by croatiaweek
August 19, 2025
in
(Photo: Florian Plag/CC BY 2.0)
Croatia’s State Inspectorate has intensified controls over employers during the peak tourist season, uncovering widespread breaches of labour regulations across the country.
From mid-May to early August 2025, more than 1,200 inspections were carried out in the hospitality sector, with inspectors focusing on hotels, campsites, restaurants, bars and other establishments, particularly along the coast and on the islands.
As Večernji list reports, the findings reveal that, despite complaints from employers about labour shortages, some continue to operate outside the law – failing to register workers for pension contributions, neglecting proper employment documentation, and hiring foreign nationals without valid work or residence permits.
According to the State Inspectorate, 368 offences were recorded against employers, both legal entities and responsible individuals.
By the beginning of August, 99 indictments had been filed with the courts, alongside 181 offence orders. Inspectors also issued 164 administrative measures, including 89 rulings ordering employers to register workers for pension insurance.
Under Croatian law, fines for unregistered workers stand at €2,650 per employee, rising to €6,630 if repeated within six years.
A total of 57 rulings under the Aliens Act resulted in temporary 30-day bans for businesses employing foreign nationals without proper permits. In several cases, employers had their bans lifted after paying €3,981.68 per illegally employed worker into the state budget.
By early August, fines collected for such violations had reached €310,608.
Occupational safety was another major focus. Inspectors conducted 982 safety inspections in hospitality and 34 in tourism-related activities.
Violations led to 2,476 administrative measures, mostly involving the removal of workers not trained for safe work, prohibiting the use of unsafe equipment, and ordering corrections of other irregularities.
On-the-spot fines were also common, with 576 issued, totalling €232,981. In addition, five formal offence orders brought in a further €32,237.
Altogether, more than €500,000 has been paid into the state budget due to breaches of labour and safety regulations.
The Inspectorate stressed that inspections would continue throughout the tourist season to ensure fair conditions for workers and to protect the state budget. While demand for seasonal labour remains high, authorities have made clear that bypassing employment regulations will not be tolerated.