The Croatian national health care system is public and regulated by HZZO (Hrvatski zavod za zdravstveno osiguranje, Croatian Institute for Health Insurance) and it’s available to all Croatian citizens, as well as to foreigners with permanent residence in Croatia. Healthcare in Croatia is generally significantly cheaper than in the USA and the UK. Additional private healthcare is also available.
Foreign citizens receiving hospital treatment in Croatia are normally charged a fee higher than Croatian citizens, whereas doctors in private practices generally charge only one fee for all their patients.
Each area of Zagreb has its own health centre (Dom zdravlja), which you choose on your own when you register for your health insurance card at HZZO. It’s, of course, advisable that you choose one that is closest to your apartment/house. Your general practitioner is going to be at the centre of your choosing, and then he/she refers you to other specialist hospitals or polyclinics if you need additional tests. This is free if you have state health insurance, and the prescriptions that your doctor prescribes are also either free, or you get a special price thanks to your state health insurance.
There is no single private hospital – private practices are mostly specialized clinics where you can get most medical services you need. Emergencies are handled by public hospitals, but a patient can arrange for a transfer to a private clinic as soon as the emergency is attended to and the patient is ready for transfer. You can find a list of English-speaking doctors here, but, as a general rule, most members of the medical staff in public, and especially in private clinics, speak English, or another foreign language.
Health insurance
If you’re an EU citizen, bring a document from your home country proving that you do in fact have health insurance, take it with you to HZZO, and they will let you know which additional documents you need in order to obtain the same level of (free) health insurance in Croatia.
If you’re not from the EU, it’s slightly more complicated: you have to apply for state health insurance even if you do have some sort of private policy. You first need to get a resident permit from the Police, which you then take to a HZZO branch, and they give you a document which you have to take back to the Police. This is one of the instances you might get frustrated with Croatian bureaucracy, because some clerks at HZZO might be more familiar with the documents you need, so you may end up going back and forth many times. Patience is key here.
Typically, you have to pay 412 kn per month for basic insurance, plus an initial 5,000 kn fee. The basic insurance means that you also have to pay a small fee every time you visit a doctor.
You also need to choose and sign up for your GP, dentist, and, if you’re a woman, gynaecologist (you can use the list of English-speaking doctors, or ask around if someone you know has any suggestions) , so it’s advisable you do it all together when you’re applying for health insurance the first time, to avoid having to wait at HZZO multiple times. You’ll need to check if the doctors you want to choose accept new patients, get a confirmation document from them if they do, and take it back to HZZO so that you’re officially in the system.
You can find a list of all HZZO branches in Zagreb below, or visit their website here.
HZZO branches in Zagreb
Regional office Zagreb
Mihanovićeva 3, 10000 Zagreb
Phone: 01/4577-150
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Zagreb – Branimirova Branch
Kneza Branimira 37, 10000 Zagreb
Phone: 01/4697-800, 01/4697-888
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Zagreb – Ivekovićeva Branch
Ivekovićeva 17, 10000 Zagreb
Phone: 01/2451-544
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Zagreb – Jukićeva Branch
Jukićeva 12, 10000 Zagreb
Phone: 01/4882-100
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Zagreb – Klovićeva Branch
Klovićeva 1, 10000 Zagreb
Phone: 01/2359-555
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Wed 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.)
Zagreb – Kruge Branch
Kruge 44, 10000 Zagreb
Phone: 01/6151-796
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Zagreb – Novi Zagreb Branch
Remetinečki gaj 14, 10020 Novi Zagreb
Phone: 01/6593-600
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Zagreb – Žajina Branch
Andrija Žaje 42 – 44, 10000 Zagreb
Phone: 01/4595-500
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Dugo Selo Branch
Josipa Zorića 7, 10370 Dugo Selo
Phone: 01/2753-944
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Ivanić Grad Branch
Športska ulica 1, 10310 Ivanić Grad
Phone: 01/2881-638
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Jastrebarsko Branch
Zrinski-Frankopanska 2, 10450 Jastrebarsko
Phone: 01/6281-378
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Samobor Branch
Trg Matice Hrvatske 7, 10430 Samobor
Phone: 01/3360-963
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sesvete Branch
Varaždinska 1/II, 10360 Sesvete
Phone: 01/2025-342
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sv. Ivan Zelina Branch
Bocakova ulica 2, 10380 Sv. Ivan Zelina
Phone: 01/2060-602
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Velika Gorica Branch
Trg kralja Krešimira 4/IV, 10410 Velika Gorica
Phone: 01/6259-131, 01/6259-135, 01/6259-136, 01/6259-137
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Vrbovec Branch
Ulica Bubanj 33/I, 10340 Vrbovec
Phone: 01/2791-409
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Zaprešić Branch
Pavla Lončara 1, 10290 Zaprešić
Phone: 01/3340-033
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
