Inspection related to the Production of and Trade in Explosive Substances

The Act on Explosive Substances and the Production of and Trade in Weapons (Official Gazette, no. 70/17) lays down the conditions for performing the activities of production, trading, transport, use, research, testing and conformity assessment of explosive substances, retail of pyrotechnic articles, weapons and ammunition as well as the conditions for the production, repair, modification, trading, procurement and transport of weapons, management of public shooting ranges, labelling, testing and marking of firearms.

In order to perform each of the abovementioned activities, an authorisation must be obtained from the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia under the conditions laid down by this Act.

Legal persons, sole traders and associations are obliged to take care of the protection of human life and health as well as of their assets when performing the said activities. They are also obliged to implement all the security measures laid down by this Act and regulations adopted on the basis of the said Act.

A natural person – a citizen who for a legal person, sole trader or association, performs the activities within the scope of this Act which involve direct handling of explosive substances or weapons must be medically fit and have professional qualifications required for performing the said activities in a safe manner.

The activities within the scope of this Act may also be performed by citizens of the Member States of the European Union as well as the signatories to the Agreement on the European Economic Area who are staying in the Republic of Croatia on the basis of an authorisation or a submitted application for temporary or permanent stay if they have: proof of professional qualifications and medical fitness issued in their country of origin, an employment contract with a legal person or sole trader authorized by the Republic of Croatia to perform the activities within the scope of this Act as well as knowledge of the Croatian language and Latin script.

Knowledge of the Croatian language and Latin script is proved by a certificate or a diploma of completed education in the Croatian language or other relevant document issued by a competent educational institution.

A B1 level of the Croatian language and the knowledge of the Latin script are required for non-native speakers of Croatian. Their knowledge is proved by a certificate containing the relevant reference level.

Legal persons, sole traders and associations which have been authorized to perform the activities within the scope of this Act, apart from the responsible person subject to the relevant provisions of this Act, must submit the name, surname and the Personal Identification Number (OIB) of the citizen they plan to hire for the performance of the activities with explosive substances and/or weapons, to the Ministry of the Interior in order to determine:
 
  • that he or she has not been finally adjudicated or that no criminal proceedings have been initiated against him or her for a crime which is subject to ex officio prosecution, except in cases of a criminal offence of causing a road traffic accident committed by negligence resulting in a bodily injury or material damage, or an equivalent offence in the country of his or her citizenship or in which he or she has permanent or temporary residence
  • that he or she has not been finally adjudicated for a misdemeanour with elements of violence or an equivalent offence in the country of his or her citizenship or in which he or she has permanent or temporary residence and
  • that he or she is a Croatian citizen and has permanent residence in the territory of the Republic of Croatia or that he or she is a foreign national who is staying in the Republic of Croatia on the basis of an authorisation or a submitted application for temporary or permanent stay and who knows the Croatian language and Latin script.

The application for the authorisation to perform each of the said activities must be submitted in the Croatian language and Latin script to the Ministry of the Interior, Zagreb, Ilica 335, with all the required documents. If any of the documents is in a foreign language or other script, a certified court interpreter must translate it into the Croatian language and Latin script.

Additional information related to performing the said activities can be requested at: pitanja@mup.hr.