Dichotomy between a civic and an ethnic nation is often used in empirical research on nation and nationalism. In this paper, the civic-ethnic dichotomy is applied in a research of the conception of nation in Croatia, and a civic as well as an ethnic nation are regarded as ideal types. Prior to the research, social and historical circumstances in which the process of shaping of the Croatian nation took place, were outlined. Drawing on the theoretical distinction of these two ideal types, by applying the qualitative content analysis of the basic legal acts important for understanding the nation, the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian Citizenship Act, an attempt was made to establish the conception of nation in Croatia. The Constitution is important because it states how the Republic of Croatia is defined as a nation state and how it regulates the rights and obligations of citizens, while the Croatian Citizenship Act, determined by the specific tradition of understanding the nation and the state, regulates the level of their inclusion. Analyzed parts of these legal acts confirmed the common view that the conception of nation in Croatia is predominantly ethnic, so in the final part of the paper social and historical reasons behind this are discussed, as well as their social consequences.