Croatia Judicial Assistance

Party to Hague Service Convention? Yes
Party to Hague Evidence Convention? Yes
Party to Hague Apostille Convention? Yes
Party to Inter-American Convention? No
Service of Process by Mail? No

DISCLAIMER: THE INFORMATION IS PROVIDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND MAY NOT BE TOTALLY ACCURATE IN A SPECIFIC CASE. QUESTIONS INVOLVING INTERPRETATION OF SPECIFIC FOREIGN LAWS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO THE APPROPRIATE FOREIGN AUTHORITIES OR FOREIGN COUNSEL.

Embassies and Consulates

U.S. Embassy Zagreb
2 Thomas Jefferson Street
10010 Zagreb, Croatia
Telephone: 385 (1) 661-2200
Emergency Telephone: 385 (1) 661-2400
Fax: 385 (1) 665-8933
ZagrebACS@state.gov

List of Attorneys
U.S. Embassy Zagreb list of attorneys
Helpful Links
Service of Process
Croatia is a party to the Hague Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extra Judicial Documents in Civil and Commercial Matters.  Complete information on the operation of the Convention, including an interactive online request form are available on the Hague Conference website.  Requests should be completed in duplicate and submitted with two sets of the documents to be served, and translations, directly to Croatia’s Central Authority for the Hague Service Convention.  The person in the United States executing the request form should be either an attorney or clerk of court.  The applicant should include the titles attorney at law or clerk of court on the identity and address of applicant and signature/stamp fields.  In its Declarations and Reservations on the Hague Service Convention, Croatia formally objected to service under Article 10, and does not permit service via postal channels.  For additional information see the Hague Conference Service Convention website and the Hague Conference Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Hague Service Convention.  See also Croatia’s response to the 2008 Hague Conference questionnaire on the practical operation of the Service Convention.
Criminal Matters

Prosecution Requests: U.S. federal or state prosecutors should also contact the Office of International Affairs, Criminal Division, Department of Justice for guidance.

Defense Requests in Criminal Matters: Criminal defendants or their defense counsel seeking judicial assistance in obtaining evidence or in effecting service of documents abroad in connection with criminal matters may do so via the letters rogatory process.

Obtaining Evidence in Civil and Commercial Matters

Croatia is a party to the Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil and Commercial Matters.  The Croatian Central Authority for the Hague Evidence Convention designated to receive letters of request for the taking of evidence is the Croatian Ministry of Justice.  See the Hague Evidence Convention Model Letters of Request for guidance on preparation of a letter of request.  Requests for the taking of evidence under the Hague Evidence Convention are transmitted directly from the requesting court or person in the United States to the Croatian Central Authority and do not require transmittal via diplomatic channels.  Letters of Request and accompanying documents should be prepared in duplicate and translated into the Croatian language.  See Croatia’s Declarations and Reservations regarding the Hague Evidence Convention.  See also Croatia’s response to the 2008 Hague Conference questionnaire on the practical operation of the Evidence Convention.

Requests from Croatia to Obtain Evidence in the United States: The U.S. Central Authority for the Hague Evidence Convention is the Office of International Judicial Assistance, Civil Division, Department of Justice, 1100 L St., N.W., Room 11006, Washington, D.C. 20530.

Taking Voluntary Depositions of Willing Witnesses

Croatia permits the taking of voluntary depositions of willing witnesses in civil and commercial matters without prior permission of the Croatian Ministry of Justice before U.S. consular officers provided the witness is a U.S. citizen.  Depositions of other persons of other nationalities require permission of the Croatian Central Authority.

Voluntary Depositions in Criminal Matters: Croatia requires the permission of the Ministry of Justice prior to the taking voluntary depositions of willing witnesses in criminal matters before a U.S. consular officer unless the witness is a U.S. citizen.

Authentication of Documents
Croatia is a party to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement for Legalization of Foreign Public Documents.  Croatia’s competent authority for the Hague Apostille Convention will authenticate Croatian public documents with Apostilles.  For information about authenticating U.S. public documents for use in Croatia, see the list of U.S. Competent Authorities.  To obtain an Apostille for a U.S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America, contact the U.S. Department of State, Passport Services, Vital Records Office.