Craft

Administrative authority: Administrative Department for Entrepreneurship, Tourism, and Maritime Affairs of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, according to the location of the craft’s headquarters: Dubrovnik, Korčula, Lastovo, Metković, and Ploče.

Contact:

Email: gospodarstvo@dnz.hr
Phone:
Pred Dvorom 1: 020/351-400
Vukovarska 16: 020/351-182

Craft, as defined by this Law, is the independent and permanent pursuit of permitted economic activities in accordance with Article 8 of the Crafts Act (Official Herald 143/13, 127/19, and 41/20) by natural persons with the aim of achieving income or profit through production, trade, or the provision of services in the market.

Who is a craftsman: A craftsman, according to this Law, is a natural person who independently performs one or more activities listed in Article 2, paragraph 1 of this Law in their name and for their account, and may also use the work of other persons.

Within the meaning of the Crafts Act, craft businesses can take the form of:

Free crafts, for the pursuit of which no examination of professional competence or master’s exam is required.
Restricted crafts, for the pursuit of which an examination of professional competence, an appropriate secondary vocational education, or a master’s exam is required.
Special crafts, which a craftsman may perform only based on a privilege or permit issued by the competent ministry or another body whose jurisdiction is specified by a special regulation depending on the activity.

The address (headquarters) of the craft is the location where the workshop or business space is situated. If a physical space is not required for the craft, as is the case with on-site activities (e.g., construction or transportation services), the craft’s headquarters is the address where the craftsman resides, typically their home address. If the craft operates in multiple workshops or business spaces, the headquarters is in one of the locations designated by the craftsman, while the others are registered as separate branches.

Termination of the craft (applies to business entities operating as crafts):

The craft ceases either by deregistration or by force of law.
The cessation of the craft as mentioned in paragraph 1 of this article is correspondingly applicable to the termination of one or more activities conducted within the craft.

e-Craft

The registration of a craft can be accomplished through the Internet, using the e-Craft service e-Craft , which is an integral part of the e-Citizens, enabling faster and simpler procedures. The e-Craft service utilizes a personal user inbox, like other services within the e-Citizens system.

A prerequisite for registration into e-Craft is possession of one of the accepted credentials. To prove the prescribed conditions, through e-Craft, one can register a new craft, including a craft with a defined start date of business activity, a craft without commencement of work, and a seasonal craft. Additionally, changes to data during the operation of the craft can be registered through e-Craft.

GENERAL CONDITIONS FOR OPENING A CRAFT

When opening a craft, two general conditions stipulated by the Crafts Act are verified, and these are:

Absence of a prohibition on performing the activity based on a final court judgment, misdemeanor decision, or a decision of the Court of Honor of the Croatian Chamber of Crafts.
Right to use the space (ownership, lease) if necessary for conducting the craft.

The right to use the space may be based on ownership, a signed lease agreement, or a written consent of the space owner explicitly permitting the specific craft activity in their space.

When space is required for conducting the craft, the craftsman can only operate in a space for which they have proof of the right to use. In spaces considered residential, only those activities listed in the Regulation on Crafts that can be performed in residential areas can be carried out, to an extent and in a manner that does not require a change in the conditions of using residential space. In addition to this condition, other activities not listed in this Regulation can also be performed in an apartment.

A craft can be conducted in multiple separate branches. A separate branch is defined as one or more mutually separated spaces where the craft is conducted or used for conducting the craft, located outside the craft’s headquarters. In each separate branch, a craftsman conducting a free craft is obliged to appoint a manager. The manager in a separate branch of a tied craft must also meet the professional requirements for that tied craft. The manager manages the craft on behalf and for the account of the craftsman.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS FOR OPENING A CRAFT

Special conditions stipulated by the Crafts Act are:

Adequate professional qualifications for tied crafts (professional competence exam, secondary vocational education, master’s exam).
Specific health requirements for craft occupations regulated by special laws (e.g., construction activities due to working at heights).
Privilege in the case of performing privileged crafts, issued by the competent ministry or another state body (e.g., for fishing at sea or road transport of persons or goods).

IMPORTANT REGULATIONS

Membership in the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts is mandatory.

FORMS:

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF CRAFT IN THE CRAFT REGISTER

1.a. Documents for registration in the craft register

1.b. Documents for registration of changes in the craft register

1.c. Documents for registration of a joint craft

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF A SEPARATE BRANCH IN THE CRAFT REGISTER

2.a. Documents for registration of a separate branch

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF PARTNERS IN THE CRAFT REGISTER

3.a. Documents for joining – leaving partners

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION IN THE RECORD OF DOMESTIC HANDICRAFT AND SECONDARY OCCUPATION