Driving in Croatia in a hire car from Dubrovnik Airport comes under two sets of rules. Croatian road law applies to every driver on the road. The hire terms for Croatia decide what you may do with the car and which costs are yours.
Which driving licence do I need in Croatia?
For the hire, a valid national driving licence with the details in Latin script, expiring no earlier than the end of the hire. Copies and electronic licences are not accepted. If your licence is valid only in the country that issued it, the terms strongly recommend an International Driving Permit alongside it, to be shown on request.
The minimum age and driving experience are listed on each car and can differ between similar models. The rental company may refuse the car if the driver does not meet the requirement for that car.
Do I need headlights on during the day in Croatia?
From 1 November to 31 March, yes. Under Article 102 of the Road Traffic Safety Act, motor vehicles must drive with daytime running lights or dipped headlights on in daytime during that period, and the fine is 30 euros. The dates are fixed; they are no longer tied to the clock change.
In tunnels, dipped headlights are required all year, on every road. Stopping, parking, turning round and reversing in a tunnel are banned, and overtaking is banned in tunnels with one lane in each direction.
What is the drink-drive limit in Croatia?
0.5 per mille for ordinary car drivers, under Article 199 of the Road Traffic Safety Act. A zero limit applies to professional drivers, driving instructors and drivers of larger vehicle categories, and to young drivers, who in law are drivers under 24 holding a Croatian-issued licence.
What must a car carry in Croatia?
A warning triangle, a first-aid kit and a reflective vest, which the driver wears when working beside the car on the road. The car also needs a spare wheel, or run-flat tyres or a temporary repair kit, and spare bulbs for at least half its light positions unless the lights have no filament, as with LED or xenon lamps.
Children shorter than 150 cm must travel in a child seat or booster held by the car's belt or anchor points. A child between 135 and 150 cm may use the adult belt in a seat other than the front. A rear-facing child seat may not go on a seat protected by an active front airbag. The fine for the driver is 130 euros.
Are winter tyres compulsory in Croatia?
On designated winter sections of road, from 15 November to 15 April, whatever the weather. The designated sections cover parts of the motorway network and of state and county roads, not every road. For a car, winter equipment means four winter tyres marked M+S or 3PMSF, or four summer tyres with at least 4 mm of tread plus snow chains or type-approved traction devices for the driven wheels.
In strong bora wind the A1 between the Sveti Rok and Posedarje junctions has been closed to all traffic on bora days, or left open only to cars, and the closures are published by HAK and Hrvatske ceste.
How do motorway tolls work in Croatia?
Croatia has no vignette. Motorway tolls are charged by distance and vehicle class. On motorways with several entries and exits, including the A1, you take a ticket at the entry toll station and pay at the exit. An ordinary two-axle car up to 1.90 m high is Class I; a car towing a trailer moves to Class II.
Toll plazas take cash in euros, Diners, Mastercard, Maestro, Visa, INA and MOL group cards where shown, and ENC electronic devices, whose users drive through a separate lane without a ticket. On motorways run by Hrvatske autoceste, including the A1, a lost ticket or an entry record more than 24 hours old with no proof of the reason, costs double the toll for the longest route on that motorway from your exit.
The motorway company plans barrier-free tolling by number-plate recognition, and the Government has set 1 March 2027 for its start across the network. Until then the ticket system runs. From Dubrovnik, the A1 begins near Ploče, reached on the route over the Pelješac bridge, and the bridge itself charges no toll.
Who pays fines, tolls and parking on a hire car?
The renter. The hire terms make fuel, parking, fines and toll roads your responsibility. If the rental company receives a fine or an invoice for an unpaid toll from your hire period after you return the car, the amount is charged to the deposit, with administration costs for a fine. Some companies hold the deposit for 30 to 45 days after the return, and the booking process and the voucher show how the deposit on your hire car is held and refunded.
In Dubrovnik, the special traffic regime zone around the Old Town is enforced by camera from 1 March to 30 November, and a hire car may enter it only with pre-arranged parking or a hotel stay inside the zone.
What does the hire agreement add to Croatian road law?
Under clause 8 of the hire terms, hire cars may use paved public roads only. Driving outside Croatia needs permission requested from the booking help desk before the trip, and taking the car on a ferry between the mainland and an island needs prior arrangement before you complete the booking. Only small pets may travel, in a carrier.
The phone number you booked with must be reachable from the day before pick-up to the end of the hire. On a mobile contract from another EU country, or from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova or Ukraine, calls, texts and data in Croatia are charged at domestic rates under the EU roaming rules, subject to fair use.
Are there border checks when driving out of Croatia?
Not to Slovenia or Hungary. Croatia lifted checks at its internal borders with Slovenia, Hungary and Italy when it applied the full Schengen rules on 1 January 2023. The borders with Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, both close to Dubrovnik, are external borders with checks on exit and entry. The Croatian Automobile Club warns of possible waits of several hours at the busiest crossings in summer.