Primorsko-goranska županija is governed by federal Croatia law. Learn more
    Homosexuality
    ✔ Legal
    Gay Marriage
    ✔ Civil unions (marriage rights)
    Censorship
    ✔ No censorship
    Changing Gender
    ✔ Legal, no restrictions
    Gender-Affirming Care
    ✔ Legal
    Non-Binary Gender Recognition
    ✖ Not legally recognized
    Discrimination
    ✔ Illegal
    Employment Discrimination
    ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
    Housing Discrimination
    ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
    Adoption
    ✔ Legal
    Intersex Infant Surgery
    ✖ Not banned
    Military
    ✔ Legal
    Donating Blood
    ✖ Banned (indefinite deferral)
    Conversion Therapy
    ✖ Not banned
    Age of Consent
    ✔ Equal
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Public Opinion

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History

Homosexual activity in Primorsko-goranska županija

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Homosexual activity in Primorsko-goranska županija is legal.

Current status
Since Jul 1, 1977
Legal
The Criminal Code of the Socialist Republic of Croatia adopted on June 16, 1977 decriminalized consensual male homosexuality on the territory of Croatia in the then SFRY.
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Jul 1, 1951–Jun 30, 1977
Male illegal, female legal
The Criminal Code of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia adopted on February 27, 1951 criminalized consensual sexual intercourse between men throughout its territory including Croatia.
Article 186: for unnatural fornication between persons of the male sex, the perpetrator shall be punished with imprisonment for up to two years.
The 1959 amendment reduced the prison sentence by one year.
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Jan 1, 1930–Jun 30, 1951
Illegal (imprisonment as punishment)
The Criminal Code for the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Kingdom of Yugoslavia as of October 3, 1929) adopted on January 27, 1929 criminalized "unnatural fornication" without specifying the definition of the mentioned term.
Paragraph 285: for unnatural fornication between persons, the perpetrator shall be punished with strict imprisonment, unless the act turns into a more serious crime.
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Same-sex marriage in Primorsko-goranska županija

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Same-sex marriage in Primorsko-goranska županija is civil unions (marriage rights).

Current status
Since Aug 5, 2014
Civil unions (marriage rights)
The Law on Life Partnerships of Persons of the Same Sex was adopted on July 15, 2014.
Same-sex couples became equal to married couples in everything except the adoption of children. However, the law allows custody of the partner's child in some situations.

The adoption of the law was preceded by the Constitutional Referendum on the definition of marriage held on December 1, 2013. The citizens declared that they were in favor of including a provision in the Constitution according to which marriage is the life union of a man and a woman.
Jul 30, 2003–Aug 4, 2014
Unregistered cohabitation
The Law on Same-Sex Unions was adopted on July 14, 2003.
The law allowed same-sex partners who have lived together for a minimum of 3 years similar rights to unmarried heterosexual partners in terms of inheritance and financial support, but not the right to adoption or any other right under family law. Such relationships could not be registered, nor did they have rights in terms of taxes, joint property, health insurance, pensions, etc.
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Jul 1, 1999–Jul 29, 2003
Unrecognized
Family laws from 1999 and 2003 in Article 5 define marriage as a legally regulated life union of a man and a woman.
The 1990 Constitution did not define marriage: "Marriage and legal relations in marriage, cohabitation and family are regulated by law" (Article 61).

Censorship of LGBT issues in Primorsko-goranska županija

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Censorship of LGBT issues in Primorsko-goranska županija is no censorship.

Current status
No censorship
In Croatia, there are no laws restricting the discussion or promotion of LGBTQ+ topics.
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Right to change legal gender in Primorsko-goranska županija

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Right to change legal gender in Primorsko-goranska županija is legal, no restrictions.

Current status
Since Nov 20, 2014
Legal, no restrictions
No restrictions since Nov 20, 2014.
Guidelines about the method of collecting medical documentation and determining conditions and assumptions for sex change or life in another gender identity from 2014, Article 2 (2):
"No person shall be forced to undergo medical procedures, including surgical sex adjustment, sterilization or hormone therapy, as a condition for recognition of a change of sex or life in another gender identity."
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Jan 1, 1994–Nov 19, 2014
Legal, but requires surgery
Surgery required.
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Gender-affirming care in Primorsko-goranska županija

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Gender-affirming care in Primorsko-goranska županija is legal.

Current status
Since 1995
Legal
In 1995, Croatia adopted the ICD-10 classification, which contains codes for diagnosing transsexualism in adulthood and childhood, which authorize the initiation of medical transition.
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Legal, but restricted for minors
In 1979, Croatia adopted the ICD-9 classification, which included codes allowing for the diagnosis of transsexualism in adults.
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Restricted
In 1977, Croatia legalized sterilization, which de facto meant legalizing sex reassignment surgery, however, medical records regarding transsexualism had to be obtained abroad.
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Until 1977
Banned
https://www.rhsupplies.org/uploads/tx_rhscpublications/EngenderHealth_Contraceptive%20Sterilization-Chapter%204_2002.pdf
Sources:
Medical transition is not possible
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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Primorsko-goranska županija

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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Primorsko-goranska županija is not legally recognized.

Current status
Not legally recognized
Non-binary options missing.
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LGBT discrimination in Primorsko-goranska županija

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LGBT discrimination in Primorsko-goranska županija is illegal.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 2009
Illegal
On July 9, 2008, the Croatian Parliament approved a unified anti-discrimination law, known as Law on Suppression of Discrimination which prohibits, among other categories, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression in all areas.
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Feb 27, 2003–Dec 31, 2008
Illegal in some contexts
Before the adoption of the Anti-Discrimination law in 2008, several laws prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation: - Law on Croatian Radio and Television (2003), Article 8; - Labor Law, amendment (2003), Article 2; - Law on Gender Equality (2003), Article 6; - Law on Scientific Activity and Higher Education (2003), Article 77; - Law on Electronic Media (2003), Article 15; - Sports Law (2006), Article 1; - Criminal Code, amendment (2006), Article 14; - Law on Volunteerism (2007), Article 9; - Law on Asylum (2007), Article 2.
Until Feb 26, 2003
No protections
Until 2003, Croatia had no legal protections specifically aimed at LGBT rights.

LGBT employment discrimination in Primorsko-goranska županija

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LGBT employment discrimination in Primorsko-goranska županija is sexual orientation and gender identity.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 2009
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Article 8 of the Anti-Discrimination Law from 2008 bans labour discrimination. Discrimination is prohibited on basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression among others.
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Jul 19, 2003–Dec 31, 2008
Sexual orientation only
Amendments to the Labor Law (1995) dated July 14, 2003 introduced sexual orientation as a basis for prohibiting discrimination.
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Until Jul 18, 2003
No protections
Before this date there was no protection of the LGBT population from discrimination in Employment in the Croatian legislature.
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LGBT housing discrimination in Primorsko-goranska županija

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LGBT housing discrimination in Primorsko-goranska županija is sexual orientation and gender identity.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 2009
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Article 8 of the Anti-Discrimination Act from 2008 bans discrimination in Housing. Discrimination is prohibited on basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression among others.
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Until Dec 31, 2008
No protections
Before this date there was no protection against discrimination in Housing in Croatian legislation.
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Same-sex adoption in Primorsko-goranska županija

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Same-sex adoption in Primorsko-goranska županija is legal.

Current status
Since May 26, 2022
Legal
Despite not having same-sex marriage, Croatia allows joint adoption for same-sex couples. This follows a six-year legal battle which was finally settled when the High Administrative Court rejected an appeal by a government ministry against an earlier ruling by the Zagreb court. The ministry can no longer appeal this verdict.
Jul 30, 2003–May 25, 2022
Single only
There are no restrictions for single individuals based on sexual orientation, but there are restrictions to single people in general. A child may be adopted by a person who is not married if it is of particular benefit to the child (Article 133, paragraph 2).
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Jul 1, 1999–Jul 29, 2003
Single only
There were no restrictions for adoption for single LGBT individuals in the 1998 Family Law. Adoptive parents in parental adoption could be joint spouses, one spouse with the consent of the other spouse, or a person who is not married (Article 134).
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Intersex infant surgery in Primorsko-goranska županija

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Intersex infant surgery in Primorsko-goranska županija is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
There is no official ban on unnecessary sex reassignment operations in infants in Croatia.
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Serving openly in military in Primorsko-goranska županija

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Serving openly in military in Primorsko-goranska županija is legal.

Current status
Since Jun 26, 2013
Legal
In Croatia, there is no regulation that would prohibit LGBT persons from participating in the Armed Forces.
Article 12 (3) of the Law on Service in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia, adopted on June 14, 2013, prohibits discrimination in the army on several grounds, one of which is sexual orientation.

Blood donations by MSMs in Primorsko-goranska županija

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Blood donations by MSMs in Primorsko-goranska županija is banned (indefinite deferral).

Current status
Since Feb 16, 1999
Banned (indefinite deferral)
Homosexual behavior is one of the grounds for permanent exclusion from donating blood (Guidelines on blood and blood components, Article 16)
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Conversion therapy in Primorsko-goranska županija

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Conversion therapy in Primorsko-goranska županija is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
Laws in force in Croatia do not regulate or restrict conversion therapies.
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Equal age of consent in Primorsko-goranska županija

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Equal age of consent in Primorsko-goranska županija is equal.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 1998
Equal
With Criminal Law from 1997 the edge of consent of 14 years became equal for everyone.
The limit was raised to 15 years with Criminal Law adopted in 2011.
Jul 1, 1977–Dec 31, 1997
Unequal
The age of sexual consent was 18 years old for anal intercourse between men and 14 years for other sexual practices.
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Until Jun 30, 1977
N/A
Consensual anal sex between two men was illegal before 1977 in Croatia.
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