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Coronavirus in Croatia Autumn 2021

Coronavirus in Croatia Autumn 2021 Update

Many had hoped that by this time in 2021 – almost a year after the first vaccinations were being distributed across the world – coronavirus would be a relatively distant memory and we’d be back to normality. Whilst many of us are seeing some semblance of normality in our day to day lives – with lockdowns not currently in operation in many places, travel, entertainment, work, education and more all possible – unfortunately case numbers remain high in many countries. This is certainly true in Croatia where in early November, the country recorded its highest ever daily case number today (over 7,000 new cases) ever in the whole pandemic. As such, we thought we would publish a Coronavirus in Croatia Autumn 2021 post to update you all on case numbers, the current vaccination rate and any new restrictions that come into effect.

Unfortunately, the vaccination rate in Croatia has been quite low compared to other European countries with the country having about the third or fourth lowest vaccination rate in the EU. This may well be one reason why case numbers have now jumped up some considerably this autumn.

Coronavirus in Croatia Autumn 2021

Coronavirus in Croatia Autumn 2021

Latest updateToday, 20th December 2021, 367 new cases have been announced. There are presently 19,570 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (4,663 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (2,566 active cases) and then Zagreb county (1,668 active cases). Sadly, there have been 12,043 deaths in total in Croatia since the pandemic began.

UpdatedToday, 16th December 2021, 3,765 new cases have been announced. There are presently 24,082 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (6,086 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (2,980 active cases) and then Zagreb county (2,139 active cases). Sadly, there have been 11,825 deaths in total in Croatia since the pandemic began.

UpdatedToday, 13th December 2021, 453 new cases have been announced. There are presently 21,581 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (5,732 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (2,308 active cases) and then Zagreb county (2,011 active cases). Sadly, there have been 11,666 deaths in total in Croatia since the pandemic began.

UpdatedToday, 10th December 2021, 3,797 new cases have been announced. There are presently 26,824 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (7,127 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (2,747 active cases) and then Zagreb county (2,611 active cases). Sadly, there have been 11,516 deaths in total in Croatia since the pandemic began.

UpdatedToday, 6th December 2021, 728 new cases have been announced. There are presently 25,567 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (7,069 active cases), followed by Zagreb county (2,655 active cases) and then Split-Dalmatia county (2,445 active cases). Sadly, there have been 11,269 deaths in total in Croatia since the pandemic began.

UpdatedToday, 2nd December 2021, 5,341 new cases have been announced. There are presently 32,603 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (8,569 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (3,435 active cases) and then Zagreb county (3,191 active cases). Sadly, there have been 10,826 deaths in total in Croatia since the pandemic began.

UpdatedToday, 29th November 2021, 1,031 new cases have been announced. There are presently 29,891 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (7,869 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (3,023 active cases) and then Zagreb county (2,839 active cases). Sadly, there have been 10,826 deaths in total in Croatia since the pandemic began.

UpdatedToday, 25th November 2021, 6,246 new cases have been announced. There are presently 34,953 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (8,915 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (3,692 active cases) and then Zagreb county (3,181 active cases). Sadly, there have been 10,569 deaths in total in Croatia since the pandemic began.

UpdatedToday, 22nd November 2021, 1,327 new cases have been announced. There are presently 29,725 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (7,460 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (3,000 active cases) and then Zagreb county (2,630 active cases). Sadly, there have been 10,376 deaths in total in Croatia since the pandemic began.

UpdatedToday, 18th November 2021, 7,270 new cases have been announced. There are presently 39,034 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (9,438 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (4,306 active cases) and thenPrimorje-Gorski Kotar county (3,534 active cases). Sadly, there have been 10,113 deaths in total in Croatia since the pandemic began.

UpdatedToday, 15th November 2021, 1,135 new cases have been announced. There are presently 34,062 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (8,270 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (3,765 active cases) and thenPrimorje-Gorski Kotar county (2,985 active cases). Sadly, there have been 9,936 deaths in total in Croatia since the pandemic began.

UpdatedToday, 8th November 2021, 1,242 new cases have been announced. (As it’s a Monday, case numbers are always lower than maybe expected due to the weekend.) There are presently 29,265 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (7,258 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (3,257 active cases) and thenPrimorje-Gorski Kotar county (2,692 active cases). Sadly, there have been 9,546 deaths in total in Croatia since the pandemic began.

News and data on coronavirus cases in Croatia Autumn 2021

The Koronavirus.hr website (in English) publishes daily updates about new case numbers every morning. That same website also displays a map that shows active cases by county, as well as the total number of cases since the pandemic began.

To compare Croatia’s figures to the rest of the EU, take a look at the website of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). This website shows the 14-day cumulative number of cases per 100,000 for all EU countries. You can also take a look at the ECDC Map which shows a colour-coded map of Europe based on test positivity rates. (This map is updated every Thursday.)

Coronavirus vaccinations in Croatia Autumn 2021

Latest update As of 19th December, 2,242,791 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 2,090,818 have received both doses or a single dose vaccine. That means that 65.87% of the adult population (or 55.27% of the total population) of Croatia have been vaccinated.

Updated As of 12th December, 2,227,358 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 2,039,788 have received both doses or a single dose vaccine. That means that 65.42% of the adult population (or 54.89% of the total population) of Croatia have been vaccinated.

Updated As of 5th December, 2,207,786 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 1,981,397 have received both doses or a single dose vaccine. That means that 64.89% of the adult population (or 54.4% of the total population) of Croatia have been vaccinated.

Updated As of 28th November, 2,176,068 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 1,931,878 have received both doses of a two-dose vaccine. That means that 63.9% of the adult population (or 53.6% of the total population) of Croatia have been vaccinated.

Updated As of 22nd November, 2,125,514 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 1,896,361 have received both doses of a two-dose vaccine. That means that 62.5% of the adult population (or 52.3% of the total population) of Croatia have been vaccinated.

Updated As of 15th November, 2,048,628 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 1,859,418 have received both doses of a two-dose vaccine. That means that 60% of the adult population (or 50% of the total population) of Croatia have been vaccinated.

Updated As of 7th November, 1,948,738 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 1,820,138 have received both doses of a two-dose vaccine. (An additional 121,725 people have received a single dose vaccine.) That means 58% of the adult population of Croatia have received one dose, and 58% have received both doses.

You can track vaccination statistics in Croatia on the Croatian Institute of Public Health website – they now have an interactive map which show vaccination rates by municipality (in Croatian). You can also see the rate of vaccination in Croatia compared to other European countries on the Our World in Health website.

Current Restrictions in Croatia

Travel Restrictions

Latest update As of 26th November 2021, due to the new omicron variant of coronavirus, there is a complete ban on passengers entering Croatia from the following countries (or if you have been in one of the following countries in the previous 14 days): South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong. If you are a Croatian citizen or long-term resident, then you are permitted to enter Croatia but you must quarantine for 14 days. This measure is in effect until 15th December 2021.

Restrictions in Croatia

Some new restrictions have come into effect on 6th November 2021. These include:

  • Indoor events of more than 50 people are prohibited, unless attended by people with a covid certificate – but masks and social distancing are mandatory
  • Outdoor events of more than 100 people can be organised if all participants have a covid certificate
  • Events must finished by midnight (cinema screenings can run until 2am)
  • Weddings are permitted to run until 2am, providing everyone attending has a covid certificate
  • Congresses and conferences are permitted to be held, providing everyone attending has a covid certificate and masks and social distancing are mandatory
  • Indoor sports gatherings are permitted providing all those attending have a covid certificate and wears masks
  • Outdoor sports gatherings are permitted; covid certificates are again required but masks are not necessary
  • School students in some years must wear masks when moving around the school

From 16th November 2021, all workers and visitors to government institutions must present an EU Digital Covid Certificate or be tested.

The use of covid certificates may also be implemented for venues such as cafes, restaurants and gyms should the number of new cases increase.

Coronavirus cases in Croatia

Coronavirus Cases in Croatia – Spring 2021 Update

Now that we are in spring 2021, we thought we would start a new post on the rate of coronavirus cases in Croatia, as well as the new restrictions in the country – or rather (fingers crossed!), the lifting of them and any other relevant news.

To see our previous posts on this subject, take a look at Coronavirus Situation in Croatia (updated since November 2020) and Coronavirus in Croatia (updated since March 2020).

NEW Please see our Visiting Croatia in Summer 2021 section for all the latest news on visiting the country this summer.

Coronavirus cases in Croatia

Coronavirus Situation in Croatia

NOTE As we are very much out of spring, we will stop updating these statistics here. Do see the Koronavirus.hr website for numbers published daily.

Latest update Today, 16th July 2021, 131 new cases have been announced. There are presently 685 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in Zadar county (157 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (129 active cases) and then the City of Zagreb (70 active cases). Sadly, there have been 8,233 deaths in total in Croatia.

Update Today, 6th July 2021, 96 new cases have been announced. There are presently 528 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in Zadar county (148 active cases), followed by Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (102 active cases) and then the City of Zagreb (62 active cases). Sadly, there have been 8,221 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 25th June 2021, 118 new cases have been announced. There are presently 552 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in Zadar county (157 active cases), followed by Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (58 active cases) and then the City of Zagreb (47 active cases). Sadly, there have been 8,196 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 18th June 2021, 113 new cases have been announced. There are presently 700 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (121 active cases), followed by Zadar county (90 active cases) and then Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (67 active cases). Sadly, there have been 8,091 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 15th June 2021, 96 new cases have been announced. There are presently 767 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (172 active cases), followed by Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (79 active cases) and then Varazdin county (75 active cases). Sadly, there have been 8,091 deaths in total in Croatia.

Update Today, 7th June 2021, 43 new cases have been announced. There are presently 1,243 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (354 active cases), followed by Zagreb county (150 active cases) and then Varazdin county (149 active cases). Sadly, there have been 8,091 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 25th May 2021, 323 new cases have been announced. There are presently 3,019 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (807 active cases), followed by Zagreb county (312 active cases) and then Varazdin county (276 active cases). Sadly, there have been 7,950 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 21st May 2021, 525 new cases have been announced. There are presently 4,633 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (1,242 active cases), followed by Zagreb county (503 active cases) and then Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (386 active cases). Sadly, there have been 7,856 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 18th May 2021, 491 new cases have been announced. There are presently 4,871 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (1,318 active cases), followed by Zagreb county (501 active cases) and then Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (449 active cases). Sadly, there have been 7,765 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 11th May 2021, 876 new cases have been announced. There are presently 7,745 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (1,979 active cases), followed by Zagreb county (848 active cases) and then Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (712 active cases). Sadly, there have been 7,549 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 7th May 2021, 1,435 new cases have been announced. There are presently 11,265 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (2,839 active cases), followed by Zagreb county (1,269 active cases) and then Split-Dalmatia county (1,077 active cases). Sadly, there have been 7,388 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 29th April 2021, 2,439 new cases have been announced. There are presently 14,878 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (3,273 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (1,751 active cases) and then Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (1,630 active cases). Sadly, there have been 7,001 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 23rd April 2021, 2,529 new cases have been announced. There are presently 16,168 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (3,456 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (2,110 active cases) and then Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (1,935 active cases). Sadly, there have been 6,784 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 19th April 2021, 410 new cases have been announced. There are presently 13,812 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (2,961 active cases), followed by Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (1,932 active cases) and then Split-Dalmatia county (1,842 active cases). Sadly, there have been 6,601 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 14th April 2021, 3,099 new cases have been announced. There are presently 13,880 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (2,998 active cases), followed by Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (2,154 active cases) and then Split-Dalmatia county (1,992 active cases). Sadly, there have been 6,399 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 1st April 2021, 2,422 new cases have been announced. There are presently 12,448 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (2,454 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (2,229 active cases), and then the City of Zagreb (2,135 cases). Sadly, there have been 5,967 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 24th March 2021, 1,891 new cases have been announced. There are presently 7,600 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (1,607 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (1,326 active cases), and then the City of Zagreb (1,206 cases). Sadly, there have been 5,828 deaths in total in Croatia. There has been a 32% increase in cases in one week.

Updated Today, 16th March 2021, 691 new cases have been announced. There are presently 4,475 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (848 active cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (738 active cases), and then the City of Zagreb (644 cases). Sadly, there have been 5,697 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 10th March 2021, 962 new cases have been announced. There are presently 3,981 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in Split-Dalmatia county (716 active cases), followed by Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (586 active cases) and then the City of Zagreb (513 cases). Sadly, there have been 5,625 deaths in total in Croatia. This presents about a 25% increase on the number of cases from last week.

Updated Today, 2nd March 2021, 394 new cases have been announced. There are presently 2,893 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in Split-Dalmatia county (489 active cases), followed by the City of Zagreb (391 cases) and Dubrovnik-Neretva county (304 active cases). Sadly, there have been 5,548 deaths in total in Croatia. There was a definite downward trend in coronavirus cases in Croatia up to about mid-February, although since then there has been a slight increase.

News and data on coronavirus Cases in Croatia

The Koronavirus.hr website (in English) publishes daily updates about new case numbers in the country at around 11am each day (Croatian time). That same website also displays a map that shows active cases by county, as well as the total number of cases since the pandemic began.

To compare Croatia’s figures to the rest of the EU, take a look at the website of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). This website shows the 14-day cumulative number of cases per 100,000 for all EU countries.

Coronavirus vaccinations in Croatia

Latest update As of 5th July, 1,511,987 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 1,175,528 have received both doses. This means that 45% of the adult population (or 37.3% of the total population) of Croatia have received the first dose of the vaccine. The county with the highest rate of vaccination is the City of Zagreb with 43.4% of the total population receiving their first dose (32.4% receiving both doses) whilst the lowest rate is in Sibenik-Knin county with 30.5% of the population receiving their first dose (25.5% receiving both doses). You can see the rate of vaccination in Croatia compared to other European countries on the Our World in Health website.

Updated As of 25th June, 1,467,772 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 1,000,279 have received both doses. Additionally, 19,281 people have received a single dose vaccine. This means that in total, 30.4% of the adult population of Croatia have been fully vaccinated, whilst 43.7% of the adult population have received a first dose of a vaccine.

Updated As of 15th June, 1,435,788 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 836,456 have received both doses.

Updated As of 15th June, 1,419,924 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 744,950 have received both doses.

Update As of 7th June, 1,338,154 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 565,519 have received both doses. This means that just over 40% of the adult population of Croatia have received the first dose of the vaccine, with around 17% having received both doses.

Updated As of 25th May, 1,195,088 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 410,199 have received both doses.

Updated As of 21st May, 1,149,941 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 357,412 have received both doses. Furthermore, on Thursday 20th May, 57,184 vaccine doses were given out, a new record.

Updated As of 18th May, 1,052,032 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 317,937 have received both doses.

Updated As of 15th May, over 1 million people (about 30% of the adult population) in Croatia have received the first dose of the vaccine.

Updated As of 8th May, 835,320 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 243,440 have received both doses. This means that 25% of the adult population of Croatia has received the first dose, with 6% having received both doses.

Updated As of 7th May, 796,909 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 228,792 have received both doses.

Updated As of 23rd April, 438,706 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 152,906 have received both doses. (A further 2,360 have received the vaccination, but it unknown which dose this was.)

Updated As of 19th April, 412,143 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 139,647 have received both doses. (A further 2,093 have received the vaccination, but it unknown which dose this was.)

Updated As of 1st April, 296,411 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 89,313 have received both doses. (A further 1,462 have received the vaccination, but it unknown which dose this was.)

Updated As of 21st March, 232,000 people in Croatia have received the first vaccine dose, and 79,000 have received both doses.

As of 1st March 2021, just over 150,000 people in Croatia have received the first dose of a vaccine against coronavirus. There has been a delay in people receiving the vaccine due to supply (as with other countries in the EU).

Border Restrictions for Croatia

NEW Please see our Visiting Croatia in Summer 2021 section for all the latest news on visiting the country this summer.

The main regulations (which you can see on the Ministry of the Interior website), state that you can enter Croatia if you have one of the following:

  • As of 1st July, if you are an EU citizen or travelling from the EU, you can enter Croatia with an EU Digital Covid Certificate.

Otherwise, if you do not yet have an EU Digital Certificate but are travelling from the EU you must have one of the following:

  • a negative PCR test undertaken in the previous 72 hours or a rapid antigen test undertaken in the previous 48 hours (at the point of entry); if you are using a rapid antigen test, it must be one recognised by the EU, and the test name and manufacturer must be visible, and the test must be conducted by a healthcare facility/laboratory and signed or confirmed by a doctor
  • a vaccination certificate not older than 365 days showing you have received both doses of a vaccine in use in the EU (Pfizer, Moderna, AstaZeneca, Gamaleya, Sinopharm) or a vaccination certificate not older than 365 days showing you have received a single dose (Janssen/Johnson&Johnson) – in the case of single-dose vaccines – and 14 days has passed since that single dose
  • a vaccination certificate showing you have received the first dose of the Pfizer, Moderna or Gamaleya vaccine, on the basis of which you can enter Croatia in the period of 22 to 42 days from receiving the vaccine, or 22 to 84 days from receiving the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine
  • a certificate showing you have recovered from covid AND you have had one dose of a covid vaccine in the eight months since recovering; your vaccine dose must have been administered in the previous 12 months before arrival in Croatia
  • a certificate showing you have previously been infected with covid and had a positive PCR or rapid antigen test result in the previous 365 days only (and valid from the 11th day after your positive test result)
  • if you don’t have one of the above, you must obtain a PCR or rapid antigen test immediately after arriving in Croatia (at your own expense) and to isolate until you obtain a negative test result – if do not do this, you must isolate for 10 days

If you are travelling to Croatia from outside of the EU, you must have one of the following:

  • a negative PCR test undertaken in the previous 72 hours or a rapid antigen test undertaken in the previous 48 hours (at the point of entry); if you are using a rapid antigen test, it must be one recognised by the EU, and the test name and manufacturer must be visible, and the test must be conducted by a healthcare facility/laboratory and signed or confirmed by a doctor
  • a vaccination certificate not older than 365 days showing you have received two doses of a vaccine more than 14 days before entry into Croatia (or a vaccination certificate not older than 365 days showing you have received a single dose – in the case of single-dose vaccines – more than 14 days before entry into Croatia)
  • a certificate showing you have recovered from covid AND you have had one dose of a covid vaccine in the eight months since recovering; your vaccine dose must have been administered in the previous 12 months before arrival in Croatia
  • a certificate showing you have previously been infected with covid and had a positive PCR or rapid antigen test result in the previous 365 days only (and valid from the 11th day after your positive test result)
  • if you don’t have one of the above, you must obtain a PCR or rapid antigen test immediately after arriving in Croatia (at your own expense) and to isolate until you obtain a negative test result – if do not do this, you must isolate for a full 10 days

ALL children under the age of 12 who are travelling accompanied by a parent or guardian are exempt from having to provide a negative test result (or to self-isolate) providing their parent or guardian adheres to the above entry regulations.

As of 26th July,ALL travellers (even if they are double-vaccinated) from the UK, Cyprus, Russia and India must present proof of a negative PCR test taken in the previous 72 hours before entry into Croatia, or a negative rapid antigen test taken in the previous 48 hours before entry. As of 1st October, this no longer applies. See Double vaccinated UK travellers to Croatia no longer need a negative test.

If you are a third-country national, you must also adhere to the above regulations. Third-country nationals (which UK citizens now are!) are permitted to visit if you are:

  • travelling for tourist reasons and have proof of a paid accommodation booking in a hotel, camp, private renter or rented vessel and other forms of tourist accommodation
  • HOWEVER, please note that this requirement now no longer exists for travellers from the following countries: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Heregovina, Brunei, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Macao, Montenegro, Moldova, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Qatar, Saudia Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Ukraine, USA

Travellers from South Africa and Zanzibar (Tanzania) must show proof of a negative PCR test undertaken in the previous 48 hours AND must also isolate for 14 days upon arrival in Croatia. (The isolation period can be shortened if a PCR test – at your own expense – is taken on day 7 at an authorised testing facility.)

Travellers fromBrazil – regardless of vaccination status – need to show a negative PCR test (taken in the previous 72 hours) or a negative rapid antigen test (taken in the previous 48 hours) to enter Croatia but, as of 1st October, no longer need to quarantine for 14 days.

There are some exceptions to the above rules (eg. healthcare workers do not need to present a negative test etc). To see all regulations regarding entry into Croatia, take a look at the Ministry of the Interior website.

Current Restrictions in Croatia

The rules on covid-related restrictions in Croatia changed as of 28th May. Please see our post on Croatia Travel Restrictions 2021 to see these.

Coronavirus Situation in Croatia

Coronavirus Situation in Croatia – Autumn Update

Here we are, already in November 2020 now in 2021, and it seems that the coronavirus pandemic that many hoped would be over or more manageable by summer has certainly reached its second wave – and how. Many countries in Europe and beyond are experiencing huge leaps in daily case numbers and are undergoing new measures, be that lockdowns or more. We wrote up a post in March 2020 about the coronavirus situation in Croatia (as well as advice for Visiting Croatia in Summer 2020, based on covid-related travel restrictions). However, rather than continue to update those older posts, we feel it’s now wiser to write another piece based on the situation in Croatia today. We will continue to update this post regularly.

Coronavirus Situation in Croatia
Photo by Adam Nieścioruk on Unsplash

Coronavirus Situation in Croatia

Latest update Today, 25th February 2021, 544 new cases have been announced. There are presently 2,933 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in Split-Dalmatia county (542 cases), followed by the City of Zagreb (475 cases) and Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (240 active cases). Sadly, there have been 5,489 deaths in total in Croatia. Although there was a downward trend in case numbers until about a week ago, the past few days have seen a bit of a jump again.

Updated Today, 16th February 2021, 274 new cases have been announced. There are presently 1,959 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in Split-Dalmatia county (354 cases), followed by the City of Zagreb (291 cases) and Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (196 active cases). Sadly, there have been 5,357 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 9th February 2021, 283 new cases have been announced. There are presently 2,329 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in Split-Dalmatia county (505 cases), followed by the City of Zagreb (307 cases) and Zagreb county (231 active cases). Sadly, there have been 5,224 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 25th January 2021, 134 new cases have been announced. There are presently 2,519 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in Split-Dalmatia county (425 cases), followed by the City of Zagreb (338 cases) and Zagreb county (308 active cases). Sadly, there have been 4,859 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 8th January 2021, 1,098 new cases have been announced. There are presently 5,794 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in Split-Dalmatia county (862 cases), followed by the City of Zagreb (743 cases) and Zagreb county (672 active cases). Sadly, there have been 4,304 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 4th January 2021, 361 new cases have been announced. There are presently 5,899 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in Split-Dalmatia county (922 cases), followed by the City of Zagreb (825 cases) and Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (715 active cases). Sadly, there have been 4,126 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Very unfortunately, Croatia suffered its second major earthquake of the year on 29th December 2020. A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck near the town of Petrinja, about 50km south of Zagreb. A number of foreshocks and aftershocks also took place in the days before and after. Seven people died in this earthquake, and a number of people were also injured. About half of the buildings in Petrinija were destroyed, and the houses and buildings in the local villages were also destroyed or very badly damaged. If you would like to donate money to those affected by the earthquake, please see the information on the Croatian Red Cross website.

Updated On 27th December 2020, Croatia started its covid vaccination programme. The first person to be vaccinated was an 81-year-old care home resident in Zagreb named Branka Anicic.

Updated Today, 18th December 2020, 3,272 new cases have been announced. There are presently 21,297 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (2,965 cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (2,392 active cases) and Zagreb county (2,378 active cases). Sadly, there have been 3,023 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 15th December 2020, 2,360 new cases have been announced. There are presently 21,861 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (3,092 cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (2,441 active cases) and Zagreb county (2,197 active cases). Sadly, there have been 2,778 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 11th December 2020, 4,396 new cases have been announced. There are presently 25,006 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (3,657 cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (2,638 active cases) and Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (2,321 active cases). Sadly, there have been 2,484 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 8th December 2020, 2,613 new cases have been announced. There are presently 21,685 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (3,408 cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (2,632 active cases) and Primorje-Gorski Kotar county (1,970 active cases). Sadly there have been 2,298 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 2nd December 2020, 3,539 new cases have been announced. There are presently 22,610 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (3,119 cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (2,759 active cases) and Varazdin county (1,750 active cases). Sadly there have been 1,916 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 27th November 2020, 4,080 new cases have been announced – another new record. (Beating the previous day’s record of 4,009 new cases.) There are presently 22,408 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (3,799 cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (2,652 active cases) and Varazdin county (1,795 active cases). Sadly there have been 1,600 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 24th November 2020, 1,973 new cases have been announced. There are presently 19,275 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (3,775 cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (2,088 active cases) and Varazdin county (1,605 active cases). Sadly there have been 1,398 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 20th November 2020, 2,958 new cases have been announced. There are presently 18,193 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (3,481 cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (2,155 active cases) and Varazdin county (1,567 active cases). Sadly there have been 1,257 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 16th November 2020, 1,313 new cases have been announced. There are presently 15,699 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (3,098 cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (1,765 active cases) and Varazdin county (1,498 active cases). Sadly there have been 1,082 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated Today, 10th November 2020, 1,467 new cases have been announced. There are presently 14,524 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (3,021 cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (1,520 active cases) and Varazdin county (1,428 active cases). Sadly there have been 865 deaths in total in Croatia.

Updated The last few weeks (from mid-October onwards) in Croatia have seen huge jumps in daily new case numbers, with records on case numbers being frequently broken. It is not uncommon for there to be more than 2,500 new cases announced in any one day. In fact, today, 6th November 2020, 2,890 new cases have been announced – a record. (Beating the previous day’s record.) That means that there are presently 15,567 active cases in the country. Most active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (3,594 cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (1,888 active cases) and Varazdin county (1,232 active cases). Sadly there have been 717 deaths in total in Croatia.

Where to find the latest news and data

All stats related to cases can be found on the Koronavirus.hr website (in English); the map on that site shows active cases by county. The CroatiaCovidInfo website also shows active cases per 100,000 by region and maps out hotspots (or not).

Another useful website to check is the is the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) website. This shows 14-day cumulative number of cases per 100,000 for all EU countries.

Coronavirus Regulations in Croatia

The main regulations you must adhere to in Croatia are:

  • Face masks must be worn in all indoor spaces, including catering establishments (cafes, restaurants etc), except when you are seated
  • Face masks must be worn outdoors in situations where social distancing cannot be maintained (and it is recommended that face masks be worn anyway in outdoor situations)
  • You must wear face masks in commercial indoor spaces e.g. shops
  • You must wear face masks on all forms of public transport (buses, ferries, catamarans, trains, trams, taxis)

If you are an EU/EEA citizen, you are allowed to enter and visit Croatia without restriction BUT updated you must present proof of a negative covid PCR test not older than 48 hours unless you are travelling from a green region/country (as shown on the ECDC Map). For others, you must have a specific reason for visiting Croatia (and touristic is considered to be a valid reason – but you must be able to show proof of paid accommodation) as well as showing proof of a negative covid PCR test that is not older than 48 hours at the point of entry. All regulations regarding entry into Croatia can be found on the Ministry of the Interior website.

Other regulations

Other regulations that are currently required in Croatia (although these may not affect all visitors to the country) include:

Newest update As of 1st March 2021, outdoor terraces of catering facilities (cafes, restaurants) are permitted to reopen to serve customers. These establishments can operate from 6am to 10pm each day, with a 3m gap between tables and 1.5m between chairs. Patrons can only go inside (wearing a mask) to go to the toilet.

Updated As of 15th February 2021, some restrictions in Croatia have been lifted. Cafes are able to sell food and drinks to go, although outdoor terraces remain closed and patrons must not congregate and consume their purchases outside venues. Gyms and fitness centres are allowed to reopen (with strict epidemiological measures in place). Casinos (and similar) are allowed to reopen although can only do so until 10pm each day. Children’s playrooms have been allowed to reopen. These are all in force until 28th February.

Updated Covid regulations in Croatia as mentioned below (e.g. the closure of cafes and restaurants, restrictions of numbers of people gathering together, reduced shop opening hours and so on) have been extended until 31st January 2021.

Updated As of 22nd December 2020 (until 8th January 2021), travel between Croatian counties will be severely restricted. Travel can only be undertaken by obtaining a special pass. Movement will be allowed (without a pass) between the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County (considered one ‘county’ for this purpose).

Updated There are additional regulations that shops must adhere to, which come into effect from 12th December 2020. These regulations place restrictions on the number of people that can be in a shop at any one time – for example, shops up to 10 sq. m. in size can only have one customer in at a time; shops of 11 to 100 sq. m. in size must provide 10 sq. m. for every customer. These regulations are in place until 10th January 2021.

Updated Anyone found not wearing a mask where it is compulsory may be fined 500 Kunas.

Updated As of 30th November 2020, everyone entering Croatia must produce proof of a negative covid PCR test that has been undertaken in the previous 48 hours. This includes Croatian citizens. The only exceptions are anyone travelling from a green region/country from within the EU/the Schengen Zone. (Regardless of your citizenship.) As of writing today, there are no green zones – you can see where there may be any green zones on this ECDC Map. If you cannot present proof of a negative covid PCR test at the point of entry, you will be able to obtain a PCR test in Croatia and must self-isolate until you receive a negative result. You can find more details of this on the Croatian Tourist Board website and the Ministry of the Interior website.

Updated Further new restrictions are as follows:

  • Restaurants and cafes must close although restaurants can offer delivery 24 hours a day
  • Sale of alcohol continues to be banned between the hours of 10pm and 6am
  • Hotel restaurants can remain open only to serve hotel guests
  • Wedding ceremonies cannot take place
  • Public gatherings are limited to a maximum of 25 people
  • Public transport – including inter-city transport – must limit passengers to 40% of capacity
  • Increased supervision of shops to ensure the number of customers on the premises is in line with regulations
  • Gyms are allowed to operate but must provide 10 sq. m. per customer
  • Cinemas, theatres, museums and galleries are allowed to remain open, with limits to visitor numbers per sq. m.

Updated as of 22/11/20 The below regulations have been further updated, the additional restrictions now include:

  • Nightclubs, night bars, casinos and similar are not permitted to open
  • A maximum of 15 people can attend weddings
  • A maximum of 25 people can attend funerals
  • A maximum of 10 people can attend other private ceremonies
  • Alcohol cannot be sold between the hours of 10pm and 6am
  • Shops and catering facilities that are permitted to open must clearly display the maximum number of people that can be in the premises at any one time
  • Shops must take on additional measures at expected busy times (holidays) to ensure more customers do not stay in the premises at the same time

Previous restrictions:

  • Alcohol is not allowed to be sold between the hours of midnight and 6am
  • Sports events cannot have any spectators
  • Public events or gatherings with more than 50 people are banned
  • A maximum of 30 people can attend weddings
  • A maximum of 30 people can attend funerals
  • A maximum of 15 people can attend other private ceremonies

Coronavirus Testing in Croatia

Should you be in Croatia and need to take a covid test, you can find a list of testing centres on the Koronavirus website. That page also details how to book a test at these centres.

Updated You can now also see a map of testing centres (including others not listed on the site above) at koronatestiranje.com/en. This map also details which centres can be booked in advance (and how to do so) as well as prices.

Coronavirus in Croatia

Coronavirus in Croatia

The world’s a very strange place at the moment due to the Coronavirus outbreak. It doesn’t seem like anyone is unaffected by the virus – whether you’ve actually fallen ill yourself, are under quarantine or self-isolation, have had travel (or other) plans cancelled or are perhaps merely inundated with the latest news on the virus coming in every day. For those that are interested in how the outbreak is affecting Croatia – perhaps you’ve had a holiday booked to the country for later this year – we thought we’d bring together some of the latest information on coronavirus in Croatia. We will also take at some of the best sources for tracking the latest news on how the virus is affecting the country.

The New York Times published a very interesting article on how Croatia and Greece have coped with the pandemic, perhaps better than some other nations, and why: Europe’s Battle-Hardened Nations Show Resilience in Virus Fight (10th May 2020).

Coronavirus in Croatia

Newest update We now have a new post detailing the latest events – Coronavirus Situation in Croatia – Autumn Update.

Coronavirus in Croatia – stats

Newest update Please see Coronavirus Situation in Croatia – Autumn Update for all the latest stats. We will no longer be updating this post.

Update We obviously haven’t been updating these coronavirus statistics that much over the past few months, so it’s about time we did. As with many other countries, case numbers have risen and fallen over the weeks and months and at the moment things seem to be rising again in Croatia. During the week beginning 5th October 2020, there were new record daily case totals posted – the most being on 8th October when 542 new cases were announced. As of today, 12th October 2020, there are presently 2,712 active cases in the country. Sadly, there have been 327 deaths. Most cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (781 active cases), Split-Dalmatia county (270 active cases), followed by Osijek-Baranja county (199 active cases). All stats related to cases can be found on the Koronavirus.hr website (in English) which now also shows active cases by county. The CroatiaCovidInfo website also shows active cases per 100,000 by region and maps out hotspots (or not).

Updated Since our last update, new cases have remained relatively stable (between 50 to 100 each day), with active cases falling…until 13th August when cases rose sharply again. On that day, a record 180 new cases were recorded, which was surpassed the following day when 208 new cases were announced. Since then, around 150-200 (or just over) new cases have been announced each day. As of 19th August, there have been 7,074 coronavirus cases recorded in total in Croatia with 219 new cases (a new record) announced today. There are presently 1,520 active cases in the country. Sadly, there have been 168 deaths. The majority of active cases are currently located in the City of Zagreb (389 cases), Split-Dalmatia county (363 cases), followed by Osijek-Baranja county (90 cases).

Updated As of 29th July, there have been 4,993 coronavirus cases recorded in total in Croatia with 71 new cases announced today. There are presently 753 active cases in the country. Sadly, 141 people have died. The majority of active cases are in Vukovar-Srijem county (178 cases), the city of Zagreb (133 cases), followed by Split-Dalmatia county (112 cases).

Update As of 21st July, there have been 4,422 coronavirus cases recorded in total in Croatia with 49 new cases announced today. There are presently 1,150 active cases in the country. Sadly, 123 people have died. The majority of active cases are in the city of Zagreb (259 cases), followed by Vukovar-Srijem county (158 cases) and Osijek-Baranja county (142). (These two counties are in eastern Croatia, by the border with Serbia.)

Updated As of 13th July, there have been 3,775 coronavirus cases recorded in total in Croatia with 53 new cases announced today. There are presently 1,142 active cases in the country. Sadly, 119 people have died. Unfortunately, Croatia achieved a record number of new cases in one day on 10th July – 116 – which was then beaten the following day when 140 new cases were recorded. The majority of active cases are in the city of Zagreb (363 cases), followed by Osijek-Baranja county (175) and then Split-Dalmatia county (96). All stats related to cases can be found on the Koronavirus.hr website (in English) which now also shows active cases by county.

Updated In the last week or so, there has unfortunately been an increase in cases in Croatia. (As you can see, we in fact stopped updating as for several weeks there were often zero or only one new case a day.) As of 1st July, there have been 2,831 coronavirus cases recorded in Croatia, with 54 new cases today. In total, there have sadly been 108 deaths. There are currently 568 active cases in Croatia, whilst 2,155 people in the country have recovered.

Updated As of 5th June, there have been 2,247 coronavirus cases recorded in Croatia. In total, there have sadly been 103 deaths. As you can see since the last update ten days ago, there have been only three new cases but two more deaths.. There are currently only 31 active cases in Croatia, which means 2,113 people in the country have recovered.

Updated As of 27th May, there have been 2,244 coronavirus cases recorded in Croatia. In total, there have sadly been 101 deaths. 2,047 people across Croatia have recovered. For the third day in a row there have been no new recorded cases; in the last five days, there has been only one new case of coronavirus in Croatia. There are currently 96 active cases in Croatia.

Updated As of 21st May, there have been 2,237 coronavirus cases recorded in Croatia. In total, there have sadly been 97 deaths. 1,978 people across Croatia have recovered.

Updated As of 19th May, there have been 2,232 coronavirus cases recorded in Croatia. In total, there have sadly been 96 deaths. 1,967 people across Croatia have recovered.

Updated As of 15th May, there have been 2,222 coronavirus cases recorded in Croatia. In total, there have sadly been 95 deaths. 1,869 people across Croatia have recovered. Today, 15th May, only one new case in the whole of Croatia was reported.

Updated As of 10th May, there have been 2,196 coronavirus cases recorded in Croatia. In total, there have sadly been 91 deaths. 1,784 people across Croatia have recovered.

Updated As of 7th May, there have been 2,125 coronavirus cases recorded in Croatia. In the last six days (2nd to 7th May inclusive), there have been 3, 8, 5, 11, 7 and 6 new cases announced on those six days – so you can really see that the number of new cases each day is really slowing down. In total, there have sadly been 86 deaths. 1,641 people across Croatia have recovered.

Updated As of 1st May, there have been 2,085 coronavirus cases recorded in Croatia. In the last five days (Monday 27th April to 1st May inclusive), there have been 9, 8, 15, 14 and 9 new cases announced on those five days – so new case numbers are now quite low. (The most ever announced in one day was 96 on 1st April.) In total, there have sadly been 75 deaths. 1,421 people across Croatia have recovered.

Updated As of 24th April, there have been 2,009 coronavirus cases recorded in Croatia. There have been, sadly, 51 deaths. The two most affected counties in Croatia continue to be the city of Zagreb (459 cases) and Split-Dalmatia (454 cases). The next most affected county is Krapina-Zagorje county with 130 cases. 982 people across Croatia have recovered.

Updated As of 20th April, there are 1,881 coronavirus cases in Croatia. There have been, sadly, 47 deaths. The two most affected counties in Croatia are still the city of Zagreb (450 cases) and Split-Dalmatia (409 cases). The next two most affected counties are Zagreb Country and Krapina-Zagorje county, which both have 124 cases. 771 people across Croatia have recovered. The rate of new infections in Croatia is certainly slowing down – there were only 10 new cases recorded since the day before.

Update As of 14th April, there are 1,650 coronavirus cases in Croatia. There have been, sadly, 31 deaths. The two most affected counties in Croatia – by far – are still the city of Zagreb (418 cases) and Split-Dalmatia (250 cases). Zagreb Country is still the third most affected county with 114 cases. 415 people (almost 200 more since our last update) across Croatia have recovered.

Updated As of 9th April, there are 1,407 coronavirus cases in Croatia with, sadly, 20 deaths. The two most affected counties in Croatia – by far – are still the city of Zagreb (382 cases) and Split-Dalmatia (246 cases). Zagreb Country (which is different to the city; it is the county that ‘surrounds’ the city) is now third with 102 cases. 219 people across Croatia have recovered.

Updated As of 6th April, there are 1,222 coronavirus cases in Croatia and, sadly, there have been 16 deaths. The two most affected counties in Croatia continue to be the city of Zagreb (346 cases) and Split-Dalmatia (181 cases); Krapina-Zagorje county (north of Zagreb) is now third with 80 cases. 130 people across Croatia have recovered.

Updated As of 2nd April, there are now 1,011 coronavirus cases in Croatia and there have been 7 deaths. Coronavirus cases now exist in all of Croatia’s counties; by far the most cases – 279 – have been in the city of Zagreb, followed by 143 in Split-Dalmatia county and 73 in Istria. 88 people across Croatia have recovered.

Updated As of 30th March, there are now 713 coronavirus cases in Croatia and 6 deaths. There are still 2 counties in Croatia – Virovitica-Podravina and Pozega-Slavonia (both towards the north-east of the country) – that have no cases recorded. 52 people have recovered.

Updated As of 27th March, there are now 551 coronavirus cases in Croatia and, sadly, 3 deaths. Cases are now present in all but 2 of Croatia’s 20 counties (see map on koronavirus.hr) for exact numbers. 37 people have recovered.

Updated As of 24th March, there are now 382 coronavirus cases in Croatia. Cases are present in all but 3 of Croatia’s 20 counties (see map on koronavirus.hr) for exact numbers. 16 people have recovered.

Updated As of 20th March, there are now 113 coronavirus cases in Croatia. There are now cases (at present, only 1 or 2) in the Dalmatian counties.

As of the latest update provided today, 16th March, there are 56 cases of coronavirus in Croatia – a rise of 7 on the previous day. These cases only exist in the city of Zagreb and the counties of Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Osijek-Baranja, Istria, Sisak-Moslavina, Varazdin, Zagreb (different to the city of Zagreb) and Karlovac. (You can see a map of the counties of Croatia here.) There have been no deaths so far.

There have not yet been any cases in counties such as Zadar, Sibenik-Knin, Split-Dalmatia and Dubrovnik-Neretva (which together make up Dalmatia) in which many of Croatia’s most popular destinations are located.

Travel Advice – UK

Newest update We now have a new post detailing the latest events – Coronavirus Situation in Croatia – Autumn Update.

  • Update Easyjet have said they will resume some of their flights on 15th June 2020, although initially only (with a few exceptions) domestic flights in the UK and France.
  • Updated Jet2.com plan to restart their flights on 17th June 2020.
  • Updated Easyjet is apparently advising its customers that it intends its holidays in June, July and August to go ahead.
  • Updated TUI appear to expect that their holidays can resume on 12th June 2020.
  • Updated Croatia Airlines has a page (updated daily) that shows all of their flight operating for that day and the following ones.
  • Updated Ryanair has said it expects its entire fleet to be grounded from today, 24th March 2020. It has also said that it does not expect to operating any flights during April and May, indicating that it presently expects to start operating again only in June.
  • Updated Easyjet have also said that they’re grounding most of their fleet from today, 24th March 2020.
  • Updated Jet2.com have suspended all their flights until 30th April. They plan to look at commencing their flights on 1st May.
  • Updated Easyjet have now grounded their entire fleet, as of 30th March 2020.
  • Updated British Airways has temporarily suspended all of its flights to and from London Gatwick as of 31st March 2020. This of course affects its route to Dubrovnik which was due to run daily from 29th March.

Updated A number of flight routes from the UK to Croatia would normally start operating for the year at the end of March. We’ve updated our Flights to Croatia from the UK and Ireland page to show how some routes have been pushed back later. We suspect that there will be many more changes to this page to come over the next few weeks and months, so do keep checking back.

Updated Croatia has closed all of its borders as of 19th March, for a period of 30 days. Croats will be allowed to return home, and workers in certain sectors (e.g. healthcare workers, police officers) are exempt from this ruling.

Seeing as we’re a UK-based travel site, we’d absolutely suggest that you check the travel advice for Croatia from the Foreign Office first. As you will see, at present (since 12th March) Croatia is requiring all foreign nationals arriving from the UK to be placed in self-isolation for 14 days. This same requirement also applies to foreign nationals that have arrived from France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Austria, Netherlands, China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Singapore and Iran, as well as a number of other countries. The full list can be seen here on the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

If you did have plans to travel to Croatia in the near future, we also suggest checking with the airline you’re booked with. Some airlines are allowing changes to bookings, free of charge:

  • Ryanair have cancelled a large number of flights – check online to see the status of your flight. If you were due to fly this month (March), then you can change your flight without incurring a change fee.
  • British Airways are allowed passengers to change their destination or date of travel (or both) for free for existing travel arrangements up until 31st May.
  • Croatia Airlines are allowing a change of date on tickets for travel up until 31st May and will not charge a fee

Just today (16/03/20), news has come through stating that Ryanair and Easyjet are grounding most of their fleets, whilst TUI is to suspend the ‘majority’ of its operations. These three airlines all have a significant number of routes to Croatia. It is not yet known for how long these measures will need to last.

Advice and news from Croatia

Newest update We now have a new post detailing the latest events – Coronavirus Situation in Croatia – Autumn Update.

Updated Croatia is to open its border for citizens of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria on 29th May.

Updated The Croatian National Tourist Board has now published a Q&A page detailing useful information for visitors.

Updated It is expected that, as of 27th May, new rules in Croatia will allow indoor gatherings of up to 100 people and outdoor gatherings of up to 300 people.

Updated It is possible that each hotel may have medical professionals that would be in charge of the health of incoming tourists.

Updated The Koronavirus.hr government site has published some new information (in English) for future visitors to Croatia. These include What to Expect in Croatia [link no longer works] and Recommendations and Instructions for Crossing the Croatian Border [link no longer works]. (You may also like to read up on recommendations for hotels and renters, camps and marinas and travel agencies [links no longer work].

Updated Croatia Airlines has announced that from 25th May 2020, they will restart their Zagreb-Amsterdam-Zagreb route and also add a further daily flight to their Zagreb-Frankfurt-Zagreb route (so two daily flights to Frankfurt and back).

Updated Cafes and restaurants have been allowed to reopen in Croatia today, 11th May 2020. According to a government minister, about 50% of hospitality venues have reopened.

Updated Although cross-border travel in Europe is limited at present, the Croatian government have provided advice in English for foreign citizen and Croatian nationals entering Croatia, and what procedures they need to adhere to.

Updated The Plitvice Lakes National Park will reopen on Monday 11th May. Click on the link for details of opening hours and prices.

Updated Krka National Park (and other national and nature parks) is also to reopen on Monday 11th May. They will initially offer a special promotion price to visitors – tickets will cost 50 Kunas for adults and 25 Kunas for children.

Updated Intercity bus travel will resume on Monday 11th May. Getbybus have a very useful guide to some of the routes and companies that will start operating from that date.

Updated Croatia Airlines have released their initial timetable for domestic flights, which are to resume on 11th May. You can see details of this on our Flights in Croatia page.

Updated On 29th April, three tram routes in Zagreb commenced operation – lines 3 (on its normal route), 5 and 14 (on routes different to normal). You can see timetable/route details here on the Zagreb Transport website. The funicular in Zagreb also commenced operation again on 28th April, also passenger numbers for each journey are limited to enable social distancing.

Updated Train services in Croatia will resume on 11th May 2020. Here are details from the Croatian Railways website on which routes will (and will not) run from that date.

Updated On 23rd April, Croatia announced its plans to loosen coronavirus restrictions in three phases. Under the first phase, on 27th April 2020 local and suburban public transport will resume; catamaran lines for islands not connected to the mainland by ferry can restart; non-food shops and businesses can reopen (aside from those in shopping centres); locations such as libraries and galleries can reopen. On 4th May 2020, business services which require people to be in close contact with customers – such as hairdressers and beauty salons – can reopen. On 11th May 2020, inter-city (inter-county) transport and domestic flights will resume, gatherings of up to ten people can take place (with appropriate social distancing); national and nature parks can reopen; nurseries and schools for lower grades will reopen; outdoor terraces of cafes and restaurants can reopen; shopping centres can reopen.

Updated Despite city public transport being allowed to resume from 27th April, Zagreb will see only its bus routes resume – not trams. This is largely down to damage caused by the earthquake on 22nd March. (See information at the end of this page.)

Updated The Zadar – Ancona – Zadar ferry line is due to restart on 26th April 2020, as a freight only service to help the flow of goods between the two countries (and others close to Croatia). The reintroduction of this freight line is likely to help the reintroduction of the passenger ferry line when borders reopen.

Updated Dubrovnik Airport – due to reopen on 15th April – remains closed and may now potentially reopen on 2nd May 2020.

Updated As of 14th April, Croatia Airlines only appears to be running two flights daily – from Zagreb to Frankfurt and return.

Update If you’d like to read a run-down of all the early steps taken in Croatia to combat the spread of coronavirus, here‘s an interesting page on the government website (in English).

Updated All catamaran services in Croatia have been suspended and many, many ferry services have too. You can see which of the Jadrolinija services continue to run in this list here – this timetable is in effect from 24th March to 30th April 2020. In addition, only certain passenger types (e.g. islanders) can board ferries. You can see this info on Jadrolinija’s homepage.

Updated As of 23rd March 2020, Croats must remain in the town/city of residence.

Updated As of 23rd March 2020, long-distance car travel (which has already been limited to motorway journeys) has been prohibited.

Updated As of 22nd March 2020, all train services and intercity bus services have been suspended.

Updated There is now a new website from the Croatian government – Koronavirus.hr – which, although mostly only in Croatian, pulls together all sorts of information and news on coronavirus in Croatia. Perhaps of most interest to non-Croatian readers is the map at the top of the page showing the number of cases around the country – you can see an English version of it here: www.koronavirus.hr/en.

Updated Dubrovik Airport is closed until 29th March 2020.

The Croatian Government website does offer up some news in English – albeit brief – on a daily basis.

The news agency HINA has a relatively extensive section in English and often publishes a number of news articles daily on the virus in the country. However, again, these can sometimes be quite brief.

The Croatian Institute of Public Health does provide daily updates on coronavirus in Croatia. Unfortunately, that page is not in English but you can find it here if you’d like to take a look.

However, probably the best source of information in English is the Total Croatia News site which provides detailed, daily updates on the coronavirus situation in Croatia.

Advice if you’re a foreign visitor currently in Croatia

Updated As of 19th March 2020, is estimated that there are currently 4,600 foreign tourists in Croatia, making up around 7,500 tourists in total (when combined with domestic visitors). These tourists are mostly expected to be in Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik. Accommodation facilities can continue to operate, and can also continue to serve food to their guests (taking into account distancing rules).

There is some information to help visitors on the Croatian National Tourist Office website. They advise contacting your country’s embassy or consulate for assistance in returning back to your home country.

Earthquake in Zagreb

Sadly – in amongst all this chaos in Croatia and across the world – Zagreb was hit by an earthquake at 6.24am on Sunday 22nd March measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale. This was the strongest earthquake there for 140 years.

Sadly, one person lost their life and around 16 people were injured. There was also some damage to a number of buildings – including Zagreb’s cathedral, which saw the top of one of its spires break off. As you can imagine, the earthquake did cause some issues with residents that had been sheltering at home due to coronavirus now evacuating buildings and heading out on the streets, but people were allowed to return to their homes relatively quickly.

Everyone – please stay safe! We would absolutely recommend the advice given by your own country’s government – which may be different from other countries – is followed.