To sail in Croatia in 2025 you must follow these new rules

There is important news for those sailing in the Adriatic Sea: Croatia has introduced new rules for safety at sea, affecting all boaters, as of March 29, 2025. With more than 1,200 islands and a long nautical tradition, the country has updated its regulations through the “Regulations on the Safety of Maritime Navigation in the Inland Waters and Territorial Sea of the Republic of Croatia and on the Methods and Conditions of Surveillance and Management of Maritime Traffic.” The text implements European directives and international regulations, setting clear criteria for the navigation of pleasure boats, fishing boats, ships, seaplanes, tenders and other floating craft. Below we analyze the main changes that will have to be complied with in order to navigate safely in Croatian waters.

Minimum distance from the coast

Distance limits from shore for those sailing now vary according to the length of the boat:

Navigating at shorter distances (than those in the table) from the coast for the purpose of entering or leaving ports, anchoring or docking along the coast, or even if the configuration of the waterway requires it, is permitted, but you are required to reduce your speed so that you can easily and quickly perform turning or stopping maneuvers.

Anchoring and mooring

During docking, mooring, unmooring, and anchoring, the person operating the boat must act in such a way that these maneuvers do not endanger human life or pollute the sea and do not cause damage to themselves or other maritime objects by collision, impact, or grounding.

Anchor chain and mooring lines must be marked and visible and must not obstruct navigation (this is not explicitly stated, but it is likely that the chain must be indicated by a grippiale).

Boats moored along the coast must not have their anchor line extend more than 50 meters away from the coast (a rule introduced to avoid the excessively long shorelines with which some yachts close off entire bays), and it is forbidden to moor in a way that damages coastal vegetation.

Whenanchoring at the wheel, the anchorage point must be chosen so that the boat is not within 50 meters of the boundary of an equipped beach at any time.

Prohibited to anchor within 150 meters of a “natural bathing” area (free beaches).

Mooring to navigation signals or otherwise to structures not intended for this purpose is prohibited.

Prohibited to moor in the vicinity of submarine cables, pipelines and drains so that the boat is never above them or within the range of the action space.

It is always good to inquire about local regulations, as port authorities may impose local or time restrictions on anchorages or moorings.

Tender

Until now in Croatia, tenders could sail “within sight of the mother boat, but if longer than 2.5 meters or with engines over 5 kW they had to have vignette and rc insurance. Now all tenders (marked with an inscription showing the name of the support boat) can be used freely within a maximum radius of 500 meters from the unit they are used for. Exceptions are tolerated “for transporting persons or goods to the nearest mooring point or between the anchorage point and the reference port.” Of course, if the tenders are registered in the maritime registers, they can be used within the limits of their category.

Sup, windsurfing, wing and various water toys

Sup, kayaks, canoes, pedal boats, windsurfing boards, kitesurfing boards, wings, electric boards, wave riding, etc. are defined as “personal units.” They are allowed to be used from sunrise to sunset and within 300 meters from the coast, but it is prohibited to use them at equipped beaches (except pedal boats and sup boards). The boating limit can be exceeded if escorted, either individually or in a group, by a motorized watercraft.

Divers

You must keep at least 50 meters away from diver flags or buoys unless you are assisting a diver.

Croatia Speed limits

Up to a distance of 300 meters from the coast, in narrow channels, accesses to ports and anchorages, all units are required to navigate with particular caution and at a speed not exceeding 8 knots, so that their navigation does not endanger other boaters.

Motorized or jet-powered boats (jet skis, hovercraft, etc.) may only glide beyond 300 meters from the coast unless it is an area where this type of navigation is expressly prohibited. The maritime authority may exceptionally set speed limits, for certain areas, outside the general speed limits.

Watercraft

Jet skis may not navigate at distances of less than 50 meters from the shoreline and in any case always in such a way that their navigation does not pose a danger to human life, property, the shoreline, the marine environment, or the navigational safety of other boats and jet skis, in accordance with the prevailing circumstances and conditions, as well as local and other restrictions.

What to know about sailing in Croatia

As a reminder, to sail in Croatia:
– you must have a driver’s license to operate each motor unit, an identity document (passport or identity card valid for foreign travel), a document proving ownership of the boat (if the owner is not on board, the provision of a power of attorney in Italian/English authorizing the use of the unit) or charter of the boat, and third-party liability (Rc) insurance.

– you have to pay the “tax for the safety of navigation and protection of the sea” (former vignette). It is annual (it expires on December 31) and provided for all vessels longer than 2.5 meters or with engine power greater than 5 kW. It is calculated according to the length of the boat and engine power.It can be paid at the local harbormaster’s office or through the online portal e-Nautika.

– all units longer than 7 meters are subject to the tourist tax. Payment can be made through the online portal nautika.evisitor.hr with 2 ways of calculation: in a lump sum way according to the length of the boat and the number of days planned in Croatia (standard periods of 3, 8, 15, 30, 90 days and 1 year are provided) or according to the number of people on board and the nights of stay (standard rate 1.33 euros per person per night, with reductions provided for the elderly, children, disabled, etc.). Once payment has been made you will receive a confirmation message to your e-mail address, which must be kept throughout your stay on board the unit.

– EU-flagged boats may also be subject to customs controls when sailing in Croatia. Therefore, the Ministry of the Sea reminds that documents proving payment of VAT must be on board, which can be: the T2L form, the original purchase receipt or another tax document confirming payment of the tax.

Croatia: Vessels

Currently, Italian vessels can sail in Croatia, even though this country has been threatening for years to prevent units not registered in national registers, such as precisely our vessels, from entering its waters. To anticipate (and solve) the eventual problem, the Ministry of Infrastructure in agreement with the Ministry of Made in Italy and Confindustria Nautica has prepared a variant of the Declaration of Construction and Importation (Dci) for attesting the Italian nationality and ownership of the vessel for those who intend to navigate in foreign waters with the signature of the owner of the unit to be authenticated by a Sta (Sportello Telematico dell’Automobilista). Since it is not a true registration, there is a need for explicit recognition, of this document, by Croatian authorities. From a recent correspondence that took place between the Croatian Ministry of the Sea and a local maritime agency it appears that this recognition has taken place, but at the time of writing official communication is awaited.

Fabrizio Coccia