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Criminal penalties in Croatia

Checked in October 2026 against the Kazneni zakon (Criminal Code of Croatia), consolidated text on Zakon.hr with amendments up to NN 107/26, read in Croatian.

These are statutory ranges for a first offence, from the least to the most the law allows. A court decides the actual sentence in each case. We read the code in its original language and give the offences in plain English, with the legal term where it helps. For anything that matters, rely on the code itself. Not legal advice.

How Croatia sets penalties

  • Croatia's Criminal Code has two kinds of custodial sentence: ordinary imprisonment (kazna zatvora) of 3 months to 20 years (art. 44), and long-term imprisonment (kazna dugotrajnog zatvora) of 21 to 40 years, which can be set at up to 50 years for a combination of offences (art. 46). Long-term imprisonment cannot be imposed on a person who was under 18 when the crime was committed.
  • Where an article says 'kazna zatvora najmanje pet godina' (imprisonment of at least five years), the range therefore runs from 5 to 20 years. Where it says 'do tri godine' (up to three years), the court may impose any shorter term, a fine or community work, and a sentence of up to six months is imposed only in the circumstances of art. 45.
  • Croatia grades property crimes by value ('mala' small, 'velika' large). The money thresholds are set elsewhere in the Code and were not read for this table.
  • Murder has a basic form (art. 110, at least 5 years) and an aggravated form ('teško ubojstvo', art. 111, at least 10 years or long-term imprisonment). This table maps the aggravated form to the 'first degree' row and the basic form to the 'second degree' row.
  • Drunk driving is left out. Croatia deals with it mainly in its traffic safety law, which was not read for this table.
  • This table shows first-offence ranges.

Death penalty: No. The most serious punishment in the Criminal Code is long-term imprisonment of 21 to 40 years (art. 46). Croatia has no life sentence.

Read the Croatia legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →

First-degree murder

At least 10 years, or long-term imprisonment (21 to 40 years)

Aggravated murder (teško ubojstvo, art. 111) includes killing in a cruel or insidious way, killing a person who is especially vulnerable because of age, serious physical or mental disability or pregnancy, killing a close person, and other listed forms.

Second-degree murder

At least 5 years (5 to 20 years)

Voluntary manslaughter

6 months to 5 years (negligent killing); 1 to 10 years (killing in a state of provoked agitation)

Croatia has no offence called manslaughter. The nearest are killing in a state of prolonged suffering, strong irritation or fright into which the offender was brought, without fault, by the victim's attack, grave insult or ill-treatment (usmrćenje, art. 112(1)), and causing death by negligence (art. 113).

Robbery

1 to 10 years (robbery); 3 to 12 years (armed or large gain); at least 5 years if death results

Burglary

Up to 3 years (theft); 6 months to 5 years (aggravated theft, including breaking in); 1 to 8 years (large value)

Croatia has no offence called burglary. Break-ins are aggravated theft (teška krađa, art. 229), which applies where the offender breaks, forces or overcomes larger obstacles to reach things in closed buildings, rooms, safes or other closed spaces, among other listed circumstances.

Arson

6 months to 5 years (endangering life or property by fire or other means)

Croatia has no offence called arson in the sections read. Setting a fire that endangers people's life or body, or property of a larger extent, is endangering life and property by a generally dangerous act or means (art. 215). Causing it by negligence carries up to 3 years (art. 215(3)).

Aggravated assault

Up to 1 year (bodily injury); 6 months to 5 years (serious); 1 to 8 years (particularly serious)

  • Bodily injury (tjelesna ozljeda) (Offence (kazna zatvora))

    Least
    No minimum term set by the statute
    Most
    1 year

    Criminal Code of Croatia (Kazneni zakon), art. 117(1)

  • Serious bodily injury (teška tjelesna ozljeda) (Offence (kazna zatvora))

    Least
    6 months
    Most
    5 years

    The range is 3 to 8 years if the offence is committed from hatred, against a close or especially vulnerable person, or by an official on duty (art. 118(2)).

    Criminal Code of Croatia (Kazneni zakon), art. 118(1)

  • Particularly serious bodily injury (osobito teška tjelesna ozljeda): danger to life, loss or lasting weakening of an important body part or organ, permanent incapacity for work, lasting serious impairment of health, or permanent incapacity for reproduction (Offence (kazna zatvora))

    Least
    1 year
    Most
    8 years

    The range is 3 to 10 years in the aggravated circumstances of art. 119(2), and 3 to 12 years if the consequence is caused intentionally (art. 119(3)).

    Criminal Code of Croatia (Kazneni zakon), art. 119(1)

Rape and sexual assault

3 to 8 years (rape); 5 to 12 years (by force or threat)

Kidnapping

Up to 3 years (unlawful deprivation of liberty); 6 months to 5 years (to coerce another); up to 15 years (hostage-taking where death results)

Embezzlement

Up to 2 years (small value); 6 months to 5 years; 1 to 8 years (large value)

Forgery

Up to 3 years

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