Assigned foreign workers in Croatia: user firm liability

Since 4 June 2026 a user firm that keeps an assigned foreign worker in a police administration area where the occupation is not in shortage commits an offence. The responsible person in a user legal entity faces 1,500 to 3,000 euro per worker. Under placement the user firm is the direct employer; under assignment the agency is.

The user firm's offence after the Aliens Act amendment

The Act amending the Aliens Act (Narodne novine 55/2026) was published on 27 May 2026 and entered into force on 4 June 2026. Amended Article 247 created a separate liability for the user firm, the company where the assigned worker actually works without holding an employment contract with it.

A user firm offends when it uses an assigned worker in a police administration area where the occupation is not in shortage, and equally in an area where no labour market test ran for that occupation. The responsible person in a user legal entity faces a fine of 1,500 to 3,000 euro for each worker (Article 247, paragraph 7). The fine multiplies by headcount, so moving a crew to a site in another county without checking the permit puts the whole crew at risk.

Under placement the agency finds the worker and the user firm signs the employment contract as employer. Every employer duty under the Aliens Act then rests with that firm. Under assignment the employer is the temporary work agency, and since 4 June 2026 the user firm answers for where the worker is used.

What the agency files and what is checked at the user firm

A temporary work agency applying for a residence and work permit attaches its assignment contract with the user firm (Article 100, paragraph 1, of the Aliens Act, Narodne novine 133/2020). The permit is issued to the agency only if the user firm meets the employer conditions of Article 99, paragraph 1 (Article 100, paragraph 2). The user firm therefore passes the same check as a direct employer, although it is not the applicant.

When the user firm changes, the agency must deliver the new assignment contract to the competent police administration (Article 100, paragraph 3). A new user firm that takes the worker before that delivery takes a worker with no record in the file. The employer conditions themselves are set out in the guide to employer conditions and the HZZ positive opinion.

The permit confirmation: police administrations and shortage occupations

Since 4 June 2026 the permit confirmation lists the police administrations where the labour market test ran and where work in the shortage occupation is allowed (Article 91, paragraph 5). For the user firm, that list is the boundary: the worker may work only in the areas named.

An Article 97 permit is decided within 90 days of a complete file, labour market test included, plus 30 days in complex non seasonal cases. Extending work to a new area cannot happen overnight, so crew schedules should follow the confirmation rather than the needs of a single project.

Deadlines, service and inspection

Police send conclusions and summonses to employers and user firms electronically, into their e-Građani user mailbox (Article 91, paragraph 13). A user firm that does not monitor the mailbox misses the deadlines set in a summons. The business closure an inspector orders under Article 240 now also reaches the user firm when the employer is a temporary work agency (Article 62 of Narodne novine 55/2026).

The assignment model itself is covered in the guide to temporary agency work for foreign workers. The amendments are published in Narodne novine 55/2026 and the base text in Narodne novine 133/2020. Open roles are on the job board.