A citizen of the European Union can enter the Republic of Croatia for the purpose of engaging in hunting or target shooting if he or she has a European Firearms Pass.
You do not need a prior police authorisation for bringing weapons into the Republic of Croatia if up to three pieces of weapons for hunting or target shooting and 500 pieces of ammunition for each weapon are entered in your European Firearms Pass. You do need it, however, if you have more than three pieces of weapons entered in your Pass.
Application for a prior authorisation to bring weapons and ammunition into the Republic of Croatia
An application for a prior authorisation can be submitted at a diplomatic mission or consular post of the Republic of Croatia competent according to the place of permanent residence of an EU Member State citizen. Any police station or police administration in the Republic of Croatia also receives applications and grants authorisations for bringing weapons into the Republic of Croatia. The said authorisation must be requested prior to a hunt or a target shooting competition.
The list of diplomatic missions or consular posts is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
The application for a prior authorisation should be supported with:
- National weapons licence
- European Firearms Pass
- Letter of invitation to a hunt or a target shooting competition (original).
A hunter or a target shooter can collect the prior authorisation and other submitted documents at a diplomatic mission or consular post of the Republic of Croatia or a police administration or station where he or she has submitted the application.
A prior authorisation is issued for the duration of one year, with the possibility of extension for up to one more year.
If a prior authorisation has been obtained, additional relevant data will be entered in the European Firearms Pass. A prior authorisation will not be issued in case of offences against public order, security of people and property or security of a country.
You must have the national weapons licence, European Firearms Pass and the original letter of invitation to a hunt or a target shooting competition on you when entering Croatia.
Prior to traveling to Croatia for the purpose of engaging in hunting or target shooting, it is recommended that you check the types of weapons that you are allowed to bring into Croatia. You can find this information on the website of the Ministry of the Interior.
Bringing weapons and ammunition into and out of non-EU countries
Croatian citizens and foreign nationals can transfer weapons and ammunition of categories B, C and D across the state border for the purpose of hunting or target shooting competitions only.
For the purpose of hunting, Croatian citizens and foreign nationals may transfer up to three pieces of appropriate weapons, 500 pieces of ammunition for smooth-bore hunting weapons and 100 pieces of ammunition for rifled bore hunting weapons (selling is prohibited). There are no set limits for target shooting competitions.
You are obliged to declare your weapons and ammunition to the border police and customs. Undeclared weapons and ammunition will be confiscated by the police and stored until the end of the procedure.
You can transfer your weapons and ammunition only across international border crossing points, unless otherwise stipulated by an international agreement.
Entry of weapons and ammunition into travel documents of Croatian citizens
A Croatian citizen and a legal person established in Croatia can bring weapons and ammunition into the country in accordance with an authorisation from a police administration or station.
A Croatian citizen with permanent residence abroad may bring hunting or sporting weapons and their ammunition into the country for the purpose of engaging in hunting or a target shooting competition without authorisation for acquiring weapons obtained from a police administration or station, provided that they are entered in his or her travel document. A diplomatic mission/consular post of the Republic of Croatia will enter weapons and ammunition into the travel document, provided that the country of residence authorised the person in question to carry the said weapons.
If the said weapons and their ammunition are not entered in your travel document, you will be issued with an authorisation by the border police, which will be annulled when you exit the country. The border police will issue an authorisation for bringing weapons and ammunition into the country and enter the relevant data into your travel document, provided that your country of residence authorised you to carry the said weapons.
Entry of weapons and ammunition into travel documents of foreign nationals
If you are a foreign national transiting or arriving to Croatia for the purpose of engaging in hunting, you can transport weapons and their ammunition entered in your travel document across the state border. A diplomatic mission/consular post of the Republic of Croatia enters the said data into your travel document, provided that your country of residence authorised you to carry the said weapons.
If the abovementioned is not entered in your travel document, the border police will issue you with an authorisation for bringing the weapons and ammunition into the country and enter the relevant data into your travel document, provided that your country of residence authorised you to carry the weapons. The said authorisation will be annulled when you exit the country.
If you are bringing weapons and ammunition into the country for the purpose of a target shooting competition, the same rules apply, provided that you use the weapons in Croatia.
The purpose is irrelevant in case of transit.
European Firearms Pass
In order to participate in hunting or target shooting competitions in the European Union Member States, you need to have both a European Firearms Pass and a weapons licence.
Since the Republic of Croatia joined the European Union (EU), citizens with a weapons licence that allows them to possess weapons for the purpose of target shooting or to possess and carry weapons for the purpose of hunting, must have a European Firearms Pass if they want to participate in target shooting competitions or hunting in the EU Member States.
Citizens holding a certificate on declared weapons classified in category C must also have a European Firearms Pass allowing them to possess and carry weapons classified in categories B and C in the countries of the European Union and to transfer them across those countries.
Submitting an application
An application for obtaining a European Firearms Pass must be submitted at a police administration or station competent according to the applicant’s place of residence. The Pass will be issued with the same expiration date as the weapons licence, but not longer than 5 years.
When travelling to the EU with the Pass, you must carry with you a valid weapons licence and a letter of invitation to a hunt or a target shooting competition.
The loss of a European Firearms Pass must be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia based on a Certificate confirming the loss of a weapons licence, which is issued by a police administration or station competent according to the place of permanent residence of the weapons’ owner.
