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Short overview of the reception system
The Ministry of the Interior, or more precisely its’ Service for reception and accommodation of applicants for international protection, is responsible for the reception of applicants of international protection and runs two Reception Centres for applicants of International protection, which are situated in Zagreb and Kutina. The total reception capacity of these two centres is 740 places.
In 2022, within the project “Renovation of the Reception Centre for Applicants for International Protection in Kutina”, the Kutina Reception Centre was renovated. The aim of the project was to improve reception and accommodation conditions, and one of the results was that accommodation capacity of Kutina center has been increased from 100 to 140.[1]
The highest number of applicants for international protection than ever before has been recorded in Croatia, which required great efforts in adapting the reception and accommodation conditions.
Applicants of international protection have the right to accommodation from the day of expressing the intention to apply for international protection until the enforceability of the decision on the application, if they do not have an adequate standard of living.[2]
[1] Croatian Law Centre, The Croatian Asylum System in 2022 – National Report. The report was prepared as part of the project “Legal Assistance and Capacity Building for Access to Territory and Asylum in Croatia“, with financial support of the UNHCR Croatia: available in English at: https://bit.ly/434T7RL.
[2] Article 7(1) Ordinance on the realisation of material reception conditions