Updated Border Crossing Guidelines and Suggestions for Croatia (January 16, 2021)
Starting January 13, 2021, the Civil Protection Headquarters of Croatia imposed temporary travel restrictions for crossing the country's borders by all individuals. However, exceptions are made for certain passenger categories, as outlined below:
EU/EEA Passengers Entering Croatia
Passengers traveling from countries on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control's (ECDC) green list—regardless of their citizenship—are allowed entry to Croatia under the same conditions as before the COVID-19 pandemic. They must show no signs of disease and have not been in close contact with an infected person.
Passengers coming directly from countries on the green list, who may have transited through other nations without delay, should prove at the border crossing point that they did not stay in transit areas. In this case, they will not be required to have a negative PCR test result for SARS-CoV-2 older than 48 hours or self-isolate.
Passengers from EU/EEA countries currently not on the ECDC green list must present a negative PCR test result for SARS-CoV-2 that is not older than 48 hours or have the test done immediately upon arrival in Croatia (at their own expense), with a self-isolation period until receiving a negative test result. In case of testing impossibility, a self-isolation period of 10 days is determined.
Email: *
Exceptions & Special Categories
Certain categories of passengers, listed below, are exempt from the PCR test obligation, even if they come from countries not on the ECDC green list:
First name:
- Essential workers, including healthcare workers, frontier workers, and seasonal workers (Guidelines concerning the exercise of the free movement of workers during COVID-19 outbreak) who do not stay longer than 12 hours in Croatia or outside it.
- Daily commuters, such as students, if they do not stay longer than 12 hours in or out of Croatia.
- Seafarers, transport sector workers, and heavy goods vehicle drivers transporting goods for national use or those just transiting.
- Diplomats, international organization staff, military personnel, police officers, humanitarian and civil protection personnel, journalists, and others traveling for necessary family or business reasons, as well as passengers in transit with the obligation to leave Croatia within 12 hours from entry.
- Patients traveling for urgent health reasons.
Frequent cross-border workers who, due to the nature of their jobs, need to cross the state border regularly (e.g., athletes) are also covered by these provisions.
Last name:
Third-Country Citizens and EU/EEA Family Members
Citizens of EU Member States and families of third-country nationals, long-term residents, or those with national long-term visas coming from third countries must present a negative PCR test result for SARS-CoV-2 not older than 48 hours or have the test done immediately upon arrival in Croatia (at their own expense), with a self-isolation period until receiving a negative test result. In the case of testing impossibility, a self-isolation period of 10 days is determined.
Gender:
Passengers exempted from the PCR test obligation within this category include healthcare workers, frontier workers, workers in the transport sector, diplomats, staff of international organizations, humanitarian and civil protection personnel, passengers in transit with the obligation to leave Croatia within 12 hours from entry, passengers traveling for schooling purposes, and persons traveling for urgent personal/family reasons, business reasons, or have other economic interests, and do not stay in or out of Croatia for more than 12 hours.
Male Female
Miscellaneous Exemptions
Third-country nationals not covered by the abovementioned points may enter Croatia from third countries without a negative PCR test result or self-isolation measure if they belong to one of these categories:
Country:
- Healthcare workers, health researchers, and caregivers for the elderly.
- Frontier workers (including athletes).
- Workers in the transport sector.
- Diplomats, international organization staff, and others whose physical presence is necessary for the good functioning of those organizations, military personnel, and police officers.
- Passengers in transit with the obligation to leave Croatia within 12 hours from entry.
- Persons traveling for schooling purposes.
- Seafarers who intend to stay in Croatia for more than 12 hours are expected to present a negative PCR test on SARS-CoV-2 not older than 48 hours or be tested immediately upon arriving in Croatia and self-isolate until receiving a negative test result.
- Persons traveling for urgent personal/family reasons, business reasons, or other economic interest who intend to stay in Croatia for more than 12 hours are expected to present a negative PCR test on SARS-CoV-2 not older than 48 hours or be tested immediately upon arriving in Croatia and self-isolate until receiving a negative test result.
Travellers Covered by Annex I to Council Recommendation (EU) 2020/912
Birthday:
Travelers from countries covered by Annex I to Council Recommendation (EU) 2020/2169 do not have to present a negative test result for SARS-CoV-2 nor are they subject to self-isolation if they have not been in close contact with an infected person and show no signs of disease. They are, however, obligated to adhere to general and special recommendations and instructions of the Croatian Institute of Public Health during their stay in Croatia.
[*]: Your email address for newsletter subscription (if provided) will remain confidential and will be used solely for this purpose.
- Despite the temporary travel restrictions imposed in Croatia starting January 13, 2021, citizens of EU Member States are allowed entry under certain conditions, specifically if they are traveling from countries on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control's (ECDC) green list and show no signs of disease, proving they didn't stay in transit areas if they transited through other nations without delay.
- For EU/EEA passengers currently not on the ECDC green list, they must present a negative PCR test result for SARS-CoV-2 that is not older than 48 hours or have the test done immediately upon arrival in Croatia (at their own expense), with a self-isolation period until receiving a negative test result. In case of testing impossibility, a self-isolation period of 10 days is determined.
- Third-country citizens and EU/EEA family members coming from third countries must present a negative PCR test result for SARS-CoV-2 not older than 48 hours or have the test done immediately upon arrival in Croatia (at their own expense), with a self-isolation period until receiving a negative test result. Exemptions from the PCR test obligation include essential workers, diplomats, frontier workers, transport sector workers, humanitarian and civil protection personnel, passengers in transit with the obligation to leave Croatia within 12 hours from entry, and passholders who do not stay in or out of Croatia for more than 12 hours.
