Croatia removes internal border checks for flights to or from Schengen countries

The last remaining border checks in Croatia have been removed, after its accession to the Schengen Zone.

The country joined the zone on 1 January 2023, when its land and sea borders were abolished, but its air borders remained in place until 26 March. This date was selected to align with the changeover from the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s winter air transport schedule to the summer one.

Schengen law now applies to the nine international airports in Croatia, including Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Split, meaning that travellers flying to and from other Schengen countries will be treated in the same way as domestic travellers within the country.

Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković confirmed this. “All flights will be treated as domestic flights and document checks will not be necessary,” he said.

On average, 70 per cent of passenger traffic at Croatian airports are within the Schengen Zone, except for Dubrovnik where the split is more equally distributed.

The removal of border checks is expected to facilitate the passage of travellers and increase interest in air travel to Croatia.

“I look forward to a very good tourist season,” concluded Plenković.