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Driving a car in Croatia

Rules & Regulations, insurance and more

Find out here about the validity of foreign driving licenses, Croatian road traffic regulations and insurance for your car.

Validity of foreign driving licenses

Your UK driving license is valid for up to six months from entry into Croatia. If you are staying longer, you need to apply for a Croatian licence.

International Driving Licences are not valid in Croatia. If travelling by car, you should ensure, before setting out, that your green card covers Croatia. Insurance can normally be purchased at the main border crossings. However, some of the smaller crossings may not have this facility or have limited hours when the service is available.

If you are driving to or through Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the 20km strip of coastline at Neum on the Dalmatian coastal highway, you should ensure that your Green Card includes cover for Bosnia and Herzegovina. If this is not the case, temporary third-party insurance can be purchased at the main border posts, or in Split and other large Croatian cities. Insurance cannot be obtained at the Neum border.

For traffic updates go to this webpage: www.hak.hr .

Drink and Drive

In August 2004, a tough new law introduced a zero-tolerance approach to alcohol on the roads.

The conservative government justified the law by saying it had to take radical measures in order to stop the rising death toll on Croatian roads.

Stricter regulations were also introduced for other traffic violations, with fines of up to 3,000 kunas for reckless driving.

Road traffic regulations

The new law also requires that all motor vehicles drive with dipped headlights on at all times . You may be fined if you are driving without your headlights on, even during the daylight hours.

Drivers holding their licenses for less than two years are prohibited from driving cars with more-powerful-than-average engines. Regardless of their age, such drivers will be allowed to drive after 11 p.m. only in the presence of a person older than 25 who has had a clean driving record for more than two years.

Under the new law, a driver who commits two serious offences over a period of two years could face a 60-day jail term. Fines are also applied to foreigners, and either payable on the spot or within eight days at a bank or a post office. Policemen can hold on to your passport until proof of payment is produced.

Keeping a car in Croatia

The problem is the length of time you wish to keep the car in Croatia. Legally if you keep a car in a country for more than 6 months you must take out insurance in that country.

Some companies do offer 12 months cover for Europe (rather than the standard 90 days most policies offer), but it costs a fortune and you may have to take the car back to the UK periodically - mainly for a MOT and Road tax - remember you cannot tax a car without an MOT and Insurance and your insurance is invalid without an up to date MOT.

You would properly have to store the car somewhere secure, like a garage, but you will still have to go back to the UK once a year to stay legal with Road TAX and the MOT.