Is Croatia safe for travelling – Few quick facts about Croatia

02.03.2020
Did you know?

Available information on whether Croatia is safe for travelling or not may appear to be confusing. We are going to clear this for you. Croatia is one of the safest European countries according to every key element taken into consideration from security analyses.

Facts About Croatia

Let’s start with a few quick facts about Croatia, its people, and customs:

Croatia is a secular country with over 92% of the population declaring to be Catholic
Ethnic Croatians make up the majority of the population.
Minorities are protected by the constitution and by default, are choosing their own representatives in the parliament. In other words, they are given a double-voting right among everything else.
People are friendly, have a good sense of humor, and are willing to entertain. Jokes and laughter are everywhere you look.
They are also willing to step up and protect or to help a total stranger. That alone is enough to answer if Croatia is safe or not, right?
Search & Rescue Service are free in Croatia. In other words, if you lose your bearings and force air/sea/land teams to search for you, you won’t have to pay a penny. The only thing that matters is finding you and providing you with the best medical aid if needed.
The governmental system resides on the best democratic principles. Legislative, Executive and Judicial powers are mutually independent.
The currency is Croatian Kuna (HRK). We recommend that you make the exchange or pay with your cards.
Police are strict but utterly fair. Experience, training and internal control are on the highest possible levels.
Terrorism doesn’t exist.
Marijuana is illegal. If they catch you, you are potentially looking at prison time. Same goes for every other drug.
A week-long vacation is not enough to see the Top 10 Destinations in Croatia

Alright. Now, let’s take a look at the current safety and security situation.

Is Croatia safe for foreigners?

15% of the country’s GDP comes from tourism. That puts tourists and business visitors in a strategical focus of Croatian government and economy. And the industry is showing a fast-increasing trend in the last few years. Therefore, it is only logical to conclude that the government and the people are investing their efforts into keeping everyone safe, sound, and above all, happy and well fed.

It just wouldn’t happen if there would be some serious safety concerns like it is the case with some areas and cities in Spain, France, Turkey, UK, and Nothern Africa.

There are no abductions. The violent crimes are low in general and focus on domestic disputes.

In Croatia, violent crimes are predominantly occurring in the cases of family disputes and.

Is Croatia safe for children, teenagers, and women?

In the first 9 months of 2017, there were, in total, 7 cases of trafficking. And all 7 include illegal attempts to transport refugees from the Middle East from Serbia to Slovenia and further into the Schengen zone.

For the sake of comparison:

According to Independent, in the UK, in 2016 alone, NRM has identified 3.085 victims of trafficking. And the trend is showing a y-on-y increase.

What about other potentially violent crimes such as rapes and different physical assaults? Let’s just say that more of these happen in London or Paris in a single night than in Croatia all year round. Croatia has always been a country with an extremely low crime rate.

Is Croatia safe for driving?

Yes. The Infrastructure, in other words, roads and tunnels are at the very top. Several tunnels on the new freeways are voted by ADAC as the Best in Europe. Croatia has invested hundreds of billions of euros to build a state of the art network of freeways that connect every part of the country and speed up the traffic. Laws and relentless police presence and activity on the road make sure that traffic accidents are reduced to the bare minimum.

Things to know while behind the wheel in Croatia:

Speed limits are:
- 50 km/h in urban areas
- 90 km/h outside the urban areas
- 110 km/h on roads reserved for motor vehicles
- 130 km/h on freeways
Blood alcohol allowed for drivers is 0.5
- It’s against the law to have a drunk person in a front passenger seat
It’s illegal to talk on your cell phone while driving
Emergency number is 112

Is Croatia safe from terrorism?

Entirely. Not a single incident has been recorded. Although, that doesn’t mean that the law enforcement and intelligence agencies are sitting behind their desks solving sudoku. There is a clear strategy on a state level with an action plan. Croatia safe for travelling? Yes!

In addition, there isn’t even a trace of radical ideas. People here have better things to do.

Croatia is the EU member state. In addition, the good portion of its borders is EU borders as well. These borders are heavily monitored for and protected against illegal crossing and/or criminal activities.

As you can clearly see, Croatia is, by far, the safest European country. There is really nothing to worry about. Things are most likely better than in your own neighborhood.

Your CTC Team, I.K.