Integration of Croatians in Germany: being part of German society while preserving Croatian identity
Learning German, working, understanding institutions and participating in society does not require abandoning Croatian language, family or culture – but remaining dependent on a closed community for decades can limit your opportunities.
A person can live in Germany for twenty years, work and pay taxes and still need someone else for every important conversation with a doctor, school or public authority. Another person may speak fluent German, navigate the system independently, have German and Croatian friends and still speak Croatian at home.
Which person is better integrated? The answer illustrates why integration should not be confused with erasing someone's origin.
For many Croatians the real choice is not Germany or Croatia. It is Germany and Croatia: full participation and independence in Germany together with the freedom to preserve Croatian language, family, culture and identity.
Integration does not mean becoming less Croatian
A person can work in Germany for twenty years, pay taxes and have children in a German school while still relying on family members to translate important letters, accompany them to medical appointments and deal with institutions on their behalf.
Another person may speak German confidently, understand contracts and public authorities, participate in local life and have friendships beyond the Croatian-speaking community. At home, however, the family may continue to speak Croatian, travel regularly to Croatia and consider Croatian identity an important part of who they are.
The second person has not become “less Croatian” by becoming more independent in Germany.
This is the key distinction.
Integration should be measured primarily by whether a person can participate independently and on equal terms in the society in which they live, not by how much of their family origin has disappeared.
For the broader historical and social picture, see Croatians in Germany – life between two countries.
What does Germany officially mean by integration?
Germany's Federal Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration describes integration as a responsibility not only for people who move to Germany but for society as a whole. The stated aims include participation, equal opportunities and social cohesion.
The official approach also stresses that integration happens primarily in everyday local environments: municipalities, companies, schools, associations and neighbourhoods.
This matters because it moves the discussion away from whether someone still cooks Croatian food, visits Croatia or speaks Croatian with their parents.
Official German policy focuses much more clearly on language, work, education, local and social participation, access to institutions and equal opportunities. Germany's integration reporting also examines housing, health, social and political participation, discrimination, racism and other areas of life.
A well-integrated Croatian does not need to become culturally invisible. What matters is whether that person can live independently, understand the system, exercise rights, meet responsibilities and genuinely participate in German society.
Multilingualism is not automatically regarded as a problem either. The Federal Commissioner explicitly describes multilingualism among children as an important resource that should be recognised, while also stressing the importance of strong German for education and equal participation.
Integration and assimilation are not the same thing
The words are sometimes used interchangeably, but they describe different processes. Integration means becoming a functioning and participating member of society without necessarily losing the language and cultural background you brought with you.
Assimilation can go further. Over time, distinctive language, culture or identification with the family's country of origin may weaken substantially or disappear.
Some people may eventually identify entirely as German. That is a legitimate personal development. Later generations of some families may stop speaking Croatian or maintain only a limited relationship with Croatia.
But that is not a prerequisite for successful integration.
A Croatian can understand German law and still speak Croatian with parents. A person can participate actively in a German town and spend holidays with family in Croatia. Germany can become home without requiring Croatia to disappear.
Integration can mean “I fully participate here” without requiring “I must forget where my family came from.”
Learning German does not mean becoming German – it means becoming more independent
Language is one of the most important practical elements of integration. Germany's official integration policy directly connects language skills with access to education, employment and social participation.
This is also reflected in the federal integration course. BAMF combines a German-language course with an orientation course covering Germany's legal order, culture, recent history and important aspects of everyday life.
For the individual, however, German is best understood as a tool of personal freedom.
If you speak German, you can explain medical symptoms yourself, talk to your child's teacher without asking your child to translate the meeting, understand an employment contract, ask your health insurer a follow-up question, communicate with a landlord and read information directly from German authorities.
German does not take Croatian identity away.
It gives you more control over your life in Germany.
Someone who refuses to learn German for decades limits their own opportunities
This needs to be stated clearly. There is a major difference between a newcomer who is still learning and a person who has lived in Germany for twenty or thirty years and deliberately avoids learning the language because “I don't need it”.
The newcomer needs time, realistic opportunities and support.
The long-term resident who continues to depend on a spouse, children, colleagues or someone from the community for every important letter or institutional conversation remains dependent in crucial parts of life.
That dependence may remain invisible while everything goes well. It becomes obvious when children move away, a marriage ends, a helpful colleague leaves the company or an urgent health or legal problem appears.
A person who spends decades refusing to learn German and handles almost everything only within “our” circle restricts their choice of jobs, professional development, access to information, social network and personal independence.
This is not a measure of Croatian patriotism.
Not learning German does not preserve Croatian identity. It mainly narrows the person's options in Germany.
“I don't need German – everyone at work speaks our language”
That may be true today and become expensive several years later. Perhaps colleagues and supervisors speak Croatian, Bosnian or Serbian. A relative helps with paperwork and a friend found the apartment.
But life is larger than the current job.
What happens if the company closes? What if another employer offers substantially better conditions? What if you want to become a team leader, gain an additional qualification or start a business?
Children, healthcare and unexpected legal situations can also quickly make personal language skills much more important.
A strong Croatian community should help people become more capable and independent, not create a permanent environment in which they never need direct contact with German society.
Work is one of the strongest spaces for integration
A workplace is more than a source of income. It is where people learn practical language, professional expectations, ways of communicating, conflict resolution and responsibility.
It is also where relationships form with people a newcomer may never have met otherwise.
A German federal study published in 2026 on EU citizens living in Germany again highlighted German-language skills as an important key to professional advancement and social participation.
Simply having a job, however, does not mean integration is complete. Someone can work reliably for twenty years and remain far below their professional potential because qualifications are not recognised, the language prevents mobility or all employment contacts remain inside one linguistic network.
Integration should mean more than simply managing to get by
During the first months after arrival, “I just need any job” is a perfectly understandable priority. People need income, housing and stability.
Several years later, the questions can change. Am I using my actual qualification? Could recognition of credentials, vocational training or stronger professional German open better options? Am I staying with one employer only because I am afraid of interviewing in German?
Not everyone wants a career ladder and not everyone needs one.
The important issue is freedom of choice. Language and lack of information should restrict that freedom less and less over time.
Education can shape the integration of an entire next generation
Adult integration is often discussed through employment. For children, education may be even more important. Germany's federal integration policy explicitly connects integration with equal educational opportunities.
For Croatian parents, simply enrolling a child in a German school is not the end of the process. Parents benefit from understanding how the school system works, which educational routes exist and when a child may need additional support.
If parents do not understand the system at all, children may be left alone with important decisions about secondary education, vocational training or university pathways.
The parents' ability to navigate Germany can therefore directly influence opportunities available to the next generation.
Understanding institutions means knowing where to look for the right answer
Personal networks are extremely useful, especially after arrival. But long-term independence requires understanding which institution is actually responsible for which issue.
A health insurer, pension authority, tax office, school and employment body each have different roles. German administration often relies heavily on written decisions, deadlines, documentation and formal responsibility.
Integration includes gradually learning how that structure works.
You do not have to enjoy bureaucracy in order to know how to use it.
Germany's integration course shows that integration goes beyond vocabulary
The general federal integration course combines language with orientation. The language section focuses on practical communication for everyday life, work and institutions. The orientation section covers the German legal system, culture, history and key values.
The underlying message is useful: integration is not completed when a person can order food or ask for directions.
Living permanently in Germany also requires a basic understanding of democracy, the rule of law, individual rights, equality, religious freedom and shared civic rules.
People are free to disagree politically. A common legal framework nevertheless applies to everyone.
Respecting Germany does not mean pretending everything in Germany is perfect
Being integrated does not mean never criticising Germany. German citizens criticise government, taxation, trains, schools, housing and bureaucracy every day.
Political disagreement is part of democratic participation.
A person of Croatian origin has the same legitimate interest in discussing and criticising the society in which they live.
The important distinction is between criticism of a rule and rejecting the idea that common rules apply at all.
“I think this law should be changed” is participation.
“German law does not concern me because I follow my own rules” is something very different.
Integration happens in neighbourhoods, schools and local life
The phrase social participation can sound abstract. In practice it is often very ordinary: talking to neighbours, attending a parent meeting, helping at a school event, joining a sports club or paying attention to decisions in the town where you live.
This is why Germany's official integration approach places such strong emphasis on municipalities, schools, workplaces, associations and neighbourhoods.
No one needs a prescribed number of German friends. But a person who lives in a city for decades while knowing almost nothing about the local community because their entire social life remains inside one closed national circle misses a large part of the society around them.
A Croatian community can be a powerful tool for integration
It would be wrong to assume that having fewer Croatian contacts automatically means better integration. A healthy Croatian community can make integration easier.
A newcomer can receive an explanation in a familiar language, be directed towards a German course, find a trustworthy professional or learn which German authority is responsible for a particular issue.
Children can meet peers with similar family histories. Adults can build friendships. Entrepreneurs can create professional networks.
In that form, the Croatian community is a bridge into wider German society.
The problem begins when the community becomes a wall
If the message for years is “you don't need German”, “work only with our people”, “you don't need to understand the authorities because someone will always do it for you”, help can gradually become dependence.
Needing assistance during the first year is normal.
After ten or twenty years, the aim should be to handle more and more of life independently.
Good support says: “I will show you how to do this.”
Permanent dependency says: “You cannot do this without me.”
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Speaking Croatian at home is not a sign of failed integration
Children growing up in Germany receive German every day through kindergarten, school, friends, sport and public life. Croatian often serves a different purpose within the family.
It connects children directly with parents, grandparents, relatives and family history.
Germany's official integration policy simultaneously stresses strong German skills and describes multilingualism as a valuable resource.
Those ideas are compatible.
A child needs strong German to access education and participate fully in the society in which they grow up. Croatian can give the same child direct access to another part of the family's language and identity.
More on this topic can be found in Children and the Croatian language.
Two languages are not the problem – walls are
A child who speaks Croatian at home and strong German outside the home has gained two linguistic spaces.
A problem would arise if parents deliberately prevented a child from learning enough German in order to keep them almost entirely inside the family's own community. That could restrict education and future work.
The opposite extreme is unnecessary as well. Parents do not have to abandon Croatian entirely because they fear bilingualism.
The aim is not fewer languages.
It is more possibilities.
A child should not have to prove that they are Croatian
Parents can understandably worry that later generations will lose their connection with Croatia. But turning identity into a test can create the opposite result.
“Why are you answering in German?” “How can you not know that Croatian word?” “How can you call Germany home?”
A child born in Germany does not have the same biography as a parent raised in Croatia. Their relationship with Croatia will be built through family, language, travel, memories, culture and their own later choices.
It does not have to reproduce the parents' identity exactly in order to be genuine.
“I am Croatian and German” is not a contradiction
Second and third generations often combine identities more naturally than those who personally emigrated. A parent may say, “I am Croatian and I live in Germany.” A son or daughter born in Germany may say, “I am Croatian and German.”
Both descriptions can make sense.
Identity does not need to be divided mathematically between two countries.
German society also has responsibilities
Integration cannot mean simply telling migrants: “You came here, so everything is your responsibility.” Germany's official approach explicitly describes integration as a task for society as a whole.
It is reasonable to expect newcomers to learn German, respect laws, take responsibility and make use of opportunities.
At the same time, society should provide fair access to education, work and participation and should address discrimination.
A well-integrated person should not be expected to erase their origin.
A Croatian surname, Croatian spoken with family or a close relationship with Croatia does not demonstrate a lack of loyalty to Germany.
Equal opportunities are part of integration
If a person is qualified, speaks good German and wants to work but is treated differently simply because of a surname or origin, the problem cannot be dismissed as insufficient integration.
This is why the German federal framework repeatedly connects integration with equal opportunities, participation and protection against discrimination.
A serious approach requires both individual effort and fair social conditions.
Not every unpleasant experience is discrimination
Balance matters in the other direction as well. A tax office may request a document because the document is legally necessary. An employer may criticise work that was done incorrectly. A school may raise a genuine problem involving a child.
Discrimination is real and should be taken seriously, but not every conflict is discrimination.
Looking at the facts of the individual case usually helps more than automatically concluding that something happened “because we are Croatian”.
At some point Germany is no longer simply “their country”
A person may spend many years saying “their school”, “their city”, “their institutions” or “their country”.
After two or three decades, however, your children may attend that school, you pay taxes to that municipality, use its parks, hospitals and roads and perhaps run a business there.
At some point it becomes reasonable to say: “This is my society too.”
That sentence does not require adding: “Croatia is no longer mine.”
Both forms of belonging can exist together.
Being part of Germany also involves responsibility
Belonging is not only a collection of rights. Living as part of a society also means respecting the law, meeting obligations, respecting other people and taking some responsibility for the shared environment.
If Germany is where you build your daily life and raise your children, decisions about the country's schools, economy, infrastructure and future are no longer matters affecting only “other people”.
They affect your family as well.
Connection with Croatia may become stronger after leaving
Some people rarely think consciously about Croatian identity while living in Croatia because language and culture are simply part of normal life.
After moving abroad, things that once seemed ordinary may suddenly feel important. Parents want children to understand their grandparents. Certain food, music and family traditions gain emotional weight.
For other people, the relationship with Croatia becomes weaker over several decades.
Both developments are possible. Identity cannot be maintained by command.
Returning to Croatia does not prove that integration failed
Someone can be fully integrated in Germany and decide after twenty or thirty years to live in Croatia. Family needs, retirement, remote work or personal priorities may change.
Integration is not a promise to remain in Germany forever.
It describes the ability to participate fully during the years when Germany is the centre of a person's life.
Not Germany or Croatia – for many it is Germany and Croatia
This may be the central idea.
It does not have to be German or Croatian. It can be German and Croatian.
It does not have to be German friends or a Croatian community. There can be both.
It does not have to be a professional life in Germany or an emotional, family or business connection with Croatia.
And above all, it does not have to be Germany or Croatia.
For many people it is Germany and Croatia.
Germany may be the country of daily life, work, education, civic participation and responsibility. Croatia may remain the country of family origin, language, memory, culture and perhaps a future return.
What does healthy integration look like in real life?
There is no single model. A Croatian family may speak Croatian at home while the parents communicate completely independently with German schools, doctors and authorities and maintain both Croatian and German friendships.
Someone may participate in a Croatian community and at the same time coach a local German sports team.
A doctor of Croatian background may work entirely within the German healthcare system and read Croatian books to her children at home.
A business owner may live in Germany while connecting German and Croatian companies.
All of these can represent successful integration.
How can you recognise when integration has stalled?
A useful question after several years is whether you are more independent than when you arrived. If after a decade almost every important institutional conversation still requires someone else's help, if fear of German prevents you from changing jobs or if every source of information comes only from your own language group, the problem is not “too much Croatian identity”.
Your range of options has remained unnecessarily narrow.
The solution is not less Croatia.
It is more German, more knowledge, more independent access to institutions and a wider choice of relationships and opportunities.
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The role of AdriaVeza.de: Croatian as a bridge into German reality
This is where AdriaVeza.de should have a clear purpose.
Information in Croatian can make a complex German system easier to understand. But the aim should not be to create a parallel Croatian information world in which readers never need to consult German institutions or official sources.
If we explain health insurance, pensions, taxes, employment law or schools in Croatian, the reader should finish the article knowing more clearly which German institution is responsible and what to do next.
Information in Croatian should increase independence in Germany, not replace Germany.
The same principle applies to community networks and partners. Their value is greatest when they create more options, not new forms of dependence.
Integration is not a reduction of identity – it can be an expansion of life
Learning German does not automatically mean losing Croatian. It means gaining another language.
Making German friends does not mean losing Croatian friends.
Considering Germany home does not erase Croatia from the family story.
Seen this way, integration is not mainly a process of subtraction.
It adds language, knowledge, relationships, rights, responsibilities and another possible sense of belonging.
Common mistakes
The largest misunderstandings often appear when integration is treated either as complete cultural assimilation or as an excuse to remain permanently closed within one's own community.
1. Treating integration and assimilation as the same thing
Participating fully in German society does not require abandoning Croatian language, family traditions or a relationship with Croatia.
2. Postponing German for decades because life somehow works without it
This may work temporarily but can restrict employment choices, access to information and personal independence over the long term.
3. Expecting children to have exactly the same identity as their parents
Children born in Germany have a different biography and need space to build their own relationship with both countries.
4. Turning the Croatian language into a loyalty test
A child who answers in German or speaks Croatian with an accent should not be shamed. A positive relationship with the language is generally more sustainable than pressure.
5. Assuming someone is automatically trustworthy because they are “one of us”
A shared language is useful, but it does not replace professional qualifications, proper registration, experience or verified information.
6. Treating every unpleasant situation as discrimination
Discrimination is real and should be taken seriously, but not every administrative decision or workplace conflict is caused by someone's origin.
7. Believing that an integrated person no longer needs a Croatian community
An open Croatian community can support language, family relationships, social networks and integration at the same time.
8. Continuing to think of Germany only as “their country” after decades
People who live, work, raise children and participate there for decades are themselves part of German society and its future.
Frequently asked questions
Below you will find answers to the most common questions about this topic.
1. What does integration in Germany actually mean?
Integration means being able to participate independently and on equal terms in society. Germany's official approach emphasises language, education, work, local and social participation, access to institutions and equal opportunities. It does not define integration as abandoning family or cultural origin.
2. Is integration the same as assimilation?
No. Integration allows someone to participate in German society while maintaining language, culture and identity. Assimilation describes a further process in which distinctive cultural or linguistic differences may become much weaker or disappear over time.
3. Do I have to stop speaking Croatian at home to integrate successfully?
No. Croatian as a family language is not an obstacle when a person also develops enough German for independent life. Germany's official approach even describes multilingualism among children as a potentially valuable resource.
4. How important is German for integration?
Very important. German allows independent communication with doctors, schools, employers and authorities and expands professional and social options. Learning German does not make someone less Croatian; it increases independence in Germany.
5. Can I be integrated if most of my friends are Croatian?
Yes. There is no required number of German friends. However, relationships outside your own linguistic community can improve language, understanding of society, professional networks and a sense of local belonging.
6. Can a Croatian community help integration?
Yes. A healthy community can direct newcomers towards language courses, reliable professionals, social contacts and the correct German institutions. It is most useful when it serves as a bridge towards independence rather than a permanent parallel world.
7. When can a Croatian community hinder integration?
It can become a problem when people are told for years that they do not need German, should deal only with “our people” and have no reason to understand German institutions themselves. Such a closed circle can restrict employment choices and personal independence.
8. Should parents speak Croatian with children growing up in Germany?
This is a family decision, but Croatian can be very valuable for direct relationships with parents, grandparents and relatives. At the same time, children should develop German strongly enough for education and full participation in the society where they grow up.
9. Is a child poorly integrated if they say they are both Croatian and German?
No. Multiple belonging can be completely natural for children born or raised in Germany. Germany may be their everyday social environment while Croatia remains an important part of family, language and personal identity.
10. Does German citizenship mean I have to give up Croatian identity?
No. Citizenship is a legal status, while personal and cultural identity is much broader. Someone can remain strongly connected with Croatia while considering Germany their permanent civic and everyday home.
11. Can I criticise Germany and still be well integrated?
Yes. Democratic participation includes criticism of politics, institutions and laws. The important distinction is between legitimate criticism and claiming that the common German legal order should not apply to you.
12. Is every unpleasant experience related to Croatian origin discrimination?
No. Discrimination exists and should be taken seriously, but not every rejected request, workplace difficulty or administrative decision is related to origin. The specific facts of the situation matter.
13. Am I poorly integrated if I eventually want to live in Croatia?
No. Someone can participate fully in German society while living there and later choose to move to Croatia. Integration is not a promise that a person will remain in Germany forever.
14. Can someone genuinely feel that they belong to both Germany and Croatia?
Yes. Germany may be the country of everyday, professional and civic life while Croatia remains the country of family origin, language, culture and emotional belonging. For many people both relationships exist simultaneously and change over time.
15. How can I tell if I am too dependent on my own language community?
A useful warning sign is when, after many years in Germany, almost every important institutional conversation still requires help, fear of German prevents changing jobs or all information comes only from your own community. The goal is not less connection with Croatia but greater personal independence.
16. What is the simplest definition of healthy integration?
Healthy integration means being able to live independently as part of German society, respect common rules, exercise rights and participate in life around you without having to erase Croatian language, family culture or personal origin.
Conclusion: not less Croatia, but more independence in Germany
Integration of Croatians in Germany should not be a process of cultural erasure. Germany's official approach focuses on language, employment, education, local and social participation and equal opportunities.
At the same time, this should not become an excuse for remaining permanently closed inside one linguistic circle.
A person who consciously refuses to learn German for decades has not preserved more Croatian identity. They have mainly reduced their own independence.
It does not need to be Croatian or German. Both languages can belong in the same life.
It does not need to be the Croatian community or German society. A healthy Croatian community can help people participate more fully in German society.
And it does not need to be Croatia or Germany.
For many Croatians the real answer is Germany and Croatia.
Germany as the country of everyday life, work, education, participation and responsibility. Croatia as the country of family origin, language, culture and lasting connection.
Some people may eventually make Croatia their main home again. Others will remain in Germany for life. Their children may describe their identity differently from their parents.
All of these paths can coexist with successful integration.
Successful integration does not begin when someone stops being Croatian. It begins when that person can participate fully and independently in German society without having to hide or erase the Croatian part of who they are.
For the wider migration and identity context, see Croatians in Germany – life between two countries.
Further articles belong to the Integration and identity hub. Questions about bilingualism and later generations will be developed further under Children and the Croatian language.
Sources and further information
Federal Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration – Integration
Federal Commissioner – Language and multilingualism
Federal Commissioner – Education and equal opportunities
Federal Office for Migration and Refugees – Integration course
Important notice: The information is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute individual legal advice or other professional advice. Laws, case law, contractual terms and procedures may depend on the specific circumstances of each case.
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Integration of Croatians in Germany: being part of German society while preserving Croatian identity
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