Croatia or Romania
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Croatia | Romania | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 56 900 | — |
| Citizenship | 8 years | 8 years |
| Partner can work | yes | yes |
| Parents | difficult | difficult |
| Pets | difficult | no trouble |
| Pet limit | 5 | 5 |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 1 081 | $ 899 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 40,1 | $ 26,8 |
| Life expectancy | 78.93 | 76.46 |
| Homicides/100k | 1.01 | 1.12 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Croatia — 91, Romania — 95. Types present in both: work, remote work, study, family, investment, repatriation, job seeking and working holiday. Romania adds: talent.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Croatia: fees range from 13.27 to 93 EUR. Routes with no fee: 2. Routes stating an income threshold: 1; the lowest is 3,622.5 EUR a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 1; the shortest is 15 days. Romania: the fee is 300 EUR wherever it is published. Routes stating an income threshold: 1; the lowest is 500 EUR a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 91; the shortest is 30 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: both after 5 years. Citizenship: both after 8 years. Romania allows a second citizenship, Croatia does not.
Croatia in brief
A member of the EU, Schengen and the eurozone with a growing tech sector (Zagreb, Split) and a Mediterranean coast; permanent residence after 5 years, and a digital nomad visa of up to 18 months. Held back by citizenship at 8 years requiring you to give up the previous one (dual is difficult), noticeable seismic risk (the 2020 earthquakes), corruption above the EU average and IT salaries below Western European levels.
Romania in brief
An EU and Schengen country with a large tech sector and a low cost of living; held back by high seismic risk (Bucharest especially), an 8-year route to citizenship with a language requirement, and systemic corruption.
Other comparisons
More on each: Croatia · Romania. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.