Croatia: why confirm a former employee's job?
Every Croatian employer already certifies the kind of work done and how long the employment lasted, at the worker's request and when the employment ends (Labour Act, Article 130). Confirming the same facts takes a minute and helps the person into their next job. certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent.
Law as of 26 October 2026 · Zakon o radu (Narodne novine 93/14, 127/17, 98/19, 151/22, 46/23, 64/23); the articles quoted are unchanged since NN 93/14
In short
- The facts are already certified. Every employer must issue an employment certificate (potvrda o zaposlenju) stating the kind of work done and how long the employment lasted: within eight days of the worker's request, and within fifteen days of the end of the employment (Article 130). Those are the facts we ask about.
- It is meant to help the next job. The same Article forbids the certificate to say anything that would make it harder for the worker to conclude a new employment contract. A record confirmed by a former employer is what the next employer trusts. Answering takes about a minute and needs no account.
- certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent. The GDPR lets an employer disclose personal data with the consent of the person it concerns (Art. 6(1)(a)), and the Labour Act allows a worker's data to go to third parties in connection with the employment relationship (Article 29(1)). The person started this check themselves, for these facts and no others.
- You do not have to answer. No Croatian law obliges an employer to answer certo. Declining is fine.
The Labour Act
Zakon o radu, quoted from the text published in Narodne novine 93/2014, the official gazette. We checked the amending acts (NN 127/17, 98/19, 151/22) and the decisions in NN 46/23 and 64/23: none changes the articles quoted here.
Article 130: the employment certificate
Poslodavac je dužan u roku od osam dana na zahtjev radnika izdati potvrdu o vrsti poslova koje obavlja i trajanju radnog odnosa.
Poslodavac je dužan u roku od petnaest dana od dana prestanka radnog odnosa radniku vratiti sve njegove isprave i primjerak odjave s obveznoga mirovinskog i zdravstvenog osiguranja te mu izdati potvrdu o vrsti poslova koje je obavljao i trajanju radnog odnosa.
Poslodavac u potvrdi iz stavaka 1. i 2. ovoga članka ne smije naznačiti ništa što bi radniku otežalo sklapanje novog ugovora o radu.
In English: an employer must, within eight days of a worker's request, certify the kind of work they do and how long the employment has lasted; within fifteen days of the end of the employment it must return the worker's documents and certify the kind of work done and how long the employment lasted; and the certificate must say nothing that would make it harder for the worker to find a new job. These are the facts we ask about, so your records already hold them.
Article 29(1): when a worker's data may go to third parties
Osobni podaci radnika smiju se prikupljati, obrađivati, koristiti i dostavljati trećim osobama samo ako je to određeno ovim ili drugim zakonom ili ako je to potrebno radi ostvarivanja prava i obveza iz radnog odnosa, odnosno u vezi s radnim odnosom.
In English: workers' personal data may be collected, processed, used and passed to third parties only where this or another law provides for it, or where it is needed to exercise rights and obligations arising from, or in connection with, the employment relationship. The Article does not mention consent. We read a confirmation that the person asked for, of the facts Article 130 has you certify anyway, as given in connection with the employment relationship, with the person's consent under the GDPR as the legal basis. If your organisation reads Article 29 more strictly, or your work rules (pravilnik o radu) say otherwise, decline.
Article 25(1): what is never asked
An employer must not ask a candidate or a worker for information not directly connected with the employment relationship, and Article 30(2) forbids asking about pregnancy. certo asks for no opinion, pay, reason for leaving, health, family, beliefs or criminal record.
Personal data
The GDPR applies directly in Croatia; the Act on the Implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (NN 42/18) supplements it.
- Art. 6(1)(a), consent. The legal basis for your answer.
- Art. 7(1), proof of consent. certo records which account asked, when, and for which facts. Write to support@certo.bio and we send you the record for your request.
- Art. 5(1)(c), data minimisation. You confirm or leave unticked only the facts listed. Add nothing else: anything beyond them is not covered by the person's consent.
What this means for your answer
- Tick only what your HR, payroll or personnel records show.
- Not sure it is the same person? Press "We can't find a matching record". Never confirm a record you are not sure is theirs.
- Your policy is not to answer? Press "We do not answer these requests". The record shows your organisation declined, and nobody else there is asked.
Sources
- Zakon o radu, NN 93/2014 (Narodne novine, the official gazette)
- Its amendments: NN 127/2017, NN 98/2019, NN 151/2022 (Narodne novine)
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679, the GDPR (EUR-Lex)
- Zakon o provedbi Opće uredbe o zaštiti podataka, NN 42/2018 (Narodne novine)
This page is not legal advice. It reflects the law as it stood on 26 October 2026.