-Croatian citizens must provide:
- a birth certificate or an extract from the register of births issued in their country of birth,
- a certificate of unmarried status, i.e. proof that they are not in a life partnership or marriage, issued by the competent authority of their country of citizenship,
- an ID document (like a passport),
- proof of citizenship (usually the same passport).
Documents not issued by an authority of the Republic of Croatia should be translated into Croatian by a certified court translator. A registrar may sometimes accept documents in Serbian, Montenegrin, or Bosnian if issued in Latin script, and occasionally also documents in English. However, it is advisable to confirm all details in advance with the registrar official, who are generally accommodating and flexible.
The registrar may, in exceptional cases, request additional documents, depending on the individual circumstances.
FEES AND TIMELINE FOR ENTERING INTO A LIFE PARTNERSHIP
The basic administrative fee is €27.87, which covers €9.29 for the application and €18.58 for the ceremony in the registrar’s office. Most registrar’s offices have a dedicated ceremonial hall used for wedding ceremonies, and depending on the municipality, its style and size can vary. Administrative fees can be paid online through the e-Pristojbe system using a bank or credit card, without cash payment slips or tax stamps.
The date for entering into a life partnership is usually set between the 30th and 45th day after the submission of the application, unless there are justified reasons for an expedited procedure approved by the registrar for an earlier date.
ENTERING INTO A LIFE PARTNERSHIP OUTSIDE OFFICIAL PREMISES
If you want the ceremony outside the official premises, you will need to pay an extra fee that depends on the distance, date, and time (weekday, weekend, or holiday). Check the exact amount with your registrar. The prices are the same as for different-sex marriages and change based on the daily rate of public employees.
PLACE OF REGISTRATION OF A LIFE PARTNERSHIP
Life partnerships can only be entered on the territory of the Republic of Croatia, not in diplomatic or consular offices abroad.
To register it, you need to submit:
- an extract from the foreign register (marriage certificate, partnership certificate, or another public document proving the union),
- a certified Croatian translation by a court translator,
- if the document comes from a country outside the EU and not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, it must undergo diplomatic legalization; if the country is a party to the Convention, the document must bear an apostille; for documents issued in EU or EEA member states, the procedure is simplified and legalization is not required,
- proof of identity (for example, a passport),
- proof of citizenship (for example, a passport).
A registrar may sometimes accept documents in Serbian, Montenegrin, or Bosnian if issued in Latin script, and occasionally also documents in English. But be sure to confirm all details in advance with the registrar official.
You can file the request with the registrar’s office based on the Croatian citizen’s residence, or with the main office in Zagreb if neither partner has a residency in Croatia.
After registration in the Register and the entry of the note in the birth register, the partners receive a certificate confirming their life partnership. Same-sex couples who concluded a marriage or life partnership abroad and had it registered in Croatia enjoy all the rights and legal effects of a life partnership under Croatian law.
CONDITIONS FOR ESTABLISHING AN INFORMAL LIFE PARTNERSHIP
An informal life partnership exists if the partners live in a lasting family-life community for at least three years, if that community is continuous, and if from the starts meets all legal requirements for a life partnership. This means that the partners must not be related by blood in the direct line or in the collateral line up to the fourth degree, and must not be married, in a common-law union, in a life partnership, or in another informal life partnership.
LEGAL EFFECTS AND EVIDENCE OF AN INFORMAL LIFE PARTNERSHIP
Like a formal life partnership, an informal life partnership is based on equality, respect, mutual support, and care. It carries the same personal and property rights and obligations as a formal life partnership, except for the right to take a common surname. In inheritance, taxation, pensions, social welfare, public healthcare, labor rights, access to public and private services, and other regulated areas, an informal life partnership has the same legal effects as a different-sex common-law marriage.
If there’s a dispute, a court decides whether an informal life partnership exists or has ended.
An informal life partnership exists when two partners have lived together in a stable relationship for at least three years and are not married or in any other cohabitation or partnership. Partners may declare their informal life partnership when exercising a specific right. Its existence is proven under the same conditions and in the same manner as a different-sex common-law marriage, through a declaration, a notarized statement, witness testimony, or other relevant evidence and documents.
WHY DOES AN INFORMAL LIFE PARTNERSHIP MATTER IN THE CROATIAN CONTEXT
The concept of informal life partnership stems from the long legal struggle to grant different-sex common-law spouses (izvanbračni drugovi) the same rights as married couples.
This process began in the socialist period, when the law started recognizing unions formed outside marriage based on the idea of material equality and the family as a social unit, not a religious institution.
With the transition to a market economy, Croatia gradually aligned religious marriages with civil ones, reflecting broader social shifts in how family life is recognized.
Building on that legacy, today’s legal framework extends equal rights to both different-sex common-law spouses and same-sex informal life partners.
This ensures protection for couples who share a family life but choose not to formalize it through marriage for personal, political, or ideological reasons, while still guaranteeing their social, economic, and other legal rights and privileges.
Marriage and common-law marriages are unions between two people of different legal sex, while life partnerships and informal life partnerships are between two people of the same legal sex.
Persons aged 16-18 can marry with parental consent, but only adults over 18 can enter a life partnership. This distinction is justified by the interest of protecting children who may be born in underage different-sex relationships.
Partners in life or informal life partnerships cannot jointly adopt a child because there is no legal basis granting them the right to adopt a child.
A social parent in a life partnership cannot become a legal parent through the second-parent procedure available to married couples. They can apply for legal recognition as a partner-guardian. The partner-guardian status grants the same parental rights and duties as a parent.
If no minor children are involved, a life partnership can be dissolved before a registrar through a simplified out-of-court procedure. In different-sex marriages, if the spouses agree on parental care, property, and spousal support, their settlement may be approved in a simplified non-contentious procedure before a court.
Life and informal life partnerships face institutional discrimination, as well as the social discrimination we witness and experience every day.
Many laws adopted by the Croatian Parliament fail to mention life partnerships and informal life partnerships alongside marriages and common-law marriages, making it harder to apply the principle of equality and to exercise rights not directly derived from the Life Partnership Act. This omission is deliberate and politically motivated.
Informal life partnerships are particularly affected, especially before courts and public authorities. They face direct discrimination when their rights are denied due to incorrect or intentional misapplication of the law, and indirect discrimination when authorities and courts refuse to show flexibility in proving the existence of an informal life partnership. This seemingly neutral practice disproportionately harms same-sex partners because of their historical experience and the fact that many live in hidden relationships or, for example, do not share a registered residence.
It is important to use clear terminology (for example, “informal life partnership”), refer to the Life Partnership Act, communicate in writing, and insist on the consistent application of equality. It is also advisable for informal life partners to have a notarized declaration confirming the existence of their partnership, along with evidence of shared life such as a registered residence or place of stay.
In cases of suspected discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, you can contact Zagreb Pride through the Pink Megaphone for free legal advice and, if needed, legal representation.
The Life Partnership Register is a central electronic database managed by the competent state authorities under the Ministry of Public Administration. It follows the same principles as the registers of births and marriages.
Extracts (which show all entries up to the date of issue) and certificates (which show the most recent valid data) are issued based on the information recorded in the register.
Any registrar’s office can issue them upon request from a person with a legal interest, such as the life partners or their children.
The certificates are also available in electronic form through the e-Građani system.
A life partnership can be dissolved by mutual agreement, by a court decision, annulment or by the death of one partner.
Procedure for dissolution by mutual agreement
If the partners do not have a minor child, they can dissolve the partnership out of court by giving a joint statement before a registrar.
PROCEDURE FOR DISSOLUTION BY A COURT DECISION
When a life partnership is dissolved by a court, the same rules apply as in divorce proceedings for different-sex marriages.
A life partnership may be dissolved upon the request of one partner if the relationship has permanently broken down or if the partners have lived separately for at least one year.
If a minor child lives in the household, the dissolution is always conducted before a court, which decides on parental care, child support, and the division of joint property.
LEGAL EFFECTS OF DISSOLUTION
Dissolution terminates the partners’ personal and property rights and obligations. The registrar records the dissolution in the register and issues a certificate confirming it.
After the partnership ends, each partner may keep the surname they had at the time of dissolution.
If a child lived in the household, the former partner who is not the child’s legal parent or partner-guardian may request the right to maintain personal contact with the child.
A former life partner or informal life partner who lacks sufficient means to live after the partnership ends may request spousal support from the other partner for up to one year after dissolution, unless exceptional circumstances justify a longer period.
An informal life partner also has the right to spousal support after the relationship ends, since the provision of the Life Partnership Act (Article 4) on personal rights and obligations of life partners apply to them. Their legal position is similar to that of a common-law spouse under the Family Act (Articles 295, 303, and 304), who may claim spousal support from a former partner.
ANNULMENT OF A LIFE PARTNERSHIP
A life partnership may be annulled by a court decision if the legal conditions for entering into the partnership were violated, such as incapacity for judgment, lack of free will, an existing marriage or partnership, or blood relation that prevents the partnership from being valid.
LEGAL EFFECTS OF ANNULMENT
Annulment means that the life partnership is considered never to have existed (it has a retroactive effect).
