CROATIA
COVID-19 – Basic Croatia facts for new travellers on date 28th May 2021
On the 13th of January 2021, the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia issued a Decision temporarily prohibiting and restricting the crossing of persons across all border crossing points of the Republic of Croatia. However, in accordance with the guidelines of the competent authorities, exceptions have been made as follows:
- Passengers coming directly from the countries and/or regions of the European Union, i.e. countries and/or regions which are Member States of the Schengen Area and Schengen Associated Countries, and which are currently in the so‑called green list of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, regardless of their citizenship, will be allowed entry into the Republic of Croatia under the same conditions as before the onset of the COVID-19 disease (they do not need to present a negative PCR test result for SARS-CoV-2 nor are they assigned the measure of self-isolation) if they show no signs of disease and they have not been in close contact with an infected person.
- Graphic representation of countries by colour according to the risk of the COVID-19 disease can be found on the website of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
- If the aforementioned persons transited to the border crossing points of the Republic of Croatia through other countries/regions without delay, they should prove at the border crossing point that they did not stay in transit areas and in that case, they will not be required to have a negative PCR test result for SARS-CoV-2 not older than 48 hours, nor stay in self-isolation.
- All other passengers who, regardless of their citizenship, come to the Republic of Croatia from EU / EEA member states/regions, and which are currently not on the so-called green list of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, must present:
- negative PCR test or rapid antigen test – RAT on SARS-CoV-2, where the RAT test must be listed in the Common list of rapid antigen tests recognized by the Member States of the European Union, published by the European Commission. If the RAT test findings were made abroad, the manufacturer and/or the commercial name of the test must be visible and the test must be issued by a health institution/laboratory and signed/confirmed by a doctor. If otherwise, it will not be accepted as credible for entering the Republic of Croatia. The results of the above tests must not be older than 48 hours (counting from the time of taking the swab to arriving at the border crossing point)
- vaccination certificate for persons who received a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine more than 14 days prior. Exceptionally, in the case of a vaccine received in a single dose, a certificate of receipt of a single dose if the dose was received more than 14 days before crossing the state border;
- If a person has recovered COVID-19 in the past 180 days and has a medical certificate or a positive PCR or rapid antigen test (RAT) and has been vaccinated with at least one dose of vaccine after recovery, the exemption from presenting a negative PCR or rapid antigen test – RAT or self-isolation is extended until six (6) months after vaccination;
- presentation of a positive PCR or rapid antigen test, confirming that the holder recovered from the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, which was performed in the previous 180 days, and older than 11 days from the date of arrival at the border crossing point or upon presentation of a certificate of recovery issued by a physician;
- or perform PCR testing or rapid antigen testing on SARS-CoV-2 immediately upon arrival in the Republic of Croatia (at their own expense), with the obligation to stay in self-isolation until the arrival of a negative test result. If testing cannot be performed, a measure of self-isolation is determined for a period of ten (10) days.
- Citizens of EU Member States (including Croatian citizens), i.e. Schengen Member States and Schengen Associated States, as well as members of their families and third-country nationals who are long-term residents under Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003 concerning the status of third-country nationals who are long-term residents and persons entitled to reside under other EU directives or national law or who have national long-term visas coming from third countries, upon entering the Republic of Croatia must present one of the following documents:
- negative PCR test or rapid antigen test – RAT on SARS-CoV-2, where the RAT test must be listed in the Common list of rapid antigen tests recognized by the Member States of the European Union, published by the European Commission. If the RAT test findings were made abroad, the manufacturer and/or the commercial name of the test must be visible and the test must be issued by a health institution/laboratory and signed/confirmed by a doctor. If otherwise, it will not be accepted as credible for entering the Republic of Croatia. The results of the above tests must not be older than 48 hours (counting from the time of taking the swab to arriving at the border crossing point)
- vaccination certificate for persons who received a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine more than 14 days prior. Exceptionally, in the case of a vaccine received in a single dose, a certificate of receipt of a single dose if the dose was received more than 14 days before crossing the state border;
- If a person has recovered COVID-19 and has a medical certificate or a positive PCR or rapid antigen test (RAT) and has been vaccinated with at least one dose of vaccine after recovery, the exemption from presenting a negative PCR or rapid antigen test – RAT or self-isolation is extended until six (6) months after vaccination;
- presentation of a positive PCR or rapid antigen test, confirming that the holder recovered from the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, which was performed in the previous 180 days, and older than 11 days from the date of arrival at the border crossing point or upon presentation of a certificate of recovery issued by a physician;
- or perform PCR testing or rapid antigen testing on SARS-CoV-2 immediately upon arrival in the Republic of Croatia (at their own expense), with the obligation to stay in self-isolation until the arrival of a negative test result. If testing cannot be performed, a measure of self-isolation is determined for a period of ten (10) days.
Third-country nationals not covered by the abovementioned points may enter the Republic of Croatia from third countries if they are:
- persons who travel for tourist reasons and have a certificate of paid accommodation in a hotel, camp, private renter or rented vessel and other form of tourist accommodation or are owners of houses or vessels in the Republic of Croatia – entry into the Republic of Croatia will be allowed upon presentation of one of the following documents:
- negative PCR test or rapid antigen test – RAT on SARS-CoV-2, where the RAT test must be listed in the Common list of rapid antigen tests recognized by the Member States of the European Union, published by the European Commission. If the RAT test findings were made abroad, the manufacturer and/or the commercial name of the test must be visible and the test must be issued by a health institution/laboratory and signed/confirmed by a doctor. If otherwise, it will not be accepted as credible for entering the Republic of Croatia. The results of the above tests must not be older than 48 hours (counting from the time of taking the swab to arriving at the border crossing point)
- vaccination certificate for persons who received a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine more than 14 days prior. Exceptionally, in the case of a vaccine received in a single dose, a certificate of receipt of a single dose if the dose was received more than 14 days before crossing the state border;
- if a person has recovered COVID-19 in the past 180 days and has a medical certificate or a positive PCR or rapid antigen test (RAT) and has been vaccinated with at least one dose of vaccine after recovery, the exemption from presenting a negative PCR or rapid antigen test – RAT or self-isolation is extended until six (6) months after vaccination;
- presentation of a positive PCR or rapid antigen test, confirming that the holder recovered from the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, which was performed in the previous 180 days, and older than 11 days from the date of arrival at the border crossing point or upon presentation of a certificate of recovery issued by a physician;
- or perform PCR testing or rapid antigen testing on SARS-CoV-2 immediately upon arrival in the Republic of Croatia (at their own expense), with the obligation to stay in self-isolation until the arrival of a negative test result. If testing cannot be performed, a measure of self-isolation is determined for a period of ten (10) days.
- healthcare workers, health researchers and caregivers for the elderly;
- frontier workers (as well as e.g., athletes as stated in the exceptions for passengers within the EU / EEA);
- workers in the transport sector;
- diplomats, staff of international organizations and persons invited by international organizations whose physical presence is necessary for the good functioning of those organizations, military personnel and police officers, as well as humanitarian and civil protection personnel in the performance of their duties;
- passengers in transit;
- persons travelling for schooling purposes;
- seafarers (supported by the PCR test result for SARS-CoV-2 not older than 48 hours or by PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 immediately upon arriving to the Republic of Croatia and by self-isolating until they receive a negative test result);
- persons travelling for urgent personal / family reasons, business reasons or other economic interest (supported by the PCR test result for SARS-CoV-2 not older than 48 hours or by PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 immediately upon arriving to the Republic of Croatia and by self-isolating until they receive a negative test result).
In order to shorten the procedure at the border crossing point, we advise all foreign passengers, regardless of their citizenship, to fill the announcement in advance at Enter Croatia
- The information you will need when you complete the form is:
- The reason for Travel
- Starting country (country you are travelling from)
- Valid From and Valid to: these are your arrival and departure dates in Croatia
- Lead Person in your group: name; date of birth; phone number; document type (passport), document number and issuer.
- Citizenship
- Email address
- The same details for each member of your party
- When staying in the Republic of Croatia, all passengers, regardless of their category and country from which they came, are obliged to follow the general and special instructions and recommendations of the Croatian Institute of Public Health.
- Starting from October 12, it is mandatory to wear protective or surgical masks in all enclosed spaces where it is not possible to maintain a distance of 1.5 m. Furthermore, it is highly recommended to use protective masks in certain public spaces and outdoors, especially in cases where the required distance cannot be maintained.
- Passengers in transit may travel through the Republic of Croatia provided that it is possible to enter or transit through the neighbouring country. It is necessary to leave the Republic of Croatia as soon as possible and no longer than 12 hours from the moment of entry, which will be checked by the border police.
- Public transport (trains and buses) is operating across the country. Public transport can be filled to a maximum of 40% of the total capacity, and passengers and the driver are required to wear a protective mask in the correct manner.
- Starting from November 28th it is forbidden to sell alcohol beverages from 11 pm to 6 am.
- Effective March 1, outdoor terraces of all catering facilities (including cafes and restaurants) all allowed to work from 6 am to 11 pm. When staying on the terraces of catering facilities, it is necessary to adhere to epidemiological measures and maintain physical distance.
- Croatia Airlines maintains flights from Zagreb to and/from most major cities throughout Europe.
- Many other commercial airlines have updated flight schedules. Please check their websites for flights to Croatian cities.
- Domestic flights are operating and flights between Zagreb and Split, as well as Zagreb and Dubrovnik, along with flights from Zagreb to Pula and Zadar are available.
- For the latest information on COVID-19 cases in Croatia, please visit the Croatian Government’s COVID-19 website on the following link: https://www.koronavirus.hr/en
- The Croatian Tourism Association (HUT) has created a useful interactive map with marked active Covid-19 cases that may be found on the following link https://www.croatiacovid19.info/
- Various recommendations and guidelines for the tourism sector may be found on the following link of the Croatian Institute of Public Health: https://www.hzjz.hr/aktualnosti/covid-19-pandemic-recommendations-in-english/
- Frequently asked questions and answers regarding the conditions of entry into the Republic of Croatia may be found on the following link of Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia: https://mup.gov.hr/uzg-covid/english/286212