Dubrovnik Airport is Ruđer Bošković Airport near Čilipi, 22.5 km from Dubrovnik by the airport's own figure. Arrivals come out of passenger terminal building B, and the airport's own page for hire cars links a single map point for the rental companies: the "Parking lot and drop off point".
Cars bookable for car hire at Dubrovnik Airport start at the airport itself, from city delivery or from a second Dubrovnik pick-up place. The pick-up place is written on each car, and your voucher gives the meeting point.
What should I have ready before I land?
Your voucher, your licence, and the card the booking needs. The licence must be a valid national licence with the details in Latin script and must not expire before the hire ends; copies and electronic licences are refused. If it is valid only in the country that issued it, carry an International Driving Permit as well, because the terms strongly recommend it and it can be asked for.
Check the card rule on your voucher. Some cars need a physical embossed credit card in the main driver's name. Others accept a debit card, which must also be physical, embossed and in the main driver's name. The card has to be with you at the handover.
Keep the phone number from your booking working from the day before pick-up. The terms require it to be reachable for the whole hire, by call or by Viber, WhatsApp or Telegram, and a service complaint is not accepted if the company could not reach you. On a phone from an EU country, or from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Moldova or Ukraine, calls and data in Croatia are charged at home rates under the EU roaming rules, subject to fair use.
What happens when I come out of arrivals?
Passengers on direct flights to or from the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates are registered in the EU Entry/Exit System if they are non-EU nationals on a short stay, on the airport's own list. EU citizens and citizens of Schengen-associated countries are not registered in the system.
Taxis wait in front of terminal building B. The airport says numerous car rental companies have offices at DBV, and your rental voucher decides the exact meeting place.
Licence
A valid national licence with the details in Latin script, expiring no earlier than the end of the hire. No copies, no electronic licences.
Card
Some cars need a physical embossed credit card in the main driver's name; the car says so before you book.
Deposit
Set per car, zero on some, and shown before payment. Some companies hold it for 30 to 45 days after the car comes back.
One-way
Cars from Dubrovnik come back to Split, Zagreb, Zadar and Pula on the cars that allow it.
What do I check at the handover?
The fuel level, first. The car goes back with the same level of fuel it left with; a lower level is charged at the company's rate and a higher one is not refunded. Note the level on the paperwork before you drive off.
Croatian rules require a passenger car to carry a warning triangle, a first-aid kit and a reflective vest, plus a spare wheel, unless it has run-flat tyres or a temporary repair kit. From 1 November to 31 March, cars must drive with daytime running lights or dipped headlights on during the day.
Look at the parts the standard cover leaves out. Standard car hire insurance in Croatia does not cover the wheels, the undercarriage, the windscreen or the interior, so damage already on them is worth recording before you leave.
When is the deposit taken and returned?
The deposit amount is on the car before you book, and on part of the Dubrovnik supply it is zero. How it is held and when it is refunded are shown during booking and in the voucher. Some companies retain it for 30 to 45 days after the return, and a fine or unpaid toll from your hire period is charged to it, with administration costs for fines.
Where does the first drive go?
The airport puts the drive into Dubrovnik at 30 to 35 minutes on average, and up to an hour in summer. North of the city the D8 runs along the coast to Ston and the Pelješac bridge; south, Cavtat is ten minutes away and the Montenegrin border beyond it.
Plan where you will park before you set off. From 1 March to 30 November a hire car may not enter the zone around the Old Town without a pre-booked space, registered accommodation parking or a hotel stay inside the zone, so the route from Dubrovnik Airport to the Old Town ends in a car park outside the zone unless you have one of those.
| Destination | Km | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Cavtat | 6 | 10 min |
| Dubrovnik (Pile Gate) | 21 | 30 min |
| Trebinje | 41 | 50 min |
| Ston | 72 | 1 h 25 |
Can the car come to my accommodation, or end in another city?
Some cars in the Dubrovnik search are city-delivery cars rather than airport cars, and their delivery is listed as a cost on the car. None of the listings read in September 2026 offered free delivery. To collect at the airport and hand the car back in another city, choose Split, Zagreb, Zadar or Pula in the drop-off tab of the form.
How do I return the car at the airport?
Bring it back to the place on your voucher with the fuel at the collection level and clean enough to inspect; a car too dirty to check is washed at your expense. The shortest chargeable period is 24 hours, so a return a few hours later than the pick-up time on the next day counts as another day. If you need the car longer than booked, tell the rental company before the hire ends.
