Croatian Roots

Country guide · United Kingdom · Reviewed 18.09.2026

Applying from United Kingdom

Applicants in the United Kingdom file at the Croatian Embassy in London, 21 Conway Street, W1T 6BN. The London post asks for a police certificate "from the country the person is living in for the past 6 months" without naming an issuer; in practice that is the ACRO Criminal Records Office certificate. UK documents are legalised by the FCDO Legalisation Office, and for ACRO certificates from England and Wales there is no e-Apostille — paper only, £45, about 25 working days.

Check your eligibilityWhat documents you need

  • Police certificate

    In practice

    Police Certificate

  • Apostille

    Official source

    FCDO legalisation. No e-Apostille is available for ACRO certificates from England and Wales: paper only, £45, about 25 working days — and London insists on the paper version.

  • Long-form record

    Official source

    The full certificate from the General Register Office, not the short certificate

01 / Where you file

Which Croatian post receives a file from United Kingdom?

The post is fixed by where you live, not by preference. Filing at the wrong one means starting the appointment queue again.
Croatian diplomatic and consular posts that receive citizenship applications from United Kingdom, and the territory each one covers.
PostCityCovers
Embassy of the Republic of CroatiaLondonThe United Kingdom. 21 Conway Street, London W1T 6BN

02 / Documents

What does United Kingdom call the documents Croatia asks for?

Naming the wrong document is the most expensive mistake in a file: it is discovered at the counter, after the apostille and the translation are paid for.

  • Police certificate

    In practice

    Police Certificate

    Issued by ACRO Criminal Records Office

    The London post does not name ACRO — it asks only for a police certificate from the country of residence for the past six months. ACRO is the issuer in practice.

  • Apostille

    Official source

    FCDO legalisation. No e-Apostille is available for ACRO certificates from England and Wales: paper only, £45, about 25 working days — and London insists on the paper version.

    Issued by FCDO Legalisation Office

  • Long-form record

    Official source

    The full certificate from the General Register Office, not the short certificate

03 / Fees

What does it cost to apply from United Kingdom?

Consular fees are reviewed roughly every six months for exchange rates and are non-refundable whatever the outcome. Treat every figure here as the date it carries, not as today's price.
Published fees for a Croatian citizenship application from United Kingdom, with the evidence behind each figure and the date it was verified.
FeeAmountEvidenceAs of
Consular fee, citizenship application (London)GBP 162.61, card payment only, paid at the EmbassyOne consulate—
FCDO apostille£45 per documentOfficial source—

Also budget for what is not a consular fee: certified translations of every document and every apostille attached to it, apostille charges, ordering vital records in each generation, and travel to the post. For most families the translations are the single largest line.

04 / Local specifics

What catches people out in United Kingdom?

The law is the same everywhere. These are the local rules: the ones that are only written down at one post, or not written down at all.

  • No e-Apostille for the ACRO certificate

    Official source

    The FCDO issues electronic apostilles for many documents, but not for ACRO police certificates from England and Wales — and the Embassy in London wants the paper version regardless. Budget about twenty-five working days for the paper route, and order the certificate before anything with a shorter shelf life.

  • The short birth certificate is not enough

    Official source

    The GRO issues a short certificate that omits the parents. Croatian posts need the full certificate, because the parents’ names are what link one generation of the file to the next. Order the full certificate from the outset.

  • Card only, at the counter

    One consulate

    The London fee is GBP 162.61 and the Embassy takes card payment at the counter, not a bank transfer in advance. Consular fees are non-refundable regardless of the outcome of the application.

05 / Common questions

The three things everyone asks first.

Answered from the same data as the tables above, so the two cannot drift apart.

Croatian Roots

Citizenship-by-descent casework, Zagreb

Reviewed by Croatian Roots, Croatian citizenship by descent, Zagreb. Last reviewed 18.09.2026.

SOURCES

General information about Croatian law, not legal advice, and not a prediction of any outcome. Requirements vary by consular post and change without notice. Every application is decided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Croatia.

Q1Where do I apply for Croatian citizenship from United Kingdom?

Applications from United Kingdom are received by Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in London.

Confirm current requirements with the post before ordering documents, because checklists change without notice.

Q2Which criminal-record check does Croatia accept from United Kingdom?

Police Certificate, issued by ACRO Criminal Records Office.

The London post does not name ACRO — it asks only for a police certificate from the country of residence for the past six months. ACRO is the issuer in practice.

Q3Who apostilles documents in United Kingdom?

FCDO legalisation. No e-Apostille is available for ACRO certificates from England and Wales: paper only, £45, about 25 working days — and London insists on the paper version.

06 / Other countries

Filing from somewhere else?

All guides

07 / Next step

Six questions tell you which article your line falls under.

The check is free and takes two minutes. If the answer is promising, a lawyer reads the detail before you spend anything on records or translations.

Check eligibilitySee packages & prices

Reviewed 18.09.2026 · General information, not legal advice