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Visiting Croatia? Find Out If You Need A Visa To Travel

Do you need a visa to visit Dubrovnik in Croatia?
Dubrovnik, Croatia [Image by Ivan Ivankovic from Pixabay]

Croatia is a popular destination, with its idyllic beaches, beautiful landscapes and historic cities. Those looking for sun and sand head to the Dalmatian Coast, while those wanting beautiful natural landscapes head to Istria. In fact, what with the protected national parks and well-kept hiking routes, it is a top-class destination. For those seeking food and drink experiences, or art and music, hip Zagreb is the place to be. For historic architecture, Dubrovnik and Split are a must. Read on to find out what you need to know about travel to Croatia.

How easy is it to travel to Croatia?

Visit Trogir
Trogir, Croatia [Image by Udo from Pixabay]

Croatia knows its tourist charms well and authorities have made the country easy to enter for most travelers. The country joined the European Union (EU) in 2013 and expects to join the Schengen Area in 2023. For these reasons, those travelers from much of Europe have little to worry about.

However, those coming from further afield may encounter a few hoops to jump through. However, many won’t need a visa and those that do will find most information easily accessible online.

Do you need a visa to travel to Croatia?

Plitvice National Park, Croatia
Plitvice Lakes [Image by Dongchan Park from Pixabay]

As mentioned, EU citizens have it easy and don’t need a visa for stays of any length. In fact, as long as they have an ID card from their home country, they don’t even need a passport. Moreover, the same applies to members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), namely Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Meanwhile, a number of other countries do not need visas, while those citizens can only stay for a maximum of 90 days. This applies to most other European countries, including the UK, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. It also applies to Australia, Canada, the US, much of Latin America, New Zealand and some Asian nations including South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

Citizens from countries outside of the EU and EFTA will require a passport that is less than ten years old. Moreover, the passport must be valid for at least three months after the date of leaving Croatia.

How to apply for a tourist visa

Historic Split
Historic Split [Image by Michelle Raponi from Pixabay]

As noted, not every nationality is able to travel visa-free to Croatia. For example, citizens of China, Pakistan, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Russia and South Africa will need to apply for visas to enter Croatia.

Readers can see a full list of nations requiring visas on the website of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. There, a drop-down is available to find out which individual nations apply.

For a complete list, check the website of Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs – you can use the drop-down to find individual nations.

Moreover, the website offers details for each country’s requirements, as well as embassy locations. On the pages, it is possible to link to the relevant VFS Visa Application Center, where costs are listed (usually around €80 (US$84) and free for under-12s). It is also possible to start the application process directly from the website.

While visas can be applied for online, they may eventually need to be submitted in person at a consulate or embassy, or a VFS Visa Application Center. To be on the safe side, it is recommended to start a visa application no more than three months prior to travel.

To find out more information about Croatia, visit the country’s official tourism website here.