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Croatia has now reopened for a second time and is once again allowing visitors from the United States and other countries outside the E.U. to visit as tourists.
After enjoying a very successful tourism season throughout the summer, the government of Croatia changed some verbiage in their entry requirements at the end of 2020, which no longer included visiting for the purposes of ‘tourism’. The removal of the tourism clause paired with increased rules effectively halted third-party travelers from visiting the nation over the past few months.
Now as of April 2021, Croatia has added back ‘tourism’ as a valid reason for entry, which includes visitors from third-party countries outside of the EU, like Canada and the USA for example.
Croatia’s official government site reads: “persons who travel for tourist reasons and have a certificate of paid accommodation in a hotel, camp, private renter or rented vessel and other form of tourist accommodation” are once again permitted to enter.
Any tourist wanting to visit Croatia should be ready with proof of their pre-paid hotel booking or similar touristic accommodation. Border control has been clear that an unpaid reservation does not qualify, it needs to be confirmation of a paid reservation.
This currently makes Croatia the only EU nation that American tourists can visit for leisure without needing to prove an urgent essential reason or be subject to harsh quarantines.
All American and other third-party country visitors will have to abide by a few other entry rules, which may include testing, but as we’ll explain below, Croatia is giving visitors many options.
Testing and Vaccination Requirements For Croatia
Croatia is one of the most forward-thinking countries in regard to entry requirements and rules by giving tourists a choice in how they would like to prove their safe entry into the nation. Visitors from the U.S, Canada, and other third-party countries have ‘a la carte’ options to enter Croatia, which allows them to choose one of the following:
- Show proof of vaccination. Croatia recognizes both the 2 dose and 1 dose vaccines and requires that at least 14 days have passed since the last shot has been administered.
- A PCR or antigen test. Travelers can also show proof of a negative PCR or approved antigen-type test, performed no longer than 48 hours before arrival.
- Proof of recovery. Passengers who’ve had the virus and recovered can also use this for entry. Proof of a positive test between 11 days and 180 days old is accepted, or a recovery certificate from a physician.
By giving visitors the choice of many entry options, Croatia will likely return to being a world leader in pandemic-era travel, with one of the best rebounding tourism industries in Europe.
Croatia is Open for Vaccinated Travelers, But Not Mandatory
In April 2021, Croatia joined the small list of 18 nations that are now allowing vaccinated travelers to enter without testing and/or quarantines. While the ethics of allowing vaccinated travelers to bypass other requirements is heavily debated, Croatia is not making vaccination for entry mandatory, simply an option for travelers who prefer vaccination over PCR or antigen testing.
Entry from the EU
Passengers from these ‘green’ EU nations as defined by the ECDC or the ‘low-risk' third-party nations of Australia, South Korea, Rwanda, Singapore, Thailand, and New Zealand, can enter Croatia for any reason and skip testing/vaccination requirements.
Other reasons for entry
Passengers from third-party countries (like the USA, Canada, etc) have other options for entry besides proving paid accommodation.
Other approved reasons for visiting Croatia at this time include:
- Business purposes with an invitation letter from a local Croatian business
- Students with classes in Croatia
- Visitors who are participating in Croatia’s new Digital Nomad Visa
- Those who own property or vessels located in Croatia
Visitors from all nations should remember – The ‘Enter Croatia’ form needs to be filled out before arrival. See all of Croatia’s Covid-19 Entry Requirements here
sources: Government of Croatia
Read More:
- Croatia's new digital nomad visa for remote workers
- All of the entry requirements for Croatia in 2021
- List of countries A-Z open for American tourists
- Travel insurance for American travelers that covers covid
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Tay
Friday 9th of April 2021
Do you know which European countries/airports are easiest to transit through? Thank you for all of these updates by the way, they have been so helpful!
Kashlee Kucheran
Saturday 10th of April 2021
Lately, Frankfurt has been one of the most successful ones for global travelers, but of course, that can change!
D
Friday 9th of April 2021
Can Americans enter Sweden this way now? I understood that Sweden was accepting tourists for countries from inside the EU and third-party countries. I believe Sweden grants entry based on where you're coming from. Can you confirm?
Kashlee Kucheran
Friday 9th of April 2021
Their official verbiage says "residents and passengers arriving from" (and then lists EU nations), which makes me believe they may accept passengers who have been in Sweden for the past 14 days, but I cannot confirm this. Only Swedish border police will be able to confirm 100% for you.
Alejandro
Thursday 8th of April 2021
Could this be a potential loophole for US citizens to travel to other parts of the EU?
Kashlee Kucheran
Thursday 8th of April 2021
Every EU nation has its own rules for this, so its a country by country discussion. Most EU nations want you to be a resident of a fellow EU or 'safe/approved' nation, and also be coming directly from that nation. A tiny few allow you to enter if you have simply been in a fellow EU or 'safe/approved' nation for the past 14 days, like Malta for example.