Can I Bring My Dog To Croatia?

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Post author SJ

Written by our local expert SJ

Sarah-Jane has lived in Croatia for 10+ years. SJ, as she is known, has been traveling the Balkans & beyond since 2000. She now shares her passion for traveling with her husband & kids.

Can I Bring My Dog to Croatia? Yes, here is all you need to know to start your dog-friendly holiday.

Can you really do that? Yes, yes, you can.  When I first moved to Europe, I was taken back when I saw a dog sticking its head out the border crossing car window. The big ball of fluff was panting and wagging his tail excitedly. It was as if he, too, was excited to be heading to his holiday in Croatia.

As time went by, I noticed tourists’ pets appearing in restaurants. Inside, not tied up out the front with a bowl of water waiting, but inside, under the table being fed scraps from his family. Now I see them in shopping centers, cafes, at the beach, all over Croatia. Wow, now that’s dog-friendly, I thought each time.

It’s fair to say I am used to it now (although the doggy’s inside the restaurants still gross me out a little).

Just when I thought I was used to pets being brought on holiday to Croatia, it hit me. Where do they stay?

I had never given this any thought until a few weeks ago when we stayed at Hotel Lone in Rovinj. We were checking out. One arm was wrangling the 18-month-old who so desperately wanted to run, and the other was holding onto the bags. Then out of the corner of my eye, I see a dog. Not just any dog, a huge giant horse-like dog.

What? In an award-winning 5-star hotel? I thought I must be so sleep-deprived that I am dreaming. But I was not. The dog was there, and he was at one of the many pet-friendly hotels in Croatia. If that dog could speak, he’d sure tell you how great that hotel was.

Do you want to bring your pet to Croatia? Here is some info you may need to kick start your dog-friendly vacation.

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Checklist For Bringing Man’s Best Friend To Croatia

Here in Croatia, both you and your pooch are welcomed with open arms. You need to bring your dog’s pet passport.

The passport for your dog must remain with you at all times while you enjoy your holidays in Croatia. Your dog and the pet passport should have:

  • Your dog must have a clearly and legibly marked tattoo with the corresponding serial number entered onto the passport.
  • The pet needs to be microchipped with a 15 digit ISO Standard 11784 pet microchip.
  • The passport should detail the location of the microchip and the date the microchip took place.
  • All vaccination information. Inc. serial number, expiration date & the date of vaccination
  • Your pet must be vaccinated for rabies at least 21 days before entry.

A warning: If your pet does not fulfill all requirements upon arrival at the border, it may be rejected or put into quarantine. As the owner of the animal, you have to bear all the costs for such measures. So check and double-check you meet the requirements.


Dog-Friendly Accommodation In Croatia

There is a BUNCH of pet-friendly places in Croatia. Ones that will happily allow you to travel with your dog – and even your cat! There are just as many dog-friendly beaches, restaurants & cafes.

I should tell you that there are certain aggressive breeds of dogs that are prohibited from holidaying with you. So be sure to check if you have one of those types of breeds.

Pet Food Supplies

Dog & cat food is available at pet stores, grocery stores across the entire country. No need to bring any of that with you. Unless, of course, the pooch is fussy. You will find all the big brands such as Whiskas, Purina, Iams & Sheba in Croatia.

So there you have it, a few facts to help you and your best friend have a great time in Croatia.

Plus, if you plan to move to Croatia, here is what you need to know about moving with your pet to Croatia. More information on both topics can be found on the Croatian Ministry website and on Carina.

Do you bring your pet on holiday with you? Have you found any great sites that help your plan your dog-friendly vacation? Please share them with us below in the comments.

Comments (19)

  1. Good tips! It seems quite easy to travel with pets within Europe. I wish other countries would adopt the use of a pet passport as well. It can be quite a hassle to move around with animals.

    1. Yes, I had a few people ask me as it seemes to be an issue – looks like you’ll have to head our way :)

  2. That’s awesome! I noticed that when I was in Austria, people were bringing all types of dogs into Swarovski! Swarovski of all places! It was like that throughout Germany as well. I wish it was more like that in the states and then I’d never have to leave my dog home!

    1. Swarovski!!! Ha that is funny – maybe they were going to buy the dog a collar? I think the states are like Australia, in that doggies are not so welcome everywhere.

  3. So you need to have your dog tattooed AND micro-chipped? It’s either/or for travel between most European countries.

    1. Yup, when I made the enquiries I was told BOTH. The pet passport needs to detail where the micro-chip is located. I would not not risk not having both when you come.

  4. So cute! I don’t have a dog yet but when I do in the future, I always think about where I would be able to take it with me

  5. Good to know. We’re making our mind to visit Croatia by the end of this year. As we would go by car, it makes a point to take our dog with us, especially if the country is as dog friendly as you say!

    Last time, he came with us to Wales :).

  6. Thanks for sharing! It’s good that some countries consider the pets of the tourists they want to attract, it was useful for me to know that Croatia is one of them!

  7. My family is very energetic, so she will get taken for a stroll just about each day by one in every of us to a three mile path that leads to a dog park.

  8. Great and helpful post! I’m moving to Croatia for few months and I don’t want to leave my doggy here , I just can’t trust anyone to care for her. Your ‘checklist’ is quite informative, thank you for sharing all these important things. Greets!

  9. Trying to book a flight into Montenegro with our dog is near on impossible. She would have to go cargo as too big for the hold unfortunately medium size Irish terrier. Do you know any flights or should we fly to Dubrovnic and hire a taxi/ car to get to Montenegro?

    1. Polish Air or a German commuter flight might allow a small pet onboard. Im not sure about cargo. If you go into Montenegro, you might have problems going from there since it is not a rabies free country. We are in Montenegro and we need to get a titer shot for her.

  10. What about transfering to another country? We have a flight to Zagreb, but our next flight to Skopje is after few days. Can we stay in Croatia with the same dog’s export documents from Qatar for Macedonia, and travel to Skopje? We do not have anti rabies test, but we need just to stay for transfer. Now due to covid19 is 5 days transfer :-(

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