Starting from Sunday, March 26, all internal border controls at the Croatian airports will be abolished, which amongst others will save time for travellers heading from Croatia to other Schengen Area countries.
The date for this to happen had been set back in 2022, when Croatia’s bid to join the Schengen Area finally turned successful, and while the internal land and sea border have been scrapped on January 1, 2023, the authorities had to wait a bit longer for removing them at the airports.
The reason why internal air border checks were set to remain in place until March 26, was in order to align the date of their removal with the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s summer/winter time schedule, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The country’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has confirmed that “all flights will be treated as domestic flights and document checks will not be necessary” starting from Sunday.
“I look forward to a very good tourist season,” he said, expressing his hopes that Schengen accession will positively affect the country in this direction.
The Croatian airports have started their preparations for entry into the Schengen early in January, by making adjustments to passenger terminals and other areas.
The country’s busiest airport, the Zagreb Airport, has amongst others made more space for the waiting areas. The same has decided to move the departure passport control counters from its terminal on the third floor down to the terminal on the second floor.
Additional kiosks have been set at this airport for the pre-registration of passengers from countries that are not part of the Schengen Zone, while airplane exits have been redistributed and signs have been adjusted to direct passengers based on the new changes.
“We do not expect any problems with the application of that regime, but a faster and easier passage of passengers in departures and arrivals,” a Zagreb Airport spokesperson had claimed back in January.
Since Croatia joined the Schengen zone in 2023, travellers must be aware of several changes they will experience when visiting this country.
Amongst others, the days of stay in Croatia will count towards the 90 days period of permitted stay in the Schengen Area. This means that travellers from visa-free countries who in the past used Croatia as a base to reset their 90-day period will no longer be able to do so.
Croatia has also joined the Eurozone on January 1, which means that the country is now using the Euro as its official currency, instead of the kuna.
>> Changes Tourists Should Be Aware of When Travelling to Croatia in 2023
