What the new Croatian legalization law brings (2026)

Sebastijan Sekulić, PhD, chartered geodetic engineer

In short

On 30 April 2026 the Croatian Parliament adopted amendments to the Act on the Treatment of Illegally Constructed Buildings, published in Official Gazette 48/2026 and in force since 16 May 2026. For owners of unpermitted houses, extensions and auxiliary buildings it is the biggest change since the first legalization wave.

Four key changes

  • The application deadline has been abolished — legalization can be initiated at any time, unlike the previous rounds with hard deadlines.
  • The procedure is fully digital: applications go through the eDozvola system and the geodetic survey is produced in electronic (GML) form.
  • The water contribution has been abolished, lowering the total cost.
  • Owners whose earlier application was rejected over incomplete documentation or an unpaid fee can apply again.

Who qualifies

The threshold remains the same: buildings erected by 21 June 2011 can be legalised, proven by visibility on the State Geodetic Administration digital orthophoto or by cadastre records up to that date. Buildings in protected areas and infrastructure corridors remain excluded.

What to do now

There is no deadline, but the offices get busier every month — and a sale, mortgage or inheritance will not wait. The first step costs nothing: checking whether the building is visible on the 2011 imagery and which documentation it needs.

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