Published: 26.07.2021.

Travel to Croatia during COVID-19: What you need to know before you go

Passengers coming directly from the countries and/or regions of the EU/EEA (EU 27 + Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, as well as Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican), regardless of their citizenship, are allowed to enter Croatia if they have a valid EU Digital COVID Certificate. EU/EEA citizens, members of their families and non-EU/EEA citizens with an EU residence permit who don’t have an EU Digital COVID Certificate are allowed to enter Croatia no matter where they come from, but need to have either of the following: <ol> <li style="text-align: justify;"> negative viral test result: PCR not older than 72 hours or rapid antigen test (<a href="https://covid-19-diagnostics.jrc.ec.europa.eu/devices#form_content">list of acceptable antigen tests</a>) not older than 48 hours (counting from the time of taking the test to arriving at the border crossing point);</li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> a certificate of completion of a two dose vaccine course (Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Gamaleya, Sinopharm) or a certificate of receipt of a one dose vaccine (Janssen, Johnson & Johnson); in both cases immunization must have been completed 14 days prior to arrival and the certificate must not be older than 270 days;</li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> a certificate of vaccination showing that they’ve received the first dose of the Pfizer, Moderna or Gamaleya vaccine in the last 22-42 days, or one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the last 22-84 days;</li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> a doctor’s certificate of recovery within the previous 6 months, alongside proof of a first dose of Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Gamaleya, Sinopharm if administered less than 270 days of arrival.</li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> a proof of recovery from COVID-19: 1) a medical certificate or 2) a positive PCR or rapid antigen test performed in the last 12-180 days;</li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> perform PCR testing or rapid antigen testing immediately upon arrival to Croatia (at the traveller’s own expense), with the obligation to stay in self-isolation until receiving a negative test result. If testing cannot be performed, passengers must self-isolate for a period of 10 days.</li> </ol> The same rules are applied to the non-EU/EEA citizens travelling to Croatia from an EU/EEA country/region. All other non-EU/EEA citizens, i.e. non-EU/EEA citizens who are not family members of EU/EEA citizens and who don’t have an EU residence permit, travelling to Croatia from third countries will be allowed entry in Croatia for certain purposes only (e.g. tourism, business, medical reasons etc.). Non–EU/EEA citizens can travel to Croatia for tourist reasons, but in order to do so, they need to have a certificate of paid accommodation in a hotel, camp, rented vessel and other form of tourist accommodation, or show evidence that they own a property in Croatia. At the border, they will also have to show one of the 5 proofs, as set out above. Please note that the point 3 does not apply to arrivals from third countries. Non–EU/EEA citizens travelling to Croatia from third countries for personal/family reasons or business, as well as <a href="https://croatia.hr/hr-HR/informacije-o-putovanju/croatia-your-new-office">digital nomads</a>, will be also allowed entry to Croatia if they present credible documentation upon entering Croatia in order to prove the reason for the exemption and if they show one of the 5 proofs, as set out above. As previously mentioned, the point 3 does not apply to arrivals from third countries. There are additional restrictions for passengers travelling to Croatia from South Africa, Brazil or Zanzibar (Tanzania). In addition to holding a negative PCR test result taken within 48 hours prior to arrival, permitted passengers must also undergo a mandatory 14 day self-isolation period on arrival to Croatia. The isolation period can be reduced to 7 days if a subsequent PCR test confirms a negative result. There are also additional restrictions for passengers travelling to Croatia from India, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Russia and Cyprus. Permitted passengers travelling to Croatia from these countries must present a negative COVID-19 antigen test which must not be older than 48 hours or a negative PCR test no older than 72 hours on arrival, regardless of their vaccination status. Please note that the additional restrictions applies to both EU/EEA citizens and non-EU/EEA citizens travelling from the above mentioned countries, regardless of their vaccination status. Passengers coming to Croatia directly from the third countries listed in the <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32021H1085&qid=1625217654212&from=HR">Annex I of the Council Recommendation (EU) 2021/1085</a> can travel to Croatia without proving that their travel is essential if they show one of the 5 proofs, as set out above. Please note that the point 3 also does not apply to this category of passengers. For full list of exemptions to the necessary travel restrictions, please see the Croatian Government’s <a href="https://mup.gov.hr/uzg-covid/english/286212">Ministry of Interior Webpage</a> . A few things to note... Children under 12 and accompanied by a parent/guardian are exempt from the requirement to present a negative test result, and to self-isolate, if the parent or guardian has a negative PCR or rapid antigen test result, an EU digital COVID Certificate, an official certificate of vaccination or a certificate of recovery as set out above for EU/EEA or non-EU/EEA citizens’ entry to Croatia. All tests taken and used as supporting evidence of a positive or negative result must be recognized by <a href="https://covid-19-diagnostics.jrc.ec.europa.eu/devices#form_content">European Union</a>. Details of eligibility to travel, possible exemptions, and instructions for arrivals including approved rapid antigen tests are available from the Croatian Government’s <a href="https://mup.gov.hr/uzg-covid/english/286212">Ministry of Interior Webpage</a> . The Croatian Government has introduced an <a href="https://entercroatia.mup.hr/">online entry form</a> to expedite the entry of foreign visitors. All passengers, regardless of their category and country of origin, are obliged to follow the public health measures that are currently in force in Croatia. For the latest information on COVID-19 cases and epidemiological measures in Croatia, please visit the?<a href="https://www.koronavirus.hr/en">Croatian Government’s COVID-19 website</a>.

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