Croatia didn’t sign the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The procedure of adopting a child from Croatia is based on national legislation. If you are U.S. citizen and want to adopt a child from Croatia, the fact that USA is party to the Hague Adoption Convention doesn’t affect the procedure and it must be consistent with the laws of the Republic of Croatia.

Adoptions from Croatia are rare. The office of the Croatian government, responsible for adoptions is the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (Ministarstvo Rada i Socialne Skrbi) and the Center for Social Work (Centar za Socialni Skrb).

The prospective adoptive parents must first meet the regulations of the U.S. legal requirements. They must apply for immigrant visa for the child. The Croatian law does not prohibit intercountry adoptions, but they must be made under extraordinary circumstances. There is no uniform legal practice on such cases.

The prospective parent(s) must contact the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and the Center for Social Work, if they have or have not yet chosen a child for adoption. Adoption policy in Croatia sets an optimal age range for prospective adopting parents at between 25-35. Married couples are preferred for adopting infants between the age of 0 and 3. There is no special form for application. All adoptions must be approved through the Ministarstvo Rada i Socialne Skrbi. The application must be accompanied by the following documents: Certified birth certificate, Certified marriage certificate (if applicable), Medical certificate of good health, Certificate of citizenship, Police and Court certificates, social worker's analysis.

The procedure takes approximately a year to be completed, but delays may occur. During that time Croatian laws require the prospective parents to travel to Croatia and meet with social workers, attorneys and representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.