Register of Associations
The Associations Act (Narodne novine, No. 74/14, 70/17, 98/19 and 151/22) regulates the establishment, legal status, activities, registration, financing, assets, liability, status changes, supervision, dissolution of associations with legal personality, as well as the registration and discontinuance of activities of foreign associations in the Republic of Croatia, unless otherwise regulated by a special law.
An association is any form of free and voluntary association of natural or legal persons who, in order to protect their interests or to advocate the protection of human rights and freedoms, environment and nature protection, sustainable development as well as humanitarian, social, cultural, educational, scientific, sports, health, technical, information, professional and other convictions and aims which are not contrary to the Constitution and the law, without the intention to seek profit or other economically assessable benefits, subject themselves to the rules governing the organization and operation of such form of association.
An association may be founded by at least three founders. A founder of an association, within the meaning of this Act, may be any legally competent natural person not deprived of the capacity to enter into legal transactions and a legal person. In addition, an underage person from the age of 14 or a person of age who has been deprived of legal capacity to enter into legal transactions may be founders of an association, subject to a notarised letter of consent by their legal representative or guardian, provided before the founding assembly. However, at the time of establishment of an association, at least one founder must be a legally competent adult not deprived of the capacity to enter into of legal transactions.
A founder of an association cannot be a person:
- convicted by a final judgement of the crime of financing terrorism or money laundering for the duration of the legal consequences of the conviction or a person against whom international measures of restricted disposal of property have been imposed, while the measures are in force; or
- convicted by a final judgment of a crime in another state which, by its essential characteristics, corresponds to the crimes referred to in item 1 of this paragraph.
An authorised representative cannot be a person:
- convicted by a final judgement of the crime of financing terrorism or money laundering, breach of trust in business dealings, business fraud, bankruptcy fraud, favouritism towards creditors or violation of bookkeeping duties under the law governing crimes and criminal sanctions or previously valid crimes of bankruptcy abuse and abuse of bankruptcy process, for the duration of the legal consequences of the conviction or a person against whom international measures of restricted disposal of property have been imposed, while the measures are in force; or
- convicted by a final judgment of a crime in another state which, by its essential characteristics, corresponds to the crimes referred to in item 1 of this paragraph.
A founder of an association that is in direct contact with children cannot be a person who convicted by a final judgment of any of the crimes of child sexual abuse and exploitation under the law governing crimes and criminal sanctions.
Associations are entered in the Register of Associations of the Republic of Croatia in a county or the City of Zagreb, according to the seat of the association. The Register of Associations is kept electronically in a uniform manner for all associations in the Republic of Croatia by the competent administrative body of a county or the City of Zagreb.
The following documents must be enclosed with the application form for registration:
- minutes of the founding assembly,
- decision of the assembly to initiate the procedure of registration in the Register of Associations, unless the decision was made at the founding assembly,
- the statutes,
- list of founders,
- personal names of authorised representatives and name of the liquidator,
- copy from the companies register or other register for the foreign legal person acting as founder,
- copy of identity cards or passports of founders, liquidators and authorised representatives,
- notarised statements of founders on the absence of obstacles referred to in Article 11(7) and (8) of the Associations Act
- notarised statements of authorised representatives and liquidators on the absence of obstacles referred to in Article 19(2) and (3) of the Associations Act
- letter of consent or approval by the authority competent for the performance of a specific activity, when this is provided for by special law as a requirement for registering an association
- notarised letter of consent by the legal representative or guardian, when a founder is an underage person from the age of 14 or an adult who has been deprived of legal capacity in the part concerning the conclusion of legal transactions,
- notarised statement of a natural person if the name of the person or a part thereof forms the name of the association, i.e. a letter of consent of the person’s heirs,
- notarised letter of consent by an international organisation if its name or logo forms the name of the association.
The competent administrative body issues a decision on the registration of the association in the Register.
An authorised representative of the association, who must be of age and not devoid of legal capacity to enter into legal transactions, is obligated to report to the competent administrative body any changes in the statute, name, objectives and activities, seat and address of the seat, persons authorised for representation, regardless of whether they are the same as in the previous term, selection and removal of liquidators, and dissolution of the association.
An application for entering changes in the Register of Associations must be submitted within 60 days of the date of decision on the changes concerned. An application submitted after the deadline, with the exception of the dissolution of an association, will be dismissed by a written decision.
An application for entry in the Register of Associations or an application for the entry of changes in the Register of Associations must be submitted in two identical copies.
An appeal may be lodged against the decision of the competent administrative body to the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation.