Formalities in Croatia

Maritime customs houses

• Permanent offices: Umag, Porec, Rivinj, Pula, Shaved (Brsica), Rijeka, Mali Losinj, Sebenik, Split, Ploce, Korcula, Dubrovnik, Vela Luka, Ubli.
• Seasonal offices: ACI marina Umag, Novigrad, Dirtied, Bozava, Primosten, Hvar, Stari Grad (Hvar), Screw, Komiza and Kavtat.

Stipulations on the navigation permit

In order to sail in the Croatian coastal waters the vessel's captain has to possess a navigation permit, , issued in accordance with the stipulations on sailing in his own country.

For citizens of Federal Republic of Germany the permit "Sportbootführerschein See", will suffice if the sport vessel is equipped with one motor over 3,68 kW (=5PS). Navigation permits for steering vessels of class B (coastal navigation) and C (offshore navigation) issued by the Seeschiffahrtbehörde and the Wassersportverband are also being recognized. Insufficient are the permits: for sport navigation (class A), Bodensee-Schifferpatent and Rheinschiffer-Patent. For citizens of Republic of Austria valid are the certificates for coastal navigation (navigation area 2), for close coastal navigation (navigation area 3) and deep-sea navigation (navigation area 4). For citizens of the Swiss Confederation it is necessary to possess Yacht master’s certification issued by the CCS.

Sailing without a navigation permit, entails penal responsibility, and in case of an accident during sailing also an insurance forfeit. If you do not own a navigation permit, you can pass a captain exam in Croatia at the Maritime Affairs Management and in the port-authorities’ offices. A captain’s certificate enables you to steer a motorboat and a sailboat up to 12 meters long or 15 GT, as well as to use the boat VHF station. If you are using a rented boat one member of the crew has to be qualified for operation with the VHF station. Persons, who have owned a captain’s certificate for three years, can approach an exam for a skipper, and that certificate enables steering boats up to 25 BT. In Croatia you can acquire a Qualified Yacht skipper Certificate, by means of preceding schooling and after having passed the required exams, which enables you to steer yacht up to 100 BT. Also, you can acquire a Qualified GMDSS OPERATOR Certificate with a general that is limited authorization.

Actual list of the acceptable licences for legal sailing in Croatia

People check-in and check-out

Within 24 hours after having entered a harbour, a natural cove or an anchorage, the boat’s captain is compelled to report the arrival to the competent police station. As personal identification the following documents the following documents are recognized: passport, identity card or some other personal identification document. A marine’s reception, a tourist agency or an office of the tourist community can perform the report instead of the yacht’s captain. The same procedure is legitimate for checking-out. In the process of checking-out one should pay the local-tourist tax. It is forbidden to perform billed transport of people and goods in the coastal sea of Republic of Croatia (cabotage).

Research and rescue centre

The rescue and research centre is directed by the National Rescue and Research Centre, located at Rijeka, which is in service 24/24h on channels VHF 10 and 16 and on phone number 9155.

Diving

Recreative and sport diving is allowed only with a proper membership card of the Croatian Diving Association (Hrvatski ronila_ki savez - HRS). The diving permit is valid for a year from the date of issue and is issued only to divers with proper diving qualification: CMAS, PADI, SSI, NAUI, NASDS, YMCA, MDEA, NASE, IDEA, IANTD, NSS-CDS, ANDI, TDI, NACI, PSA, PDIC, SDI, FIAS, ACUC, BSAC, VDST, BARACUDA etc. Temporary diving qualifications are not valid.

Order in harbors and other sea areas

• In support of personal security and security of other people at sea one should particularly pay attention to the stipulated regulations about security at sea. It is forbidden:
• in harbors: bathing, gliding, wind surfing, water skiing;
• wind surfing in narrow passages where boats are sailing in a distance less than 50 meters from the coast of a natural beach;
• to sail and navigate with motorboats and sailboats in a distance less than 50 meters from the coast;
• to swim outside the fenced space of an arranged beach and in distance that is bigger than 100 meters from the natural beach;
• to discard remains of mineral oils, plastic, metal, glass and other containers, as well as all other garbage;

In the water space beside the beaches little boats have to sail at a distance bigger than 50 meters from the fence of the arranged beach, that is, 150 meters from the coast of the natural beach. Gliders may glide only at a distance bigger than 300 meters from the coast and in an area where gliding is not forbidden. Little crafts with jet propulsion (jet ski) are allowed to sail only in those areas where it is allowed so. All harbors for public traffic and navigation tourism have the question of waste disposal and management solved, as well as the acceptance of waste materials, waters and waste oils, so the vessels are allowed to empty their waste storages only in those places. Polluting the sea is a naval offense.