April the 12th, 2023 - In this edition of How to Croatia, I'm going to talk you through how you can bring weapons in and out of the country, and delving deeper into the European Firearms Pass.
First things first, why would anyone even want to bring weapons in and out of Croatia?
It's a valid question to ask, but those who are passionate hunters or into target shooting tend to bring their weapons with them in and out of European Union (EU) member states quite frequently. These people typically hold the aforementioned European Firearms Pass.
In said pass, the exact number and type of weapon(s) you intend to bring into or take out of the country needs to be clearly highlighted. In that case, you won't reqire any sort of police authorisation in order to bring your weapons into Croatia with you, as long as there are no more than three individual pieces intended for target shooting or legal hunting (for which you'll also need to prove you have a hunting license if you're a foreigner).
You can also have no more than 500 individual pieces of ammunition for each individual weapon in your European Firearms Pass. The ammunition needs to be clearly listed as well.
You will require full police authorisation if you have any more than three weapons.
How does one obtain police authorisation if it is necessary?
If you want to bring more than three individual pieces of weapons into Croatia with you, then you'll need, as stated above, prior police clearance in order to do so. You need to do this before any sort of hunting or target shooting contest is set to begin in Croatia. You can make your application for authorisation from either:
Inside the Republic of Croatia at any administrative police station
Outside of the Republic of Croatia at a diplomatic mission/Croatian consular post
What you'll need in order to make your application
In order to make your application for police authorisation, you'll need your European Firearms Pass, your national weapons license and a letter of invitation to come and hunt or partake in target shooting within the borders of the Republic of Croatia. That document must be the original one.
Caveats
If you're travelling into Croatia or indeed into the EU, you need to have your valid European Firearms Pass and the original invitation for you to come to a hunt or to partake in a target shooting competition with you.
If you need to apply for a European Firearms Pass, you can do so at a police station responsible for the area in which your permanent address is registered. It will have the same expiration date as your national weapons license has on it, but it won't be valid for a period longer than five years.
You need to hold a valid European Firearms Pass and a national weapons license in order to partake in a hunt or in a target shooting contest in Croatia and in any other EU member state.
Those who possess a certificate on declared weapons classified under category C must also have a European Firearms Pass allowing them to have and carry weapons classified in categories B and C in the EU, and this will also allow them to take such weapons across the borders of those countries.
For Croatian citizens wanting to take their weapons abroad with them, or if you're interested in bringing weapons with you into or out of a non-EU nation, MUP has more information here.
For more How to Croatia articles, which cover all you need to know about moving to and living in Croatia, make sure to keep up with our lifestyle section. A How to Croatia article tackling some aspect of life here is published every Wednesday.
