Croatia Travel Update March 24, 2020: Borders, Flights, Restrictions, New Measures

March 24, 2020 - As the coronavirus dominates and the effects of the Zagreb earthquake are being felt, a Croatia travel update on flights, borders, restrictions and the new measures announced by the Government. 

Things are changing very quickly as the coronavirus crisis escalates in Europe. A Croatia travel update on what is - and is not - open or running. 

But if we were to sum up the travel advice in Croatia at the moment in one word, it would be this - don't. 

Leading Croatian Scientist Igor Rudan explains why in his latest fantastic piece - Why We All MUST Stay at Home for At Least One Month 

New Croatian Travel Restrictions Come into Force: What is Open?

Strict new travel measures were announced yesterday by Interior Minister, Davor Bozinovic, and they have already come into effect.

"The number of infected people is increasing; we expect further growth and these are necessary measures. It is important that the exceptions are those which are essential for the traffic and movement of goods and supplies - daily migrations in essential services, drug delivery, utilities, gas and electricity supply, journalists, emergency medical care,” Bozinovic said.

The new rules prohibit anyone leaving their place of residence (please note that place of residence means town/city, not your apartment) without special permission, or without the appropriate paperwork. A full translation of the new rules announced can be found here. The new measures have effectively brought non-essential travel in Croatia to a standstill.

For an overview of what is open and what is not, check out this morning's Overview of Coronavirus Measures: What's Open, What's Closed?

Croatia Travel Update: What is the Situation on the Roads?

Snow is falling in many parts of the country. The latest road update from HAK in English is below. Click on this link for the latest.

Croatia Travel Update: Are the borders of Croatia open? 

This is the latest official information from HAK on the situation at the borders of Croatia. For the latest information (in English), check out the HAK website. 

At the following border crossings transit freight traffic is allowed:

• at Bregana and Macelj (with Slovenia);
• at Goričan and Duboševica (with Hungary);
• at Nova Sela, Stara Gradiška and Slavonski Šamac (with Bosnia and Herzegovina);
• at Bajakovo (with Serbia).

Transit passengers information, if travelling through Republic of Croatia:

• use motorways only;
• use the following rest areas only: Novska jug, Novska sjever, Kozjak jug, Prokljan sjever, Draganić sjever, Draganić jug, Bačva and Ravna Gora;
• during breaks keep distance between You and other people;
• obey the rules of Civil protection or police officers.

At all border crossings with Croatia inbound traffic is allowed only to Croatian citizens (14-day isolation mandatory) as well as for some special groups of people, such as medical personnel, scientists, eldercare personnel, cross-border workers, freight traffic, diplomats, police officers, civil protection teams, international organizations members, militaries and transit passengers.

At the border crossings with Hungary, Serbia and Montenegro traffic is closed for all vehicles, except for the citizens of these countries as well as for freight vehicles.

Traffic is suspended at the following border crossings with Slovenia:Lucija, Slum, Vele Mune, Lipa, Prezid II, Zamost, Blaževci, Prilišće, Pravutina, Obrež, Vivodina, Kašt, Novo Selo Žumberačko, Kraj Donji, Gornji Čemehovec, Draše, Plavić, Luke Poljanske, Mali Tabor, Klenovec Humski, Gornja Voća, Preseka, Sveti Martin na Muri, Čabar, Cvetlin, Zlogonje, Banfi.

Due to roadworks, traffic is closed at the following border crossings:

• at Goričan border crossing, detour: Goričan junction-ŽC2026-DC3;
• at Dvor and Vitaljina border crossings - open only to passenger traffic;
• at Gunja border crossing - there is a traffic ban on freight vehicles and buses.

Due to traffic bans on freight vehicles in Slovenia long delays should be expected in freight traffic at Bregana/Obrežje and Macelj/Gruškovje border crossings starting 1 June.

Croatia Travel Update: Are the ferries in Croatia running normally?

This is the latest update from HAK:

As reported earlier on TCN, Jadrolinija is now requesting that passengers make their ticket purchases online or via their app. 

You can check the latest from Jadrolinija on their website.

(From the Jadrolinija homepage)

Croatia Travel Update: What is the situation with train travel in Croatia?

The latest HAK update on the railway is here:

But please be aware that at the March 21 press conference, it was announced that there would be a suspension of all bus and train connections between cities. 

Croatia Travel Update: What is the situation with flights to Croatia?

The closing of the EU external borders took effect a couple of days ago, a measure that will last for 30 days. As such, all international flights outside EU borders have now been cancelled. There are still flights to Zagreb within EU borders, and so there is not a total flight ban, as ExYuAviation noted a few days ago:

The EU travel will only partially affect Croatia. Under the plan, only visitors from non-EU states will not be allowed to enter the region unless they are long-term residents of the EU, family members of EU nationals, diplomats, cross-border commuters, or essential workers like doctors, nurses, and researchers. The majority of Croatia Airlines’ network is concentrated within the EU, however, plummeting demand and various national restrictions will see the carrier cancel at least nine return flights today, among which are services to cities outside of the block such as Sarajevo and Skopje. Furthermore, flights from Zagreb to Copenhagen, Vienna and Munich have also been cancelled so far today. Despite the new circumstances, Aeroflot, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways will operate their flights to the Croatian capital today.

HOWEVER, checking the Zagreb airport departures page today, there are two non-EU flights are not cancelled according to the Zagreb Airport website - Sarajevo and Istanbul. Here is the Zagreb Airport departures page for the latest info. Contact your airline for the latest news regarding your flight. 

Most flights from Split are cancelled, but there are currently two flights Zagreb showing for today, and one for tomorrow. Check the timetable here.

Dubrovnik Airport has been closed, as there has been a positive COVID-19 case among the cleaning staff. 

Croatia Airlines also have a dedicated information page on which of their flights are going, as well as flight cancellations.

We have had a LOT of emails asking what will happen with flight cancellations, and will things be ok in May, June and beyond. Obviously, we have no idea how things will develop. With the 30-day international ban, most flights are already cancelled. We hope the situation will improve, but recommend you check with your individual airline, who will be better informed than us. If there are any major announcements, we will publish them on TCN. Please do not contact us with individual queries about your flight, as we have limited resources currently and are unable to help more than this update.

Croatia Travel Update: Are buses running in Croatia?

According to the March 21 press conference, all bus routes between towns are being suspended. 

However, some bus lines will run for those who require public transportation to get to work, like those in public and other services under the responsibility of the Civil Protection Headquarters. 

For Zagreb

For Split

For Rijeka

If you have any questions, check the website of your local public transportation service. 

Croatia Travel Update: Are taxis running in Croatia?

Taxi applications are still working in Croatia, though you'll notice a drop in drivers who didn't want to risk coming in contact with passengers. 

Many taxi companies in Croatia are also offering free rides to medical staff to and from work.

What about ZET Passes in Zagreb?

 The City of Zagreb has issued a statement on ZET passes.

The Civil Protection Headquarters pass for ZET emergency transport is issued through the employer to the employees:

- health institutions from the City of Zagreb,
- employees in the social protection system of the City of Zagreb,
- pharmacy staff in the City of Zagreb,
- mobilized volunteers of the City of Zagreb Civil Protection,
- employees of public services (ministries, City Administration - affiliated institutions, municipal and traffic police, employees of Zagreb Holding and affiliated companies).

Passes are not issued to employees in the system:

- MUP,
- the MOD,
- the Directorate of Civil Protection,
- Public fire brigades of the City of Zagreb,
- mobilized members of voluntary fire companies.

They use extraordinary ZET transportation on the basis of their employer ID, the statement said.

Croatia Travel Update: What are the self-isolation rules for people arriving, who do they apply to, and what is the procedure?

There has been a lot of confusion about the mandatory 14-day self-isolation requirements, what they entail and how they are enforced, as well as who they apply to.  I am very grateful to Lauren Simmonds for this excellent overview, having contacted and worked through various sources of conflicting information. Check out Lauren's guide to self-isolation in Croatia here. 

The Croatian Government has launched a new information website to coordinate all information about coronavirus in Croatia, called Koronavirus.hr. This includes a page (in Croatian - Google Translate is your friend) called Going on a Trip? 

A new Viber account dispensing official updates set up by the Government yesterday already has 400,000 followers.

If you have any reliable information to improve the resource above, please contact me on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I will update if relevant. 

For the latest on the coronavirus crisis in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.  

For the latest information on the Zagreb earthquake, you can find the TCN coverage here. 

Stay safe!