Foreigners can only enter Croatia for justified reasons, unless they are from ten specific countries

Tomislav Kufner, head of the Service for Neighboring Countries at the Ministry of the Interior, stated on Monday that citizens of the European Union who are not from the 10 countries that can freely enter Croatia must have justified reasons for entering our country.

– Citizens of ten EU countries can enter Croatia without special conditions or reasons, while citizens of other EU member states and third countries must have a justified reason upon arrival – said Kufner this morning on Croatian Radio, explaining that these can be business or personal reasons, such as owning property.  

– The procedure is such that upon arriving at the border crossing, in addition to the standard procedure that was in place before the emergence of the coronavirus, presenting a travel document for inspection, they must now also provide a phone number and an address where they will stay in Croatia – said Kufner on the show ‘In the Network of the First’.

These are, he explained, health or epidemiological measures to ensure contact in case epidemiologists need to reach them. The countries from which entry into Croatia is unrestricted are Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Germany. 

Kufner stated that, in cooperation with the ministries of internal affairs and tourism, an application Welcome to Croatia has been developed.

– Foreign travelers can fill out a form on that website with information about their destination, their personal data, if they are traveling with companions and their data, as well as some epidemiological information – he said.

Metelko – Zgombić: Austria has not yet opened up to Croatia, allows transit

State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Andreja Metelko-Zgombić said that it is important for Croatia that foreigners, when arriving, respect epidemiological rules, and that all data is available during their stay for the safety of our citizens and themselves.

– It is equally important to us that when they return, they do not have to go into quarantine, but can freely return to their homes – said the state secretary, as reported by HRT on its web portal.
 Metelko-Zgombić also stated that Austria has not yet opened up to Croatia, but allows transit.

– Foreigners can peacefully pass through Austria and come to Croatia as their final tourist destination – said the state secretary.