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Croatia: Farewell to Schengen area air controls

Croatia has abolished its air border controls for travel to and from Schengen countries.

From March 26 2023, air border controls will be abolished for Schengen countries.

Croatia has been part of the European Union since 2013. This means that a passport or ID card was required to enter them, even if arriving from a Schengen country.

Le passeport ou une carte d'identité était nécessaire pour entrer dans ces pays, même si l'on arrive d'un pays de l'espace Schengen.

In December 2022, Croatia received the majority support of the 26 Schengen member states, and joined the European zone of free movement of people at the beginning of 2023.

After joining the European passport-free travel zone earlier this year, the country’s internal land and sea borders were abolished on January 1, 2023. However, air borders remained in place until March 26.

From now on, passengers travelling between Croatia and the other countries in the border-free travel zone will be treated in the same way as domestic travellers.

The changes in passenger checks will take place at seven Croatian airports with international status, namely Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Pula, Zadar and Osijek.

Zagreb airport, which is the country’s largest and expects to handle 70% of Schengen passengers, began adapting its facilities last December.

passeport ou une carte d'identité était nécessaire pour entrer dans ces pays, même si l'on arrive d'un pays de l'espace Schengen.

Among the changes made by this airport to adapt to Schengen membership are the replacement of signs in passenger terminals, such as exit numbers from previously international terminals, which are now considered domestic terminals.

“The regime for entering Croatia at airports will now be the same as that in force since January 1 on roads, at level crossings and at seaports. Virtually all flights to Croatia from Schengen countries and vice versa will become domestic flights, with no document checks,” said the Interior Minister.