HKMS (Croatian Nursing Council): Registration and Exams
The Croatian Nursing Council (HKMS) is the regulatory body for nursing in Croatia. Here is how it handles general care nursing qualifications from outside the EU.
Overview
The Croatian Nursing Council (Hrvatska komora medicinskih sestara, HKMS) describes itself as the regulatory body for nursing in Croatia.
It recognises foreign professional qualifications of general care nurses (medicinska sestra/medicinski tehničar odgovorni za djelatnost opće njege) and keeps the register of nurses that you must join to work.
For qualifications obtained in third countries, the HKMS applies the Act on Regulated Professions and the Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications and the Ministry of Health's ordinance on recognition criteria. It first checks accreditation, then compares your training with the Croatian requirement and decides whether any difference can be made up by a compensation measure: an adaptation period of up to three years or a competency check.
This page is for nurses trained in countries such as the Philippines, India, Kenya, Nigeria or Pakistan, nurses working in the Gulf and UK-trained nurses, all of whom are third-country applicants. It sets out the documents, fees, the competency check, the Croatian language rule and what comes after recognition.
Croatia is unusual in that nurses can qualify at secondary school level as well as through a bachelor's or master's degree. The HKMS says the Croatian system has no retraining or adult-education route to general care nursing, and that retraining cannot provide the required minimum of training, so applications based on such programmes face particular scrutiny.
After recognition, nurses can turn to the Ministry of Health to arrange the internship (pripravnički staž) and the professional exam, under Article 176 of the Health Protection Act, and then register with the HKMS, for which Croatian at B2 is required.
Official website: hkms.hr
Who it registers
- Register of nurses (Registar HKMS): general care nurses at secondary, bachelor's and master's level working in Croatia.
- Licences for nurses (licence) issued to registered members.
- Recognition of foreign professional qualifications of general care nurses.
- Dormant and active membership status, under the HKMS decision on dormancy and activation of membership.
Eligibility
- A completed nursing qualification: a general care nursing secondary qualification, a bachelor's degree in nursing, or a master's in nursing after a recognised bachelor's.
- For degree programmes: an institution and programme that were accredited from enrolment to graduation, as checked by the national ENIC/NARIC office at the Agency for Science and Higher Education; otherwise the application is refused.
- A complete curriculum showing hours of theory, practice and other teaching by subject, the clinical placements and learning outcomes, with the diploma supplement and confirmation of your enrolment date and exams.
- Proof of a passed professional exam, or a signed statement if you have not taken one.
- Proof of work experience as a nurse, or a signed statement if you have not worked.
- Translations of everything not in Croatian and the Latin script.
- A representative with an address in Croatia to receive letters, if you live abroad.
- Croatian at B2 (CEFR) from an authorised institution based in the EEA for registration, unless an exemption applies.
How to apply
1. Download the HKMS forms and rules
The application form is an annex to the HKMS ordinance on recognition and is published, with the price list and other acts, under Documents and regulations on the HKMS website. The HKMS also publishes a description of the procedure for third-country qualifications and sample competency-check questions.2. Gather the eight documents
The HKMS lists: the signed application form; proof of citizenship (plain copy); your final nursing diploma or certificate in original or a copy certified by a notary based in Croatia; proof of previous education (plain copy); the full curriculum with diploma supplement and confirmation of enrolment and exams; proof of the professional exam or a signed statement; proof of experience or a signed statement; and proof of payment of €53.09.3. Translate and submit
Send translations of all documents not in Croatian and the Latin script. Name a representative with a Croatian address if you live abroad, as the General Administrative Procedure Act requires; otherwise the application is dismissed.4. Accreditation check
If you completed a nursing degree, the HKMS first checks that the institution and programme were accredited. If the ENIC/NARIC office finds they were not accredited from enrolment to graduation, the application is refused.5. Comparison with Croatian training
The HKMS asks a Croatian educational institution for an opinion on your education and learning outcomes and compares your qualification with the one required in Croatia for general care nurses. The aim is to decide whether any difference can be made up by a compensation measure. Where substantial differences cannot be compensated, the application is refused.6. Complete the compensation measure
If a measure is needed, you receive a temporary decision (privremeno rješenje). You complete either an adaptation period of up to three years or the HKMS competency check, which has a written part and, if you pass, an oral part the same afternoon. Apply in writing at least 8 days before the scheduled date and pay €199.08.7. Internship and professional exam
After you complete the measure and recognition is finished, the HKMS says you can contact the Ministry of Health to arrange the internship and the professional exam, under Article 176 of the Health Protection Act, with the exception set out in Article 170.8. Register with the HKMS
Apply for entry in the register with your diploma, professional exam certificate (exemptions apply for some qualifications), proof of citizenship, enrolment documents and, as a foreign national, the documents required by the rules on the employment of foreigners. Include proof of B2 Croatian. The registration fee is €1.
Exams and assessments
HKMS competency check (provjera kompetentnosti)
A written exam in the morning and, for those who pass, an oral exam in the afternoon of the same day; timing can change with the number of candidates. Recent sessions were held on 30 June 2026 and 23 September 2026. The oral exam is public unless you ask for it to be held without the public. The HKMS publishes sample questions.
Adaptation period (razdoblje prilagodbe)
The alternative compensation measure: supervised practice of up to three years. The HKMS does not publish a standard length; it depends on the differences found.
Professional exam (stručni ispit)
Arranged through the Ministry of Health after recognition, together with the internship.
Croatian language certificate
Not run by the HKMS. The register rules require proof of Croatian at B2 or above, issued by an authorised educational institution based in the EEA.
Language requirements
- The HKMS does not use English tests. IELTS and OET results are not part of the route.
- The HKMS register rules require proof of Croatian at least at B2 (CEFR), issued by an authorised educational institution based in the EEA.
- Exempt: nurses who completed primary school, secondary school or university in Croatian, and nurses who completed a compensation measure in Croatia during recognition.
- The Health Protection Act and the Nursing Act require Croatian at least at the level needed for unhindered and necessary communication, and the regulated professions act says language checks must be proportionate to the work.
Fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Processing of a recognition fileUnder the HKMS price list approved by the Minister of Health; reference 500 plus your date of birth. | €53.09Under the HKMS price list approved by the Minister of Health; reference 500 plus your date of birth. |
| Competency checkFormerly 1,500 kuna; paid before the exam date. | €199.08Formerly 1,500 kuna; paid before the exam date. |
| Entry in the registerOne-off registration fee. | €1One-off registration fee. |
| Adaptation periodAsk the institution where you complete it. | Not publishedAsk the institution where you complete it. |
| Translations and certified copies | Varies |
Timeline
- Accreditation check and opinion from a Croatian educational institution: the HKMS does not publish a time.
- Competency check: apply at least 8 days before a scheduled session; sessions have been held several times a year, for example June and September 2026.
- Adaptation period: up to three years.
- Internship and professional exam through the Ministry of Health: after recognition, timing not published.
- Croatian to B2: often the longest step; plan for it from the start.
Questions
It assesses them under the general system for third-country qualifications. It checks accreditation, compares your training with the Croatian requirement and decides whether a compensation measure is needed. There is no automatic recognition for non-EU diplomas.
A compensation measure with a written exam and, if you pass, an oral exam the same afternoon. It costs €199.08 and you must apply at least 8 days before the session. The HKMS publishes sample questions.
B2 or above, from an authorised institution based in the EEA, for entry in the HKMS register. Nurses educated in Croatian, or who completed a compensation measure in Croatia, are exempt.
€53.09 to process the file, €199.08 for the competency check if you need it, and €1 to register. Translations and certified copies are extra.
The HKMS says Croatia has no retraining route to general care nursing and that retraining cannot provide the minimum training required. Substantial differences that cannot be compensated lead to refusal.
After recognition, the HKMS says you can contact the Ministry of Health to arrange the internship and the professional exam under the Health Protection Act, with some exceptions.
Yes. The HKMS quotes Article 85 of the regulated professions act: if another member state recognised your third-country qualification and you have three years of experience there, proven by a certificate from that state, you are treated on the same terms as Croatian nationals.
You need a representative with a Croatian address to receive letters if you live abroad. Without one, the application is dismissed.
Sources
Keep exploring
Working in Croatia after HKMS registration