Your company name is the first legal decision you make in Croatia, and the court can send it back. Croatian law fixes what a d.o.o. name must contain, which language each part uses and how different it must be from every registered company.
In this guide I will explain how to choose a company name in Croatia that passes the first time, with six lessons from names we filed for foreign founders in 2026.
Hi, I’m Šime Jozipović, Founder and CEO of Mandracchio Capital. I’m a Croatian lawyer based in Split, holding a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School and a doctorate in International Tax Planning. With over 10 years of advisory experience, my work focuses on tax, customs, public finance, and commercial law, helping international clients navigate the legal and financial aspects of doing business in Croatia.
This guide is part of our comprehensive Start a Business in Croatia guide, which walks foreign founders through the company formation process, from initial planning to registration and ongoing compliance.
How to choose a company name in Croatia at a glance
| Question | Short answer (as of November 2026) |
|---|---|
| What must the name contain? | A distinctive name, words describing the business purpose in Croatian, and the legal form “d.o.o.” |
| Can the name be in English? | The distinctive part can be in English or any official language of the European Union. The purpose words and the legal form must be in Croatian. |
| How different must it be? | It must clearly differ from the name of every company seated in Croatia, not only in your city. |
| Can I reserve a name while I prepare? | No. Croatia abolished name reservation in 2019. |
| Can I use “Croatia” or “Hrvatska”? | Only with a decision from the ministry responsible for general administration. |
| What if the court objects? | The court issues an order to fix the name, typically within 8 days. If you miss the deadline, the application is treated as withdrawn. |
| How many backup names should I prepare? | Two or three, each built on a different core word. |
What Croatian law requires of a company name
The rules sit in the Companies Act (Zakon o trgovačkim društvima), Articles 11 to 20. Croatian lawyers call the registered company name the tvrtka. It is the name your company uses in legal transactions, and the court enters it in the court register.
3 Mandatory Parts of a Croatian Company Name
A Croatian company name has three mandatory parts. The first is the distinctive name that identifies your company. The second is an indication of the business purpose. The third is the legal form. For a limited liability company, that is “društvo s ograničenom odgovornošću” or the abbreviation “d.o.o.”. A simple limited liability company uses “j.d.o.o.”.
In registered names, the purpose words usually follow the legal form. “OBLAK d.o.o. za usluge” means “OBLAK, limited liability company for services”. One of our 2026 clients filed a name ending in “d.o.o. za razvoj softvera”, meaning “for software development”.
The law also requires every part of the name to be true. Your purpose words should therefore match what the company actually does, so align them with the business activities you register.
The table below builds a full name for a property business with an English distinctive part.
| Part | Example | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Distinctive name | Blue Coast Properties | Croatian or any official EU language, Latin script |
| Legal form | d.o.o. | Mandatory |
| Business purpose | za poslovanje nekretninama (“for real estate business”) | Mandatory, in Croatian |
| Full name | Blue Coast Properties d.o.o. za poslovanje nekretninama | |
| Short name | Blue Coast Properties d.o.o. | Distinctive part plus legal form |
Full and Short Company Names in Croatia
You can also register a short name. It must contain the characteristic part of your full name and the legal form, such as “Blue Coast Properties d.o.o.”. Most companies use the short name day to day. Your letterhead, website and business premises must show the full or short name exactly as registered.
Language Requirements for Croatian Company Names
The distinctive part may be in Croatian or in any official language of a European Union member state, written in Latin script. Arabic numerals are allowed too. Every other part of the name, meaning the purpose words and the legal form, must be in Croatian (Narodne novine 68/2013).
Words from languages outside the EU are allowed only in these cases:
- they form a member’s name, or a company name or trademark the member has protected in Croatia
- they are in common use in Croatian
- Croatian has no equivalent word
- they come from a dead language, such as Latin
You may also register translations of your company name into one or more foreign languages.
Language Requirements for Croatian Company Names
Your name must clearly differ from the name of any other company seated in Croatia. Until April 2019, courts compared names only within their own registry court area. The 2019 amendment made the test nationwide.
The law also forbids name elements that confuse people about your business or suggest a link to another company. Elements that infringe intellectual property rights are forbidden too. A different spelling of an existing name rarely survives this test.
Identical names fail outright. In a December 2025 case, the Commercial Court in Zagreb found that a company with the same name was already registered. It ordered the applicant to change the name within 8 days. The applicant missed the deadline, and the court treated the application as withdrawn (court decision).
Restricted Words and Names That Require Permission
The word “Hrvatska”, its derivatives and other state symbols may appear in a company name only with a decision from the ministry responsible for general administration. This rule has applied since 1 June 2022 (Narodne novine 34/2022). Today that ministry is the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation. Its decision cannot be appealed, but you can bring an administrative dispute.
If you want “Croatia” or “Croatian” in an English name, raise it before drafting, because the rule covers derivatives of “Hrvatska”. Names of other states and international organisations need permission from that state or organisation.
Words that suggest a licensed activity deserve the same care. A name containing “bank” or “insurance” for a company without such a licence would mislead the public about its business. It would also breach the rule that every part of the name must be true.
6 Common Reasons Your Croatian Company Names Get Rejected
At Mandracchio Capital, we help foreign founders establish companies in Croatia throughout the year. Through our company registration work, we have seen recurring mistakes and challenges when choosing and registering a company name.
Drawing on cases handled over the years, including recent registrations, this article highlights the most common pitfalls and practical lessons for avoiding unnecessary delays. Founders’ names have been changed and identifying details omitted to protect their privacy.
spective, this was not necessarily a problem. The Croatian distinctiveness assessment focuses on companies registered in Croatia, rather than automatically extending to foreign company registers.
However, Mark intended to operate in neighbouring markets and was concerned about potential trademark conflicts. He therefore dropped the alternative and proceeded with his original choice.
The lesson: Croatian company name approval does not guarantee that you can use the same name without conflict abroad. If you intend to expand internationally, check relevant national business registers and the EU trademark database before committing to a name.
5. Submitting a company name before checking it with the court registry
Daniel’s second proposed name made it through the notary appointment and was included in the signed documents. Two weeks later, we had to replace it as well.
When we submitted a third alternative to the notary’s office, they immediately asked whether the name had been checked with the court registry beforehand.
This highlighted an important procedural point: changing a company name after signing the incorporation documents can require another notary appointment and updated documentation before the application can proceed.
The lesson: Do not treat the notary appointment as the first opportunity to test your preferred name. Have the name checked with your adviser and, where possible, pre-checked with the competent court registry before signing.
6. Underestimating the delays caused by a rejected company name
A straightforward Croatian company formation with our team typically takes around one to two weeks once the required documentation is complete. Daniel’s case took longer because of repeated name changes.
We flagged the initial surname issue on day one. He signed at the notary on day four, but the second name had to be replaced on day 17. The court’s registration decision eventually arrived on day 25.
The additional time was largely attributable to the company name rather than the other incorporation requirements.
The lesson: Company name selection is not merely an administrative detail. A rejected name can mean revised documents, another notary appointment and additional waiting time. Resolving potential issues before signing can help keep the registration process on schedule.
What happens if the court objects to your name
When the problem can be fixed, the registry court issues an order, called a zaključak. The order explains the problem and sets a deadline to correct the application, typically 8 days. If you refile on time with a new name, the case continues. If you miss the deadline, the court treats the application as withdrawn and you start again.
A new name means an amended founding statement. That document goes back through the notary before you refile with the court. Keep your backup ready so the new name can go in within days. This is where backups built on different core words pay off.
Croatian Company name checklist
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The name has all three parts: distinctive name, Croatian purpose words and d.o.o. | All three are mandatory |
| The distinctive part is in Croatian or an official EU language, in Latin script | Other languages are allowed only in limited cases |
| The purpose words match your planned activities | Every part of the name must be true |
| The court register is searched for the core word and its variants | Distinctiveness is tested nationwide |
| No resemblance to famous companies or brands | Names that suggest a connection fail |
| Trademarks are searched in Croatia and the EU | Trademark owners can act after you register |
| Business registers are checked in your target markets | The Croatian court checks only Croatia |
| No “Hrvatska”, state symbols or licensed-activity words without permission | These need a decision or a licence |
| Two or three backups with different core words | One objection should not end every option |
| A short name is chosen | It appears on letterhead, website and premises |
| A final check is done just before the notary appointment | There is no reservation |
Changing your company name later
You can change the name after registration. The change follows your founding document and must be entered in the court register. In practice, that means another notary appointment plus court and notary fees. You then update your bank, tax records, contracts, invoices, website and signage, because the law requires you to use the name exactly as registered. Choosing well at the start costs far less.
How We Help You Choose And Register a Company Name
Our clients form their Croatian company in one of two ways. Some come to Croatia and sign at the notary themselves, with our team beside them.
Others form remotely: they sign a power of attorney at home, have it notarised and apostilled, and our team attends the notary appointment on their behalf. Either way, the notary drafts the founding statement around the name you give us, and any change after signing goes back through the notary. We therefore settle the official name before the appointment, in 4 steps that apply to both routes:
- Intake. We collect your preferred names in both full and short form. For each one, we ask for the activity wording that goes into the full name and what the distinctive word means.
- Screening. Your case worker checks each name against the court’s naming rules and searches the court register for similar names.
- Pre-clearance. Your case worker then obtains pre-clearance of the name from the court registry.
- Final confirmation. Confirm the cleared name with you once more, ensuring that you approve the exact wording before it is used in the founding documents.
Once the name is confirmed, we use the agreed wording to prepare the founding statement and coordinate the notary appointment. Whether you sign in Croatia or remotely through a power of attorney, we make sure the company name is settled before the documents are signed.
Frequently asked questions about Croatian company names
Can I use my own name in my Croatian company name?
Yes. The law expressly allows a member’s name in the company name, even when it is a foreign word. Check first that it does not resemble a famous company or brand registered in Croatia, as Daniel’s case shows.
Can my company’s legal name be entirely in English?
No. The distinctive part can be in English, but the purpose words and the legal form must be in Croatian, as in “Blue Coast Properties d.o.o. za poslovanje nekretninama”. You can register an English translation alongside it.
Does registering my company name protect my brand?
Only partly. Registration stops another company in Croatia from registering a name that is not clearly different. It does not create a trademark, which you obtain by registering with the State Intellectual Property Office or by registering an EU trademark.
