Bringing in personal luggage
Bringing in personal luggage is exempt from paying import duties regardless of its value and applies to every traveller entering the EU customs area regardless of whether they are carrying their luggage personally or the luggage arrives separately.
Non-commercial goods in the personal luggage of travellers traveling from third countries are exempt from import customs duties, VAT and excise duties under condition that they are not intended for resale and do not exceed total value or volume eligible for exemption (see "Value limits for importing non-commercial goods in travellers' personal luggage").
Goods in travellers' personal luggage includes items (of reasonable quantity) for personal use, needed by travellers during their travelling and absence from place of permanent residence, such as shoes, apparel, personal care products and similar.
Non-commercial goods include occasional import of goods intended solely for personal use by travellers or their families and items intended as gifts, provided that the type and quantity of goods indicate that the goods are not intended for resale.
Value limits for importing non-commercial goods in travellers' personal luggage
Exemption from customs duties, VAT and excise duties applies to import of goods provided their total value does not exceed:
- EUR 430,00 for air and sea travellers;
- EUR 300,00 per traveller for other types of transport;
- EUR 150,00 for travellers under the age of 15, regardless of the means of transport.
If the value of a single item exceeds these value limits, it is not allowed to split it up, instead required duties and taxes are charged based on the item's total value. It is similarly not allowed to combine tax and duty exemptions of several persons to cover the value of that single item.
Exemptions for excise duty goods
Notwithstanding the abovementioned value limitation on import, the exemption from customs duties, VAT and excise duties also applies to the following quantities of excise goods, while their value is not included in the value of other non-commercial goods.
For air passengers:
1. tobacco products:
- 200 cigarettes
- 100 cigarillos (where cigarillos are considered to be cigars with a net weight of up to 3 grams per piece)
- 50 cigars
- 250 grams of smoking tobacco
2. alcohol and alcoholic beverages, except still wine and beer:
- Alcohol and alcoholic beverages with an alcoholic strength of more than 22% vol or undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength by volume of 80% vol or higher: 1 liter
- alcohol and alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of 22% vol. And less: up to 2 liters
3. still wine: 4 liters
4. beer: 16 liters
5. tobacco products referred to in Article 94 of the Excise Duties Act:
- 50 grams of heated tobacco product
- 10 milliliters of e-liquid
- 50 grams of new tobacco products referred to in Article 94, paragraph 2 of the Excise Act.
For passengers in other modes of transport (road, rail, etc.):
1. tobacco products:
- 40 cigarettes
- 20 cigarillos (cigarillos being cigars with a net weight of up to 3 grams per piece)
- 10 cigars
- 50 grams of smoking tobacco
2. alcohol and alcoholic beverages, except still wine and beer:
- Alcohol and alcoholic beverages with an alcoholic strength of more than 22% vol or undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength by volume of 80% vol or higher: 1 liter
- alcohol and alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of 22% vol. And less: up to 2 liters
3. still wine: 4 liters
4. beer: 16 liters
5. tobacco products referred to in Article 94 of the Excise Duties Act:
- 50 grams of heated tobacco product
- 10 milliliters of e-liquid
- 50 grams of new tobacco products referred to in Article 94, paragraph 2 of the Excise Act.
The exemption from the above excise products may not apply to travellers under 17 years of age.
Fuel in standard tanks of each means of transport, as well as up to 10 litres of identical type of fuel in suitable portable tanks for reserve fuel, is exempt from import duties.
Total amount of excise duty goods allowed for import (with duties paid)
Total amount of excise duty goods that an individual physical person (older than 17) can bring into the country for their personal needs, while paying the required duties and taxes, is:
- 800 pieces of cigarettes,
- 400 pieces of cigarillos,
- 200 pieces of cigars,
- 1.0 kilogram of smoking tobacco,
- 10 litres of strong alcoholic beverages,
- 20 litres of alcoholic beverages of alcoholic strength between 1.2% vol and 22% vol,
- 90 litres of wine, including no more than 60 litres of sparkling wine,
- 110 litres of beer.
Bringing in quantities greater than stated above is not allowed. Quantities greater than these (if the traveller declared them) must be returned abroad. If the traveller fails to declare quantities greater than those allowed, he will be detained by the customs authority until the infringement is processed.
Import limits for non-commercial goods for border residents, workers on the border and transport personnel
Value and volume limit exemptions that apply to non-commercial goods imported by travellers from third countries in their personal luggage do not apply to persons living in the border areas of Croatia and neighbouring third countries, workers on the border or the border area of a neighbouring third countries, and transport personnel whose work involves travel between Croatia and neighbouring third countries.
Said persons may import up to EUR 39,82[1] /HRK 300.00 worth of goods in their luggage exempt from customs duties per day, with exemptions from import duties applying to the following excise duties goods as well:
- tobacco products:
- 25 cigarettes, or
- 10 cigarillos (where cigarillos are cigars of a maximum weight of 3 grams each), or
- 5 cigars, or
- 25 grams of smoking tobacco, or
- an appropriate combination of quantities of said tobacco products;
- alcohol and alcoholic beverages, apart from still wine and beer:
- alcohol and alcoholic beverages of an alcoholic strength exceeding 22% vol or undenatured ethyl alcohol of 80% vol and over: 0.25 litre, or
- alcohol and alcoholic beverages of an alcoholic strength not exceeding 22% vol: up to 0.25 litre;
- an appropriate combination of quantities of said beverages
- still wine: 1 litre,
- beer: 1.5 litre.
These value and volume limits will not apply if above defined persons show proof that they are travelling further than the border area or are not coming back from the border area of a neighbouring country, in which case the limits that apply to all other travellers will apply to them as well.
Imports of food of animal origin in travellers’ personal luggage and small consignments sent to natural persons
Customs officers carry out official controls on products of animal origin in personal luggage of passengers from third countries and in small consignments sent to natural persons by post or courier services.
Quantitative bans and restrictions on the import of food of animal origin in passengers’ personal luggage waived from official controls by the border veterinary inspection are listed in the table, noting that food import from Andorra, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland is free and does not apply restrictions listed in the table. These restrictions and prohibitions also apply to small consignments of goods sent to natural persons (by post or courier service) and are not intended to be placed on the market.
| PRODUCTS/COUNTRIES |
Third countries (e.g. B-H, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, etc.) |
Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland |
| Small quantities of meat and milk, and meat and milk products |
Entry not allowed |
10 kg per person |
| Powdered milk for infants, infant food and special food used for medical reasons |
2 kg per person |
10 kg per person |
| Pet food used for medical reasons |
2 kg per person |
10 kg per person |
| Small quantities of fishing products for personal consumption by humans (including fresh, dried, cooked, marinated or smoked fish, and certain shellfish, such as shrimps, lobsters, non-living mussels and non-living oysters) |
Quantities for personal consumption |
Quantities for personal consumption |
| Small quantities of other animal products for personal consumption by humans (honey, live oysters, live mussels and snails) |
2 kg per person |
10 kg per person |
Bread, cakes, biscuits, chocolate and confectionery/pastry products (including sweets), not mixed or stuffed with meat products
Other food products which do not contain fresh or processed meat and milk products and contain less than 50% of processed eggs or fishing products |
Quantities for personal consumption |
Quantities for personal consumption |
Quantities exceeding the quantities specified in the table are subject to veterinary examination and must be accompanied by a veterinary certificate and can only be entered in the Republic of Croatia/EU through border crossing points where the Border Veterinary Inspection operates (Bajakovo, Stara Gradiška, Nova Sela, Karasovići, Luka Rijeka, Luka Ploče, Zagreb Airport) with a mandatory prior application for official control submitted to the competent border veterinary inspection.
Products of animal origin that do not meet the above conditions shall be considered non-compliant and shall be compulsorily confiscated from passengers for their destruction. Also, the failure to explicitly declare them to customs officials constitutes an offence sanctioned by a fine.
You can find additional information on the following link:
https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/carry/meat-dairy-animal/index_en.htm
[1] Conversion at a fixed conversion rate set at EUR 1 = 7.53450 HRK
