Author
Accommodation of applicants is at the moment organised in the two reception centres for applicants for international protection, one in Zagreb and the other in Kutina.
Although in 2025, due to the smaller number of applicants, the reception capacities were not as burdened as in previous years, complaints about accommodation conditions continued in 2025.
Throughout 2025, the Office of the Ombudswoman received complaints from applicants for international protection regarding accommodation conditions at the Reception Centre in Zagreb. These complaints highlighted pest infestations (bedbugs and cockroaches) in living quarters, poor water supply, and the inadequate food quantity and quality. While the procedures initiated in response to these complaints successfully resolved the identified issues in most cases, they have not been entirely eliminated. Despite regular reporting to competent epidemiological services, the execution of control and prevention measures, and weekly treatments, persistent challenges remain. This underscores the need for a more systemic, long-term approach that includes both strengthening current measures and introducing additional ones. Additionally, the Office received complaints from applicants concerning the conduct of security personnel and police officers within the Reception Centre. One case was opened following media reports concerning the rape of a female international protection applicant by a security guard at the Reception Centre. Subsequently, a criminal complaint was filed against the guard with the competent state attorney’s office.[1]
According to information from the Are You Syrious, complaints regarding cockroaches and bedbugs at the Reception Centre for Applicants for International Protection in Zagreb continued throughout 2025.[2]
The Croatian Red Cross reported that a large number of newly arrived applicants for international protection were recorded at the Reception Centre during 2025, with the majority of applicants staying for less than 24 hours.[3]
In March 2020, access to Reception Centres for Applicants of International Protection became subject to visitation restrictions, i.e., only personnel of the Ministry of Interior necessary for the normal functioning of the Centre was allowed entrance to the facilities. This means that civil society organisations had to interrupt their activities in the centres, with the exception of the Croatian Red Cross and MdM.[4] The same organisation continued in 2025 and restrictions for nonessential entries to the centres remained in place until the end of 2025. Croatian Law Centre gained access in mid December to provide free legal aid to applicants for international protection under the AMIF-funded project. As part of the Coordination for Integration, an informal network of civil society organizations led by the CPS, CPS organized a meeting with the Ministry of the Interior in November 2024 to discuss the return of organizations to the Reception Centre for Applicants for International Protection in Zagreb. During the meeting, representatives of eight civil society organizations (AYS, Society for Psychological Assistance, CPS, Center for Cultural Dialogue, JRS, Croatian Law Centre, Borders:none, Rehabilitation Center for Stress and Trauma) presented their reasons for requesting access to the reception centre in order to organize activities and provide support to applicants for international protection. Although an agreement was not reached during the meeting, the Ministry of the Interior agreed to consider the organizations’ request and to explore possible options to offer civil society organizations access to space or alternative solutions to improve the visibility of their activities to applicants for international protection within the Reception Centre. Another meeting was held in 2025 but without success.
Overall living conditions
Applicants can go outside whenever they want but have to return by 11 pm. Under the House Rules, return to centre after 11pm is possible with the permission of the officials of the Reception Centre.
Applicants may stay outside the Reception Centre for Applicants for International Protection for longer than 24 hours with the prior consent of the Reception Centre. If, on the basis of individual assessment, consent is denied, the Reception Centre shall issue a decision thereon.[5]
State of the facilities
People in the reception centres share rooms. In Kutina, families share a room, unaccompanied children and single women are accommodated separately in rooms, while in Zagreb a maximum 4 persons can share a room.[6] Families are accommodated in the same room, but in Zagreb if there are more than 5 members of one family, they are given 2 rooms if possible.[7]
Food and religious practice
In both centres, residents receive three meals per day and pregnant women, recent mothers and children up to 16 years shall be also provided with an afternoon snack.[8]
Kitchens, equipped by the Croatian Red Cross, where applicants can prepare meals by themselves, are available in the Reception Centres in Kutina,[9] and in Zagreb.[10] However, there is no information available whether kitchens were in function in the period from 2020 until the end of 2025.
No problems were reported in connection to the possibility of practicing religion. In the Reception Centre in Zagreb, there is a room for Muslim applicants to pray. In Kutina, applicants can practice their religion in their rooms.
Activities in the centres
The staff of the Ministry of Interior working in the reception centres was generally sufficient in previous years. However in 2025, similar to 2023 and 2024, the main challenges resulted from the high numbers of applicants, although the number of applicants for international reception was lower that in previous years.
Access to reception centres was restricted from March 2020 until the end of 2025, with the exception of personnel of the Ministry of Interior, Croatian Red Cross and MdM. Apart from CRC and MdM, civil society organisations were not present in the centres in the course of 2025. However, in mid-December 2025, following the commencement of a new AMIF project focused on providing legal counselling to applicants in procedures before MoI, access to the Reception Centres for Applicants for International Protection was also granted to the Croatian Law Centre.
In 2025, as in previous years, most of the applicants remained in the centre for a very short period of time and fluctuation of applicants who were voluntarily leaving the centre was significant.
The Croatian Red Cross (CRC)[11] carried out the following activities with applicants for international protection in reception centers in Zagreb and Kutina during 2025 as part of the AMIF funded project:
- Providing psychosocial and practical support and assistance to applicants, based on the identified needs of individuals and families;
- Identifying vulnerable groups (children, unaccompanied minors, elderly persons, single women, individuals with physical and mental health challenges, individuals who have experienced trauma or torture, potential victims of human trafficking, and victims of domestic violence) and planning work tailored to their specific needs;
- Participating in the organization of daily life in the reception centers: assisting with the reception and accommodation of newly arrived applicants; encouraging hygiene and cleanliness maintenance; procuring and distributing hygiene supplies and humanitarian aid; providing various types of information and assistance in solving everyday problems; organizing an Info Corner and Job Center (where applicants participate in maintaining the reception centers and their surroundings); ensuring access to laundry machines and kitchenettes for users; conducting workshops and educational sessions on personal hygiene and space cleanliness to promote hygienic habits, healthy lifestyles, and disease prevention, including the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases;
- Assisting with access to healthcare services, ensuring specialist medical examinations as prescribed by doctors, providing medications and nutritional supplies as recommended by medical professionals, procuring medical equipment and aids, and conducting first aid courses;
- Organizing social, educational, and sports activities aimed at empowerment, better socialization, adaptation, and strengthening mutual understanding and cooperation: children’s workshops, creative workshops, sports activities, football, gym for men and women, computer workshops, technical workshops, Croatian language workshops, library access, music room activities, intercultural learning workshops, and education on hygiene and health promotion;
- Involving applicants in local community programs and activities, and engaging local community volunteers in activities with applicants to promote better socialization, integration into community life, and prevention of conflict situations, misunderstandings, discrimination, and xenophobia;
- Conducting tasks related to the Tracing Service and restoring family links.
Children were provided with support through the children’s playroom and IT workshop, in which 617 children participated throughout the year. Although a large number of children left the Reception centre quickly and were not enrolled in school, learning support was provided to 224 children who were included in the school system and for whom the Croatian Red Cross provided the necessary school supplies and equipment. The Croatian language workshop for adults, organized by the Croatian Red Cross, was attended by 221 applicants for international protection, while 330 applicants participated in the IT workshop for adults. Various intercultural activities in the Reception centres reached more than 2,100 applicants, and over 130 applicants for international protection participated in community-related activities.[12]
| CRC’s Activity | Number of Beneficiaries |
| Reception and Accommodation | 9,842 |
| Psychosocial Support | 2,264 |
| Access to Healthcare Services | 487 |
| Children’s Workshop and Children’s IT Workshop | 617 |
| Assistance to Children with Learning and Homework | 224 |
| Croatian Language Workshop for Adults | 221 |
| Sports Workshops | 819 |
| Creative Workshop | 310 |
| IT Workshop for Adults | 330 |
| TOTAL | 15,108 |
Throughout 2025, the trend of a high number of newly arrived applicants in both reception centers continued. During this period, a majority of applicants for international protection stayed in the reception centers for less than 24 hours. Consequently, it was impossible to include them in the activities that the CRC organized daily to make their stay in the reception centers as comfortable and fulfilling as possible.[13] Particular challenges arose in working with applicants for international protection who were returned to Croatia under the Dublin procedure (see The situation of Dublin returnees).
Organisations continued providing assistance and activities also outside the Reception Centres:
In 2025, AYS[14] continued to run a so-called “free shop” where applicants for and beneficiaries of international protection as well as persons under temporary protection (but also other persons in need) could get clothes, shoes, hygiene items, dishes and other household items free of charge. The Free Shop is open three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday). During 2025, in total 2,692 visits were recorded and 36,115 items distributed. According to AYS, over the past year, a quarter of the beneficiaries were persons under temporary protection who had fled from Ukraine, followed by the highest number of beneficiaries from the Russian Federation, Syria, and Türkiye. A significant portion of the beneficiaries also included individuals returned under the Dublin Regulation. During 2025, applicants for international protection often complained to AYS about the impossibility of obtaining adequate clothes, shoes and hygiene supplies in the Reception Centre.
During 2025, AYS conducted 4 informal Croatian language courses for applicants for and beneficiaries of international protection, with 2 of those courses continuing in 2026. Courses took place in the premises of the AYS integration centre. The courses were held in morning and afternoon sessions, with groups of ten participants per session. The demographic composition of participants varied depending on the course cycle, and participants were from the following countries of origin: Afghanistan, Burundi, Philippines, Colombia, Congo, Mongolia, Ivory Coast, Palestine, Russian Federation, Syria, Tunisia and Türkiye.
In 2025, collaboration with Croaticum at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb ended, which had launched a volunteer-led B1.1 course in November 2024 for applicants and beneficiaries of international protection.
AYS gathered interested participants, while Croaticum conducted the initial language testing, and the B1.1 course continued until April 2025.
As of 2024, AYS restructured its employment support program as a volunteer-based initiative. In 2025, the program provided employment assistance to 43 individuals through 121 instances of support —including applicants for international protection as well as persons under international and temporary protection. In practice, this support included help with CV writing, identifying suitable job opportunities based on the individual’s education, work experience and skills, and contacting potential employers. The program also introduced CV and job application (cover letter) workshops, as well as informational sessions on employment rights and responsibilities, with the aim of empowering beneficiaries to navigate the Croatian labor market independently. The majority of AYS beneficiaries in the employment support program were applicants for international protection. Challenges reported by AYS included language barriers, non-payment of wages or overtime, lack of information about employee rights (e.g., maternity and parental leave, annual leave entitlements), employers avoiding contract signing, and difficulties in accessing sick leave rights for female applicants for international protection when their child was ill.
In September 2025, in collaboration with the Public Open University Step by Step, AYS continued to run the Play Center at the Travno Cultural Center. Every Monday and Wednesday, children can come for various activities, workshops, and playtime, and the AYS coordinator is one of the coordinators. The Play Center is open to all children, and is particularly intended for families at risk of social exclusion
In 2025, the association Borders: None supported applicants for international protection through a diverse range of activities. These activities included legal assistance, Croatian and English language courses, workshops and consultations for labor market integration on topics such as CV building and job search, digital educational programs, a social mentoring program for people aged 18-30 and a peer-to-peer community space for young people.[15]
The Croatian Law Centre’s lawyers were providing legal counselling to interested applicants at CLC premises, but also through phone and email.
CPS provided free legal assistance to applicants for international protection in CPS premises but also online, by e-mail, and by telephone. As part of the free legal aid program, a training session was also held in November 2025, during which Russian and Arabic-speaking applicants for international protection were informed about the procedure for international protection, acquiring the right to work, labor rights, and mechanisms for reporting irregularities.[16]
In 2025, the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) carried out the following activities with applicants for international protection: free legal assistance; mediation in the process of employment of applicants for international protection and integration into the local labour market.
Applicants for international protection most frequently approached JRS for employment mediation and information regarding labor rights, issues with employers (unpaid wages, unregistered work, discrimination), legal counseling on the international protection procedure and its duration, possibilities of transitioning to a residence status based on a work permit and support in learning the Croatian language.[17]
Duration of stay in the centres
According to information from the Croatian Red Cross, during 2025 a majority of applicants for international protection stayed in Reception Centre for Applicants for less than 24 hours,[18] so in 2025 Croatia was still perceived as a transit country.
In the regular procedure, applicants can be accommodated at a Reception Centre until the completion of the procedure and a final decision is taken on their case (at first instance and during the administrative dispute). When a final negative decision on the application for international protection has been taken and the time for executing the order to leave the country has elapsed, the right to receiving reception conditions ends.
[1] Ombudswoman: Annual Report for 2025, available at: https://www.ombudsman.hr/hr/download/izvjesce-pucke-pravobraniteljice-za-2025-godinu/?wpdmdl=23118&refresh=69cd1d3691f351775050038.
[2] Information provided by AYS, 17 February 2026.
[3] Information provided by Croatian Red Cross, 173 February 2026.
[4] Ministry of Interior, Applicants for international protection in the Republic of Croatia are not infected with the coronavirus, 18 March 2020, available in Croatian at: https://bit.ly/3xgvIOf.
[5] Article 56(8) LITP.
[6] Information provided by the Croatian Red Cross, 18 March 2019.
[7] Information provided by the Croatian Red Cross, 18 March 2019.
[8] Article 20 Ordinance on the Realisation of Material Reception Conditions.
[9] Information provided by the Croatian Red Cross, 18 March 2019.
[10] Information provided by the Croatian Red Cross, 20 December 2019.
[11] Information provided by the Croatian Red Cross, 13 February 2026.
[12] Croatian Red Cross: Annual report on the work of the Croatian Red Cross in 2025, available at: https://www.hck.hr/UserDocsImages/dokumenti/Pristup%20informacijama/Dokumenti,%20zakonski%20i%20podzakonski%20akti/Izvje%C5%A1%C4%87e%20o%20radu%20HCK%20u%202025.pdf?vel=3338517.
[13] Information provided by the Croatian Red Cross, 13 February 2026.
[14] Information provided by Are You Syrious, 17 February 2026.
[15] Information provided by Borders: None, 13 March 2026.
[16] Information provided by Centre for Peace Studies, 2 March 2026.
[17] Information provided by Jesuit Refugee Service, 17 February 2026.
[18] Information provided by Croatian Red Cross, 13 February 2026.