This guide is the checklist behind a Croatian bid: the account, the declarations, the guarantees and the certificates a tender can ask for, in the order they come, and who is allowed to handle each one. For how Croatian procurement works overall (thresholds, procedures, evaluation, payment and appeals), see How to bid for public tenders in Croatia.
Before you bid
1. Register on EOJN RH as a gospodarski subjekt. EOJN RH, operated by Narodne novine d.d., is where you download documents, ask questions and submit. Registration is free (a commercial filter subscription is optional), activated by e-mail the same day, and doesn’t expire. Your legal representatives’ details are entered when you register. You log in with a username and password, and a NIAS login is also offered.
- Who does it: the data can be prepared for you, but your company registers itself. The first registered user automatically becomes Administrator ponuditelja and Administrator korisnika i organizacije, so that should be an employee, and the account is never shared.
- Anyone helping you works under their own user: your administrator can add an adviser, such as an odvjetnik, as a Referent ponuditelja on your organisation.
With your bid
2. The ESPD. The electronic ESPD, prepared with EOJN RH’s ESPD function, is the first evidence in every procedure. You need one for your company and one each for subcontractors and for companies whose capacity you rely on. It is free, takes about a day and covers one procedure. A missing ESPD can’t be supplied after the deadline.
- Who does it: a user with rights to the procedure creates it in EOJN RH; you confirm the declarations are true.
3. The sanctions declaration. In above-threshold procedures you declare that there is no Russian involvement of the kind art. 5k of EU Regulation 833/2014 prohibits. It is free and done the same day; it can be completed and uploaded for you, and you confirm it.
4. The bid form and priced bill of quantities. Both are prepared from your prices and go in through EOJN RH. Neither can be added after the deadline.
5. Your references. Where the buyer sets experience criteria, you give a list of contracts with certificates of satisfactory performance from previous clients. The list can be compiled for you; you obtain the certificates, which can take days or weeks.
6. Financial standing, certificates and insurance, where the buyer asks.
- Financial standing: the BON-1 from FINA, the BON-2 or SOL-2 from your bank, and turnover statements, as the buyer sets. Your accountant orders the BON-1; you request the BON-2 from your bank. Allow days.
- ISO certificates: a body accredited by HAA (Hrvatska akreditacijska agencija) or another EA member audits you; certificates run 3 years with surveillance.
- Professional or third-party liability insurance: an insurer issues the policy in days, you sign it, and it runs for the policy term.
7. Croatian translations. Tenders are in Croatian, in Latin script, unless the documents allow otherwise. A translator prepares the translations, and a stalni sudski tumač (permanent court interpreter) where a certified translation is required. Allow days.
8. The jamstvo za ozbiljnost ponude (bid guarantee), where required. Up to 3% of the estimated value, or of the lot, stated as a fixed amount. A bank or insurer issues it in your name, in electronic form as the documents say, usually in 1–5 business days for a market fee, and it must cover the bid validity period. A cash deposit is always accepted instead. A missing guarantee can’t be supplied after the deadline. You apply and pay.
9. Submit through EOJN RH. Submission is free and must be done before the deadline. A bid submitted through EOJN RH binds you even if unsigned.
- Who does it: a user with rights to the procedure uploads and submits; you approve the final bid and price.
If you’re the top-ranked bidder
The buyer asks the top-ranked bidder for updated documents.
| Document | Issued by | Who can get it for you | Valid if | What only you do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal-record evidence (kaznena evidencija), for the company and each management member | Ministry of Justice | Each person obtains their own extract, or gives a statement where the tender documents allow | Updated documents at award stage | The company and each management member obtain their own |
| Tax-debt certificate (potvrda Porezne uprave o stanju duga) | Porezna uprava | An accountant through e-Porezna, under your authorisation | Current at award | Grant the authorisation |
| Court-register extract (sudski registar) | Trgovački sudovi (sudreg.pravosudje.hr) | Anyone: a free online search, same day | Current | — |
What the documents prove. Exclusion grounds include criminal convictions, now including unpaid wages, and cartel findings. A tax debt under EUR 1,000 doesn’t exclude you, and you get at least 5 days to pay.
Before the contract
10. The performance guarantee, where required. Up to 10% of the contract value excluding VAT; the buyer can also ask for advance-payment and defects guarantees. A bank or insurer issues them in your name within days, for the contract term, and you sign.
11. Construction: the notification and chamber-registered engineers. Before temporary construction work in Croatia, EEA companies and companies from WTO member countries notify the ministry responsible for construction in writing, with proof of their home-state entitlement and liability insurance. Engineers and site managers must be authorised and registered with the Croatian chamber (HKIG). The notification can be prepared for you; you sign it and provide the insurance.
12. Sign the contract with a qualified electronic signature through EOJN RH. Since 1 September 2026 contracts are signed with a qualified electronic signature and exchanged through EOJN RH, within 30 days of the award becoming final, or up to 90 if the documents allow.
- The certificate: from an EU qualified trust service provider, such as FINA in Croatia; issuing one takes days, and it lasts for the certificate’s term.
- Who does it: your legal representative, or a holder of your power of attorney, with their own certificate.
13. E-invoicing. If your business is VAT-registered and established in Croatia, structured e-invoicing under Fiscalisation 2.0 has applied since 1 January 2026.
Who does what
| Step | Who can do it | What only you do |
|---|---|---|
| EOJN RH registration | The data is prepared for you | An employee registers and holds the administrator roles |
| Users for advisers | Your administrator adds them | Decide who gets rights to which procedure |
| ESPD and sanctions declaration | A user with rights to the procedure | Confirm they are true |
| Bid form and priced bill of quantities | Prepared for you | Approve the final bid and price |
| References and financial evidence | Compiled for you; an accountant orders the BON-1 | Get client certificates and the BON-2 from your bank |
| Translations | A translator or stalni sudski tumač | — |
| Bid and performance guarantees | A bank or insurer | Apply, pay and sign |
| Submission | A user with rights to the procedure | Give the go-ahead |
| Criminal-record evidence | — | The company and each management member obtain their own |
| Tax-debt certificate | An accountant under your authorisation | Grant the authorisation |
| Court-register extract | Anyone (public register) | — |
| Construction notification | Prepared for you | Sign it; provide insurance |
| Contract | — | Your legal representative or attorney signs with their own qualified signature |
The professionals involved
| Profession | Licensed or regulated by | What they do for a bidder |
|---|---|---|
| Odvjetnik or odvjetničko društvo | Hrvatska odvjetnička komora | Work as a Referent ponuditelja on your EOJN RH organisation when your administrator adds them; register in EOJN RH as an odvjetnik with the right to represent you before DKOM and file e-Žalba appeals; draft consortium agreements and pre-appeal warnings |
| Javni bilježnik (notary) | Hrvatska javnobilježnička komora | Certify statements, such as declarations by foreign operators whose home state issues no certificate; certify signatures on powers of attorney and copies |
| Računovođa, porezni savjetnik or ovlašteni revizor | Hrvatska komora poreznih savjetnika; Hrvatska revizorska komora | Obtain the tax-debt certificate and BON-1/BON-2 documents under your authorisation; prepare turnover and financial-standing evidence; audit (auditors only) |
| Bank or insurer | Hrvatska narodna banka; HANFA | Issue bid and performance guarantees (bankarska garancija, polica osiguranja, zadužnica) and liability insurance |
| Stalni sudski tumač (permanent court interpreter) | Ministarstvo pravosuđa, uprave i digitalne transformacije; county courts | Certified Croatian translations of foreign certificates where required |
| Ovlašteni inženjer or voditelj radova | HKIG; Hrvatska komora arhitekata | Provide authorised site managers and designers registered with the Croatian chamber |
| Certification body | Hrvatska akreditacijska agencija (HAA) or another EA member | ISO certificates used as technical-capacity evidence |
Disputes are for an odvjetnik: they draft the pre-appeal warning and, registered in EOJN RH, file the e-Žalba to DKOM under your power of attorney; you sign the power of attorney and pay the fee.
If your company is from abroad
You don’t need a Croatian company, or any prior registration or establishment in Croatia, to bid: only an EOJN RH account. Who may bid from abroad is set out in How to bid for public tenders in Croatia. For the paperwork:
- Third-country bar: since 2026 a buyer may bar companies from countries without an EU procurement agreement in its tender documents, possibly also consortium members, relied-on companies and subcontractors. Confirm your seat and supply chain, and read the documents first.
- EOJN RH: an English guide is available; if your company has no Croatian OIB, agree the registration steps with the EOJN help desk at eojn@nn.hr.
- Court-register extract: your home-country register extract.
- Criminal records: home-country equivalents, or a sworn or certified declaration.
- Tax: a home-country tax certificate.
- Financial standing: home-country equivalents of the BON documents.
- References: translated.
- ISO certificates: equivalents are accepted.
- Bid guarantee: foreign bank guarantees are acceptable if they meet the conditions.
- Contract signature: an EU qualified signature is valid under eIDAS.
- Construction: the written notification to the ministry and chamber-registered engineers, as above.
Pitfalls
- Four things can’t be fixed after the deadline. The ESPD, the bid form, the priced bill of quantities and the bid guarantee must all be in before it passes.
- An unsigned bid still binds you. Once submitted through EOJN RH, it counts, so approve the price before anyone clicks submit.
- Keep the administrator roles in-house. The first registered user becomes administrator; make it an employee, and give advisers their own users.
- Check tax debts early. Under EUR 1,000 is fine; above that, settle before the buyer asks.
- Order the qualified signature in good time. The contract must be signed with it through EOJN RH within 30 days of the award becoming final.
Doing it with askTender
In Croatia, your askTender Partner is added as a named user on your company’s account on EOJN RH and works under their own login. You keep your own login, and sign what only you can sign: you hold the administrator roles and grant the Partner rights per procedure, obtain your own criminal-record extracts, sign powers of attorney and the construction notification, sign the contract with your own qualified signature, and approve the final bid and price. The askTender Desk prepares the ESPD, declarations, bill of quantities and reference lists, assembles the bid and coordinates the certificates; askTender Partners, such as an odvjetnik, a porezni savjetnik or a stalni sudski tumač, do the steps their licence covers.
Questions
Which documents go in with a Croatian bid?
The bid form, the priced bill of quantities, the ESPD (with one for each subcontractor and each company whose capacity you rely on), the sanctions declaration in above-threshold procedures, references and financial evidence where the buyer sets criteria, Croatian translations, and the bid guarantee where one is required. The ESPD, bid form, bill of quantities and guarantee can’t be supplied after the deadline.
Who should register my company on EOJN RH?
Someone on your own staff. Registration is free and activated by e-mail the same day, and the first registered user automatically becomes Administrator ponuditelja and Administrator korisnika i organizacije. Keep that account in-house and never share it; advisers such as an odvjetnik work under their own user.
How is a Croatian public contract signed?
Since 1 September 2026, through EOJN RH with a qualified electronic signature, within 30 days of the award becoming final (up to 90 if the documents allow). Your legal representative, or a holder of your power of attorney, signs with their own certificate, for example one issued by FINA or any EU qualified provider.
Will a small tax debt exclude me?
Not if it is under EUR 1,000, and you are given at least 5 days to pay. The top-ranked bidder proves its position with a potvrda Porezne uprave o stanju duga, which an accountant can obtain through e-Porezna under your authorisation.
What do foreign construction companies need before starting work?
EEA companies, and companies from WTO member countries, notify the ministry responsible for construction in writing, with proof of their home-state entitlement and liability insurance, before temporary construction work. Engineers and site managers must be authorised and registered with the Croatian chamber.
Sources
- Public Procurement Act, consolidated (zakon.hr)
- Act amending the Public Procurement Act (NN 48/2026)
- Rulebook on procurement documentation and tenders (NN 94/2026)
- Act on Spatial Planning and Construction Activities (NN 78/2015)
- EOJN RH: general business terms for tenderers
This guide explains the rules in plain English; it isn’t legal advice. Procurement rules change, and each tender document sets its own conditions — it always prevails.