July 4, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka and Brac. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Croatia Airlines has announced a modified flight schedule for July, in which, from the middle of this month, it will introduce two more routes from Zagreb, to Athens and Skopje. 

The long-running seasonal line between Zagreb and Athens will be in operation again from July 14 with three flights per week, every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. As before, the line will operate with a stop in Dubrovnik (ZAG-DBV-ATH), and with a DashQ400 aircraft with a capacity of 76 seats.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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The Zagreb - Skopje line is being reintroduced. The line will be in service from July 13, with two flights per week, every Monday and Friday, and from July 22, two more departures will be added, every Wednesday and Sunday. A319 aircraft with a capacity of 144 seats have been announced for all four flights.

Croatia Airlines will again fly on the seasonal route between Split and Lyon. The line will be in operation once a week, every Saturday, from July 11, and it will be operated by DashQ400 aircraft.

From the end of July, the company plans to launch the Dubrovnik - Paris line. The first flight is on sale from July 30, and direct flights on this route are expected 3 times a week, on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The Dubrovnik - Rome route is also being introduced, from July 18, three times a week, on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays with DashQ400 aircraft.

Croatia Airlines will again operate on the Dubrovnik - Munich route. The introduction of this line is expected from July 24, three times a week, on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays, by A319 aircraft.

From August 1, Croatia Airlines will operate on charter routes from Brac to destinations in Austria with the A319 aircraft.

From August 1, the A319 aircraft will come from Split to Brac (without passengers), and will then operate from Brac on charter lines to Linz and Graz. The traffic with this type of aircraft will be performed every Saturday from the mentioned date until the beginning of October.

Croatia Airlines operates on the regular seasonal route Zagreb - Brac - Zagreb every Tuesday and Saturday, aircraft type DashQ400, and from August 29 on the regular route from Zagreb announced a larger type of aircraft, A319, which will then perform the mentioned charter routes from Austria to Austria, every Saturday until October 3.

A smaller aircraft, the DashQ400, will continue to operate flights from Zagreb on Tuesdays.

This will be the first arrival of an A319 aircraft at Brac Airport.

Furthermore, just two days after it was announced that Lufthansa would not launch a seasonal route between Munich and Rijeka, the Croatian national airline confirmed to Croatian Aviation that the sale of tickets on the same route as Croatia Airlines had been suspended. 

Croatia Airlines suspended sales on the only route from Rijeka, the one to Munich, on which it operated 3 times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays) on a 76-passenger DashQ400 aircraft until the start of the pandemic.

There will certainly be no flights on this route until the end of July, and since Croatia Airlines has not yet made a final decision on whether to launch a line between Munich and Rijeka, ticket sales have been suspended for after July.

Rijeka is currently left without a direct route to Munich by both companies (Lufthansa and Croatia Airlines) and has virtually no connection to a major European air hub, greatly reducing the possibility of traveling from Rijeka to European and world destinations.

In previous years, Croatia Airlines operated once a week on the Rijeka - London Heathrow route, but this route was canceled earlier.

Update (July 11, 2020): While all of these were true when this article was written, a major change took place on July 10, when the new rules for entering Croatia were introduced. Please follow the article about those changes to get the latest information, as it becomes available. 

July 4, 2020 - Croatia is open for tourists from North America, and as these real-life experiences from the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community show, paperwork and persistence will see you board the plane. 

How confused are you at the moment regarding the travel rules to Croatia? Green zones, yellow zones, infection ratios, air bridges, proof of paid accommodation, IATA rules. It used to be a lot easier...

Now imagine you work at an airline check-in desk in the United States and are processing passengers to Europe, with the USA not on the list of safe countries to enter the EU. Add to that all the wrong information in the international media (the latest from the BBC about current rules for Croatia). You work in an industry where if you let someone onto the plane who should not be allowed on, the consequences could be significant. 

So you naturally err on the side of caution. 

I have heard SO many stories of Americans trying to fly to Croatia over the last 5 weeks since we started our Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community. The situation before the July 1 border update was very unclear, and many were denied boarding, as they were told that they were not allowed to travel to Croatia. 

But last month, we started getting more successful reports from community members on their travel experiences from North American to Croatia. And most of the tales had two things in common. 

Persistence and paperwork to argue their case.

 A couple of days ago I wrote an article called Can Americans Visit Croatia after July 1, 2020 EU Border Update? Mostly due to feedback from the very active Viber community, as well as answers to some official questions, I figured out the following, which was officially endorsed by the Croatian border police:

First, the soundbite sentence to put things in a nutshell. I have asked the Croatian border police to confirm everything stated in this article, which they have done, making the advice stated here official:

Croatia is open for tourism with paid accommodation outside the EU. Croatia is not in the Schengen zone, and so you can transit through a Schengen airport and come to Croatia, no problem, as long as you have the right documentation.

The main advice is the more documentation, the better. This should include at least:

1. Proof of paid accommodation.

2. The confirmation email after you fill in the entercroatia.mup.hr form. 

3. Some of the testimonies you will see below to help you argue your case.

4. The latest IATA guidelines for travel to Croatia. 

Now imagine you try to check in at LAX or JFK and you have a check-in person who is careful not to let the wrong people board. With so much uncertainty,  it is easier to deny boarding than to let someone fly. But with paperwork and persistence, you can guide them to check the rules and confirm that you can, in fact, board the flight. 

Here are three real testimonies in the last few days from the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber page which illustrate the point that paperwork and persistence pay off:

Experience 1 

Just got past security at LAX- make sure you bring everything with you! Tourist accommodation and rules printed off IATA. Took a while and initially they tried to turn me away. They didn’t take the attestiment for France because they said that they could print that out here and it means nothing, but I did have to remind her I'm allowed to transit through CDG to a 3rd country. All in all??? experience so bring as much paperwork as you can and don’t give up!

This was KLM operated by Air France. 

Experience 2

Greeting fellow Croatian Travelers! I am US Citizen in transit to Croatia....BOS-ATL-AMS-ZAG via Delta/KLM.

I had no issues in Boston at ticket counter or gate. ATL Gate agent tried to turn me away under “the travel ban”...I replied, “not to Croatia”. She went to computer and I presented the IATA Map and regulation, my MUP form and my paid accommodation receipt. As others have referenced today, bring the paperwork with you. It definitely helps. Took gate agent 10 minutes to figure it all out. Thank you all for the assistance and guidance through this!

Experience 3

Hello! Made it Dubrovnik from chicago. I travel to Croatia every summer. This experience wasn’t much different other than wearing masks & the flights being half empty. I have a US passport only. Although I have family in Croatia, I didn’t have to mention that to authorities. I traveled ORD-CPH-SPU and then had a driver pick us up at airport and drive us to Dubrovnik. I was asked what my purpose was in Croatia by SAS airlines and I said I’m coming as a tourist & that Croatia is allowing us with paid accommodation & that I have a letter from Cro government saying I’m allowed to enter (EnterCroatia announcement). I gave her the EnterCroatia form, the IATA map w highlighted part about Croatia, my paid receipt and the email by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. saying I’m allowed to enter.

She brought it over to her supervisor and he barely thumbed through it. She said great, be sure you keep this with you so you’re allowed in by Croatian authorities.

The plane was 25% full. Everyone had a row to themselves & wore masks the entire time. It was amazing. We had a two hour layover in empty airport, and a half full flight to Split, again with SAS. At the airport in Split, customs asked me zero questions. I tried showing her my EnterCroatia form which she didn’t look at.

My driver drove us through the BIH boarder at Neum with no problems. No one asked to see my EnterCroatia form or anything. Only my US passport.

It was really a great experience. The only anxiety I had was prior to my trip with all the questioning about being able to travel. 

Experience 4

Just an FYI. My parents (US citizens) were able to board a plane to Croatia from the U.S. a couple of hours ago (LIT-ATL-AMS-ZAG) to be here for the birth of our child. They printed the following:

1) the English version of the MUP page (http://bit.ly/CroatiaTravel)
2) their entry acceptance from https://entercroatia.mup.hr/
3) a copy of the email from the MUP (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) giving them permission to enter with proof of accommodations
4) their receipt for the accommodations.

My dad said that it was a good they had all the documentation. They were questioned when checking in, showed everything, and received their boarding passes for the entire trip. They are now crossing the Atlantic. I assume they'll have no issues in Amsterdam. If they do, I'll update again. Update: they made it.

Have you had a recent flight experience to Croatia originating from outside the EU/UK/EEA? We would love to hear and publish it. Please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Flights. 

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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The Netherlands - as of July 21, Croatia is placed on the "Orange" list by the Dutch government, which means that both the Croatian nationals and the Dutch nationals returning to the Netherlands from Croatia are strongly advised to self-quarantine for 14 days.

July 3, 2020 - Croatian police have announced some interesting breaking news on how to enter Croatia on their Twitter feed. 

Važna obavijest‼️

Kako bi skratili vrijeme prelaska preko državne granice i omogućili bolju protočnost, na graničnim prijelazima poput Bregane, Macelja, Rupe i Plovanije, obilježene su posebne trake koje će moći koristiti putnici najavljeni putem sustava Enter Croatia ?️ ? pic.twitter.com/dSuLpRMFfn

— MUP-RH (@mup_rh) July 3, 2020

In English, what they're announcing is that they've installed special lanes for easier entry into Croatia for those who have used the Enter Croatia system, and filled out the border entry forms there. Those passengers will be able to cross the Croatian border much more easily and faster at the Bregana, Macelj, Rupa, and Plovanija border-crossings to Slovenia (which are the border crossings where usually most traffic jams occur, as most passengers arrive in Croatia from there). 

This is one more reason to fill out the paperwork at https://entercroatia.mup.hr/, as the new lanes could really speed-up your entry into Croatia - during the weekend that starts today, we're expecting to see lanes forming at the borders, so do yourselves a favour and enter Croatia through the literal fast-lane! 

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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July 2, 2020 - The Slovenian government has put Croatia on the "yellow" list of epidemiologically less secure countries due to the increase in the daily number of coronavirus infections, said government spokesman Jelko Kacin in Ljubljana.

UPDATE JULY 4: 

Croatian citizens who want to go to Slovenia from today (July 4) must show a negative test for coronavirus not older than 36 hours, made in the European Union, to a Slovenian border police officer. If they do not have it, they will be handed a decision on 14-day self-isolation at the border.

If they have nowhere to self-isolate in Slovenia, they will not be allowed to enter that country, Slovenian Interior Minister Aleš Hojs explained yesterday.

If they pass through Slovenia in transit without stopping, they must pass it within 12 hours. These new measures are valid for our citizens after Slovenia put Croatia on the yellow list, which means that it is not an epidemiologically safe country. Apart from Croatia, the Czech Republic and France have been on the Slovenian yellow list since midnight.

This means that both Czech and French tourists who go to Croatia on holiday in Slovenia will have to pass without stopping, and at the Slovenian border attach proof that they are going to Croatia. Hojs said that all border crossings to Croatia remain open, but all those who are aware that after entering Slovenia will have to self-isolate, will be able to enter the country only through four border crossings with Croatia - Gruškovje, Obrežje, Metlika and the airport in Ljubljana.

This new restrictive measure, Slovenian government spokesman Jelko Kacin admitted at a press conference yesterday, was introduced by Slovenia because of its citizens who lied to border police officers when they entered Slovenia that they were in Croatia, but were actually returning from Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina. They did this to avoid the 14-day quarantine they are required to go to on their return from those countries. Kacin admitted that the number of people infected with coronavirus in Slovenia has increased precisely because of such people. In an attempt to prevent this, the Slovenian authorities are introducing restrictive measures that will make Croatia one of the biggest victims.

As of July 4, all foreign citizens entering Slovenia, who were on vacation in Croatia, will have to give Slovenian border police officers proof that they have been in Croatia. Invoices for paid sojourn tax, hotel invoice or registration via the Enter Croatia application will be recognized. In order to avoid quarantine in their own country, all Slovenes returning from vacation at the Croatian Border Police will have to prove that they were in our country.

Those who own real estate in Croatia will be able to avoid going into self-isolation by providing proof of ownership, and all others by paying bills in Croatian restaurants and bars in Croatia or by confirming the paid sojourn tax. For example, those who transported someone to the Zagreb Airport will have to enclose an invoice for paid parking at the airport or an invoice from the bar where they had a drink.

Checks on proof of residence in Croatia will enormously increase congestion on the Croatian-Slovenian border, admits the Slovenian Minister of the Interior. But he succinctly explained that it is not a problem for all those waiting for quarantine to wait an hour longer at the border.

The new Slovenian regime at the border will also create great pressure on Croatian border police officers and create large crowds at the entrance to Croatia from the direction of Slovenia. Especially since the decision is starting to apply for the weekend. Regardless of the new Slovenian measures on the Croatian side, new measures were introduced at four border crossings - Bregana, Macelj, Rupe and Plovanija in order to reduce the time of crossing the border and enable better flow.

Special lanes have been established for foreign tourists who have applied to come to Croatia via the Enter Croatia application. In front of the border crossings, there are special traffic signs and lines have been drawn that direct these tourists to the part of the border crossing intended for them.

--------------------

Index.hr reports that as he explained at the press conference, the decision was made by the government on Thursday, and the measures will take effect on Saturday at midnight.

So far, Croatia has been on Slovenia's "green" list of epidemiologically safe countries.

Apart from Croatia, the Czech Republic and France have now been relegated to a lower category of safe, while Belgium and the Netherlands have been included in the higher "green" list of safe countries.

The decision for Slovenes staying in Croatia means that when they return home, they will be able to expect the border police to ask them exactly where they stayed, which they will be able to prove, for example, with a hotel bill, but they will not be quarantined.

Those returning from Croatia will have to substantiate their route at the border with evidence or give confirmation that they have a vessel or real estate in Croatia "because there have been too many attempts to deceive in that sense," Kacin said.

Apart from the increase in the number of infections in Croatia, as Kacin suggested, the measure was also adopted because there have been many cases recently when Slovenian citizens and those with permanent residence in Slovenia coming through Croatia or Hungary stated that they were in those countries, even though they were in Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are on the "red" list of epidemiologically safe countries.

Kacin again called on Slovenes living abroad to avoid crowds and respect epidemiologically prescribed measures, and especially to avoid nightclubs and mass parties because they are a potential source of infection.

When asked what putting Croatia on the "yellow" list means for Croatian citizens, Kacin said that they would be able to come to Slovenia freely if they have real estate or booked tourist accommodation.

A few days ago, Kacin explained what it means to be on the "yellow list". "If the country is placed on the yellow list, then a Slovenian citizen or foreigner with permanent or temporary residence in Slovenia, if they come from the EU or the Schengen area, enters Slovenia without quarantine. For other persons, a 14-day quarantine is mandatory," he said, but also stated that there are 15 exceptions to that decision.

Details of the decision to move Croatia from the "green" list of safe countries to the "yellow" will be announced on Friday after the session of the Slovenian government, Health Minister Tomaz Gantar told Slovenian television on Thursday evening.

According to Gantar, a new government decision and the tightening of epidemiological measures are needed as part of the deteriorating situation in the region, but also in Slovenia, where more and more new local infections are being transmitted after the virus was imported, especially from "red list" countries such as Serbia, North Macedonia, BiH and Kosovo.

From those countries, everyone who enters Slovenia must be in a 14-day quarantine. Quarantine decisions will be issued at the border with Croatia.

For those Slovenes who continue to go to Croatia as tourists, "it is not planned for now" that they would need a binding 14-day quarantine, and for now, this only applies to those who were in the countries on the "red" list where the epidemiological situation is critical, or very bad, Gantar explained.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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July 2, 2020 - American Airlines has announced that it has canceled its Dubrovnik service indefinitely due to the impact of COVID-19. 

Croatian Aviation reports that after the American Airlines route between Philadelphia and Dubrovnik was completely canceled for this summer season due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the company announced in its latest statement that it no longer intends to resume the service.

Recall that the Philadelphia - Dubrovnik line was introduced in the summer of 2019, and operated from the beginning of June to the end of September three times a week, while in September the line had one more flight.

Before the outbreak of the pandemic, American Airlines announced that in the summer of 2020, aircraft on this line would operate daily, which was a clear sign that the line was very successful in the previous year.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the line was completely canceled for this summer season, and flights were announced from June 2021 on Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which represented an increase in capacity and a standard of service on the line itself.

However, American Airlines announced in its latest statement that, due to the crisis caused by the pandemic, it is permanently canceling specific routes, including this one between Philadelphia and Dubrovnik.

The following American Airlines seasonal routes are discontinued:

from Charlotte to Barcelona, Rome, Paris and Munich,

from Chicago to Budapest, Krakow, Prague and Venice,

from Philadelphia to Berlin, Budapest, Casablanca and Dubrovnik.

With this, Croatia was again left without a direct connection with the United States. As many of you are already aware, American Airlines connected Croatia and the United States for the first time in 28 years last year.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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July 2, 2020 - As locals complain of Hvar Town hosting just 66 guests, why Croatian tourism strategy makes that inevitable. 

There was an interesting report in Slobodna Dalmacija the other day on the quietness of the season in Hvar Town - just 66 registered guests. 

Corona is the main reason, of course, but it is worth taking a closer look at what is happening, and how the complete lack of any tourism strategy is making a terrible situation so much worse. 

Slobodna says that at the same time last year, there were 4,588 guests, a sizable difference. Now let's do some maths. 

I was speaking to someone in the Hvar hotel business the other day, and he told me that the main problem at the moment is that 75% of the normal guests - from USA, UK, Scandinavia, Australia, Brazil etc - simply cannot get here due to issues with borders or flights. 

25% of 4,588 is 1,147.

So if this was a record year like last year, then the remaining 25% of tourists would number 1,147. 

This is not a record year. 

Our tourism chiefs tell us that last month was 30% of the same time in 2019. So 30% of 4,588 would be 1,376 tourists.

The thing is that Istria is MUCH fuller than Dalmatia, as it is much closer, and LOTS of Slovenians have holiday homes a short drive from their home countries. And yes, they are in the tourism stats too, and no, they don't need 319 local tourist boards, 20 regional tourist boards, a national tourist board, a ministry of tourism, or a tourism section of the Chamber of Economy to tell them where there house is. 

There are 110,000 Slovenians alone who have holiday homes in Croatia. You can bet almost all of them came to chill after lockdown. If they averaged three per household, there are 300,000 of the 892,000 tourists which came to Croatia in June, according to our official statistics. And those are just the Slovenian home owners. 

The increased distance to Dalmatia (and lack of flights) means that it is probably more like 10% capacity of last year, which would be 459 tourists, which is more than the current 66. 

So let's have a look at the current Croatian tourism strategy and what it is doing to fight for every guest in the corona age where Minister Cappelli tells the world Croatia is 'breathing tourism.'

As there are almost no flights, the only options are to arriving by car and ferry, or by sea. Split is a long drive from any Croatian border, and then you have the 2-hour ferry. 

Did we find a way to reduce the tolls on the motorway? No. Just from Zagreb to Split is 400 kuna return. 

Did we find a way to subsidise the ferry, a State-owned company fighting for tourism?

(Ministry of Tourism website)

No, but the Ministry of Tourism thought it was cause for celebration that ferry prices were not going up in the middle of a pandemic. 

So the return ferry from Split to Stari Grad is 1,192 kuna for a good-sized family car, this after you have been fleeced on the motorway as well as spent a considerable amount on fuel. 

Add all the costs of that just to arrive, as well as the distances required by car, when there are so many other closer destinations are offering incredible deals, that in some ways, I am surprised that there are as many as 66 tourists. 

If only there was a market which could get there more easily... something like the domestic market, perhaps? For those with money, a unique change to enjoy Lijepa Nasa without the crowds, with a local campaign with special promotional prices. Thought you would never be able to afford a holiday on Hvar? Here is your chance!

Croatia is the only tourism country in Europe that I can see that has not conducted a promotional campaign to the local market. 

But then it hasn't really done much abroad either. 

Still we have 40,000 of those wonderful CRO kartica cards available, and didn't our dear minister say that they would save tourism?

The Netherlands - as of July 21, Croatia is placed on the "Orange" list by the Dutch government, which means that both the Croatian nationals and the Dutch nationals returning to the Netherlands from Croatia are strongly advised to self-quarantine for 14 days.

July 2, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Pula, Rijeka and Zadar.

Croatian Aviation reports that Air Serbia, the national carrier of the Republic of Serbia, began regular traffic on the Belgrade - Zagreb - Belgrade route, while traffic to other airports in Croatia will be established in the next 10 days.

Air Serbia re-established traffic between the two neighboring capitals on an evening flight from Belgrade to Zagreb on Wednesday. The line will be in operation every day, with one daily flight on an ATR75 aircraft. Booking on the first flight was very small.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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Air Serbia has already launched flights on the Belgrade-Split route. The company operated its first flight on Sunday, June 28, and flights will run twice a week through July, Fridays and Sundays.

The company will also launch flights to Dubrovnik. The Dubrovnik - Belgrade line will be in operation from July 3 with two flights a week, on Fridays and Mondays, and from July 15, another flight will be added per week, every Wednesday.

The Belgrade - Zadar line is also being introduced. The company will operate on this line from July 11 with two flights per week, Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The long-term seasonal Belgrade - Pula line will be in operation from July 10, with as many as three flights per week, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

ATR75 aircraft are expected on the routes to Zagreb, Zadar and Pula, while aircraft of larger capacity, mainly A319, will operate to Dubrovnik and Split.

The only line that is no longer on sale is the one between Belgrade and Rijeka.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reported that Lufthansa would not operate on the Munich-Rijeka route in this year's summer flight schedule.

Lufthansa introduced the first line to Rijeka from its base in Munich last summer, and the line was in operation from the end of May to October 2019. CRJ9 aircraft operated on the route once a week, on Saturday evenings.

Croatia Airlines operates on the same route, three times a week, on a DashQ400 aircraft, but the line was suspended at the time of the pandemic and has not yet been returned to traffic. Lufthansa and Croatia Airlines have a code-share agreement on the Munich - Rijeka - Munich route.

Lufthansa has confirmed that it will not launch the Munich-Rijeka route this summer, but plans to return to it in the summer of 2021, but will, therefore, travel to Zagreb, Zadar, Pula, Split and Dubrovnik. 

July 2, 2020 - After weeks of discussion about air bridges, The Daily Telegraph reports that UK flights to Croatia without quarantine are about to start. 

After months of lockdown, it seems that Summer is finally here for the Brits. In addition to the pubs reopening on July 4, The Daily Telegraph reports that no less than 75 destinations will be open for travel for Brits, without the need to self-isolate for 14 days on return. 

According to The Telegraph, the official list will be published on Thursday or Friday - and it will include Croatia:

The UK’s rate of 8.5 per 100,000 places it ninth behind Luxembourg, Serbia, Ukraine, Romania, the Czech Republic and Croatia, according to a Daily Telegraph analysis of official coronavirus data. 

Sources however, confirmed Croatia, a popular tourist destination for Britons, would be on the list of 75 as would Turkey, which has a higher rate of 9.7.

You can read the full article here.

TCN will bring you official confirmation as soon as we have it. 

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

The Netherlands - as of July 21, Croatia is placed on the "Orange" list by the Dutch government, which means that both the Croatian nationals and the Dutch nationals returning to the Netherlands from Croatia are strongly advised to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Update (July 11, 2020): While all of these were true when this article was written, a major change took place on July 10, when the new rules for entering Croatia were introduced. Please follow the article about those changes to get the latest information, as it becomes available. 

July 2, 2020 - Can Americans visit Croatia after the latest EU borders update on July 1? Feedback from the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community provides some answers from actual travellers yesterday. 

After weeks of uncertainty in this most uncertain of times, some clarity is emerging on the most common question in the Total Croatia Travel Viber community (you need to download the app) - can Americans visit Croatia with the new border rules?

It seems that they can. 

First, the soundbite sentence to put things in a nutshell. I have asked the Croatian border police to confirm everything stated in this article, which they have done, making the advice stated here official:

Croatia is open for tourism with paid accommodation outside the EU. Croatia is not in the Schengen zone, and so you can transit through a Schengen airport and come to Croatia, no problem, as long as you have the right documentation.

The main advice is the more documentation, the better. This should include at least:

1. Proof of paid accommodation.

2. The confirmation email after you fill in the entercroatia.mup.hr form. 

3. Some of the testimonies you will see below to help you argue your case.

4. The latest IATA guidelines for travel to Croatia. 

Now let's hear the feedback from tourists who posted in the Viber community on July 1.

Hey everyone—more positive signs! A few days ago, I tried filling out the IATA "passport, visa, & health" section, where it asks for all the info regarding your exact air travel plans, carrier, transit countries/dates/times, passport info, etc. Then, the result I received was NO. But just now I tried it again. The result? YES! Specifically, "Yes, the documentation you hold is sufficient based on your details and the itinerary provided." FYI I selected "tourism/vacation" as my reason, and I am a US citizen residing in the US, planning to arrive in Croatia on July 15. I recommend that in the interest of providing as much documentation as humanly possible, everyone also fill that out—take a screenshot or save as PDF each screen as you go through the process, and do the same with the result. Then, if you have any trouble while checking in, just hand it to the airline agent so that they can copy your exact details into the online form and get the same result! Fill it in here.

From Dubai via Amsterdam:

Hi guys! I just checked into my first leg (Dubai-Amsterdam). Gate agent was super nice, asked: do you have documentation to enter Amsterdam? I said yes, Do you have documentation to enter Croatia? Answered yes. He asked to see it. He was basically reading whatever the screen asked him to, he told me....”it says here I have to see it” and he barely looked at my printed MUP form and gave me the tickets for both legs. I am hoping  Amsterdam-Zagreb will be as easy! ( I hold and American passport and have not been to the US in 3 years).

The border police in Copenhagen:

We fly SAS... Chicago - CPH - SPU

Leave on July 9.  Border police in Copenhagen said no issue with transit with an onward ticket to Croatia if we stay in the international transit terminal.

From Newark to Zagreb via Amsterdam:

A buddy of mine traveled Monday from Newark, Amsterdam, Zagreb and arrived perfectly fine in Croatia. He has NO Croatian paperwork, citizenship, documents, etc - however, his father who was born in Croatia had all of his docs, including Croatian passport. The two of them traveled together. To prove identity and relation as father/son, my friend was only asked and required to show his birth certificate to officials in Newark.

Some advice transiting through Paris:

I just called KLM and my flight for Friday is confirmed through CDG which means people should be able to transit! Here is the link to the document you will need! Scroll down to where it says “certificate of derogatory travel” and open up the English PDF. You have to print this out and sign it and show it before takeoff in both your departure city and Paris. I’m going to print a French version out as well but will only sign the English one.  The woman said there is a similar process for those transiting through Amsterdam but I don’t have the info on that. Be sure to use google chrome so you can translate the website as it is in French. Here is the link.

San Francisco via Munich:

I am currently in Munich airport.  Came from San Francisco.  Because we booked it all together we got both boarding passes in SF and bags are checked through to Zagreb.  We have not had to talk to the German border control at all.

New York via Paris:

Okay, I was the one that asked about traveling with US passport and domovnica.... so far was allowed on the plane to France and am now seated on the plane to Zagreb.... last check will be if they allow me and kids in Zagreb. We flew Air France from New York.

Some other useful bits of information from our Viber community:

THIS IS THE MOST COMMON ANSWER TODAY SENT OUT BY CROATIAN BORDER POLICE - THEY PROVIDED IT TO US SO SHARE

Dear sirs/madam,

By the decision of the Civil Protection Headquarters from 30. 06. 2020. citizens of the Member States of the European Union or the Member States of the Schengen area as well as members of their families and third-country nationals who are long-term residents under Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003 on the status of nationals third countries with long-term residence and persons entitled to reside under other EU directives or national law do not have to prove the reason for their entry (business, economic, tourist, etc.). Those persons can enter under the same conditions as before the disease COVID-19, but still with epidemiological control, and with the obligation to comply with general and special recommendations of the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

In order to shorten the waiting time at the border crossing point, it is recommended that foreign nationals who will come to Croatia, send additional data in advance via web address https://entercroatia.mup.hr/.General and special recommendations and instructions are available at the following web address: https://www.koronavirus.hr/recommendations-and-instructions-of-the-croatian-institute-of-public-health-for-croatian-and-foreign-nationals-who-are-crossing-the-state-border-and-entering-the-republic-of-croatia/633

The dedicated information page from the US Embassy in Zagreb.

A printout of the latest regulations from the Timatic system (this is used by airlines for the latest entry data for each national)

National USA (US)               /Embarkation USA (US)Destination Croatia (HR)Croatia (HR)

Passport required.- Passports and other documents accepted for entry must be valid for a minimum of 3 months beyond the period of intended stay.

Passport Exemptions:- Nationals of USA with an emergency passport.

Admission and Transit Restrictions:

- Passengers are not allowed to enter.

- This does not apply to family members of nationals of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Rep.), Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

- This does not apply to family members of British nationals.

- This does not apply to passengers entering Croatia to transit by land to a third country. They must prove that they can enter the destination country.

- This does not apply to passengers traveling as tourists.

- This does not apply to passengers traveling on business.

- This does not apply to passengers traveling as students.

Visa required, except for Nationals of USA for a maximum stay of 90 days. (SEE NOTE 53527)NOTE 53527: The maximum stay is granted within 180 days.

Additional Information:

- Visitors are required to hold proof of sufficient funds to cover their stay as follows:

- at least EUR 70.- per day of stay; or- at least EUR 30.- per day of stay if holding a confirmed invitation or a tourist voucher.

Warning:

- Passports and passport replacing documents issued more than10 years prior to date of travel are not accepted.

- Visitors not holding return/onward tickets could be refused entry.

- Brexit: The United Kingdom stopped being member of the European Union (EU) and of the European Economic Area (EEA).

Regulations related to the EU and the EEA apply to the United Kingdom until 31 December 2020.Croatia (HR)

Vaccinations not required.

This article will be updated as more experiences are shared.

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The Netherlands - as of July 21, Croatia is placed on the "Orange" list by the Dutch government, which means that both the Croatian nationals and the Dutch nationals returning to the Netherlands from Croatia are strongly advised to self-quarantine for 14 days.

July 1, 2020 - The Croatian National Tourist Board announced the latest tourist numbers for the first six months of 2020, which show that Croatia has achieved 30% of last year's tourist traffic.

In June this year, 892,000 tourists who came to Croatia realized 4.8 million overnight stays, which is 32 percent of the overnight stays realized in June 2019. This shows that in June and across the first six months this year, overnight stays have dropped about 70 percent, announces the Croatian National Tourist Board.

"Given the circumstances around the world and in Croatia, we can be satisfied with the realized tourist traffic, which is in line with our estimates. It is important that out of 1.6 million tourists who have stayed in Croatia since the beginning of this year, we have not had any cases of infection in tourists," says Croatian National Tourist Board Director Kristijan Stanicic.

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In the first six months of this year, domestic tourists achieved the most overnight stays, which once again confirms how they've been rejected, especially this year. Of course, about 2 million domestic guests cannot replace the 20 million arrivals of foreign tourists, but they certainly can and should be a great base for the pre- and post-season.

On the contrary, domestic tourists are the bearers of tourism in the interior of Istria, and thus saved the season for various facilities in commercial accommodation, holiday homes, restaurants and wineries in inland Istria.

Thus, domestic tourists in the first half of this year accounted for 31 percent of total overnight stays, which is the highest among all markets and a rarity in the last more than ten years.

Foreign tourists accounted for 69 percent of total overnight stays, with most achieved by Slovenes (26 percent), followed by Germans (25 percent), and Austrians (9 percent), and tourists from BiH and the Czech Republic (7 percent each).

By type of accommodation, most overnight stays or 73 percent was realized in commercial accommodation, of which 30 percent in household facilities, 20 percent in hotels and 16 percent in camps. Twenty-four percent of the total six-month overnight stays were realized in non-commercial accommodation, and 3 percent in the nautical charter.

In the continental part of the country, 12 percent of total overnight stays were realized, most of them in Zagreb, which is the leader among all destinations in Croatia, ahead of Rovinj, Vir, Medulin and Porec.

Adriatic counties are still leading with a total of 88 percent of overnight stays in the first six months, and among them, most overnight stays or 25 percent were realized in Istria, followed by Primorje-Gorski Kotar with a share of 21 percent and Zadar and Split-Dalmatia County making up 15 and 13 percent in total overnight stays.

Announcing that tourist demand and traffic are expected to increase in July and August, especially from Central Europe, Stanicic adds that these are the markets of Germany, Slovenia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, and that stronger demand for hotels is expected.

"Although the epidemiological situation at the global level is constantly changing, tourist flows have started and people have started to travel following new circumstances and are adhering to epidemiological measures. Croatia is partly favored over the competition, because it is accessible by car from major European markets, offers a diverse structure of accommodation, and still has a favorable epidemiological situation," said Stanicic.

All things considered, Stanicic estimates that at least a third of last year's record result can be achieved in Croatian tourism this year, but he also expects further recovery of tourist flows and gradual strengthening of traffic within Europe, while accustoming citizens to changed circumstances in which they travel and spend their holidays, as well as the adaptation of the tourism industry to the circumstances of the pandemic and the establishment of better air connectivity of major markets and destinations.

"We hope for good results in the off-season, in September and October, when we could achieve results better than a third of the turnover of the same period last year, and if circumstances allow, the first wave of tourist travel from distant markets could begin at the end of the year," said Stanicic.

He also expects that in July and August, when numerous airlines operate, positive tourist trends will show throughout Croatia, with an emphasis on destinations in central and southern Dalmatia, because most flights are announced by airlines for the summer to Split and Dubrovnik airports, and to Zadar, Pula, Zagreb and Rijeka.