How to get the COVID-19 passport (EU digital certificate) in Croatia
UPDATED: 05/05/2022
The so-called COVID passports are now available in Croatia. The full name for the COVID passport is the EU digital COVID certificate, which translates as EU digitalna COVID potvrda in Croatian.
COVID-19 passports should make movement within the EU Member States faster, easier, and more flexible. However, it is still possible to cross borders without a COVID-19 passport by showing medical documentation.
In this post, we cover:
- What is a COVID-19 passport
- Who can get a COVID-19 passport in Croatia
- Types of COVID-19 passports
- Where the COVID-19 passport is valid
- How to get a COVID-19 passport in Croatia
- What does the passport look like
- CovidGO mobile application
The facts are these…
How to get the COVID-19 passport (EU digital certificate) in Croatia
What is a COVID-19 passport
The COVID-19 passport is a certificate that serves as permission for you to travel within the EU Member States during the COVID-19 epidemic. It is free of charge and available in Croatian and English.
The COVID-19 passport allows checking of someone’s vaccination or recovery status without any access to personal and medical data. This is done by scanning the QR code on the COVID-19 passport.
The COVID-19 passport can be issued in two forms:
- Digital form, which can be saved on your mobile phone, sent via email, or printed
- Via e-Građani
- At pharmacies
- At licensed laboratories that perform COVID-19 tests
- Paper certificate
- At HZZO
- At pharmacies
- At licensed laboratories that perform COVID-19 tests
Both versions contain a QR code including general information and a digital signature authenticating the certificate. Official staff and border patrol will scan this code when checking the certificate.
Who can get a COVID-19 passport in Croatia
COVID-19 passports are available to:
- Croatian residents, regardless of whether they have permanent residence or Croatian insurance
- Foreigners, regardless of whether they have a residence in Croatia or are tourists
To get the passport, you must belong to one of these groups:
- People vaccinated against COVID-19
- With one dose of the vaccine
- With primary doses of the same or different vaccine
- With booster dose(s)
- Recovered people who received the vaccine
- People with a negative result of PCR or rapid antigen test
- People who have recovered from COVID-19
Foreigners (non-residents and tourists) can get a COVID-19 passport in Croatia if:
- They have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 in Croatia
- They have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 outside of Croatia with other approved vaccines
- They have recovered from the COVID-19 in Croatia
According to the decisions of the European Commission, the following groups can’t get the COVID-19 passport in Croatia:
- People who possess a medical certificate on recovery
- People who possess a positive antigen test
- People with results of serological testing
- People who were tested outside of Croatia
Types of COVID-19 passports
There are 3 types of COVID-19 passports. Each of them is available to a certain group of people from the section above.
#1 Vaccination certificate
A vaccination certificate is available to people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The vaccine they received must be approved by the European Commission based on the recommendation of the European Medicines Agency.
Vaccines against COVID-19 that are currently available in Croatia are:
- AstraZeneca/Vaxzevria/Oxford
- Janssen/Johnson&Johnson
- Moderna
- Nuvaxovid (Novavax)
- Pfizer/Comirnaty
Note: After each change in your vaccination status, you must request a new vaccination certificate. A vaccination certificate is available both to minors and to people aged 18 or older.
A list of all vaccination points in Croatia according to Croatian counties is available here.
More information on vaccination certificates is available here. An infographic on the rules is available here.
Below are all possible scenarios in which you can get a vaccination certificate.
The first dose of the vaccine
If you received the first dose of AstraZeneca, you can get a certificate on the 22nd day after vaccination. It is valid in Croatia for 84 days after vaccination.
If you received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna, you can get a certificate on the 22nd day after vaccination. It is valid in Croatia for 42 days after vaccination.
Primary vaccination
The certificate of primary vaccination is issued to:
- People primarily vaccinated with a one-dose or two-dose vaccine
- People recovered and vaccinated with a one-dose vaccine or one dose of the two-dose vaccine
- People vaccinated with two doses of different vaccines
A certificate can be issued within 270 days since the last dose in a series.
Note: As of February 1, 2022, it is no longer possible to get a certificate older than 270. Old certificated will be valid in Croatia for 365 days, but they are not valid for crossing the border.
Booster vaccination
The booster vaccination certificate is issued to:
- People vaccinated with two primary doses and a booster
- People recovered and vaccinated with two primary doses and a booster
- People vaccinated with each additional booster
- People vaccinated with a one-dose vaccine and one or two boosters
- People primarily vaccinated with a one-dose vaccine and a booster of a one-dose vaccine
A certificate can be issued within 365 days since the last dose in a series.
Vaccines available outside of Croatia
Certificates can also be issued for some other types of vaccines that can be received outside of Croatia.
A total list of vaccines for which a certificate can be issued in Croatia with the number of primary vaccination doses required and vaccines for which a certificate won’t be issued is available here.
#2 Test certificate
A test certificate is available to persons who tested negative for COVID-19 by a PCR or rapid antigen test.
In case of a negative result of the PCR test, a COVID-19 passport is valid for 72 hours from taking the sample.
In case of a negative result of the rapid antigen test, a COVID-19 passport is valid in Croatia for 48 hours after taking the sample and 24 hours in case of crossing the border.
A test certificate is available both to minors and to persons aged 18 or older.
The latest list of all laboratories in Croatia that test against the COVID-19 and enter testing results into the database of the Croatian Ministry of Health is available here.
More information is available here.
#3 Certificate of recovery
Persons who have recovered from COVID-19 can get a certificate of recovery. They can obtain it after the 11th day from the date of their first positive PCR test result. The passport is valid for 180 days from the date of the first positive PCR test result.
The PCR test must be performed in an accredited Croatian laboratory. A list of all laboratories in Croatia that test against the COVID-19 and enter testing results into the database of the Croatian Ministry of Health is available here.
As of March 10, 2022, it is also possible to get a certificate of recovery based on a rapid antigen test if the date of testing isn’t older than October 1, 2021.
A certificate of recovery is available both to minors and to persons aged 18 or older. It can’t be issued if a person has a positive test result within 11 days from the day of submitting the request for a certificate.
More information is available here.
Where is the passport valid
COVID-19 passports are valid in the territory of the European Union.
During travel or stay in any of the EU member states, COVID-19 passports serve to prove the COVID-19-related health status of an individual. They show that a person is vaccinated against COVID-19, has recovered from COVID-19, or has a negative result of the test.
While traveling to Croatia, Croatia recognizes international COVID-19 passports that are issued in the other EU Member States.
If a person with a valid COVID-19 passport is placed in quarantine or is additionally tested, the particular EU member state must notify the European Commission and the other EU Member States and give them appropriate reasons.
More information on freedom of movement is available here.
How to get a COVID-19 passport in Croatia
In Croatia, COVID-19 passports can be obtained via:
- e-Građani app – Security level 2 or 3 is required (process is in Croatian)
- Both residents and non-residents of Croatia if they have an access
- Nearest HZZO – In person
- Croatian residents must provide their residence permits or ID cards (if a citizen)
- Croatian residents who received one dose of the vaccine outside of Croatia must visit a family doctor or County Institute for Public Health to get the vaccination transcript and then go to HZZO
- This option is for non-residents of Croatia and tourists; in Zagreb, go to Rockefellerova 2 (view map)
- Local pharmacy – In person
- Provide your ID card or health insurance card
- This option is for Croatian citizens, foreign citizens, and tourists
- Licensed laboratory
- Provide your ID card or health insurance card
- This option is for Croatian citizens, foreign citizens, and tourists
- Email
- Send a copy of your passport and confirmation documents from the HZZO after receiving the vaccine to epidemiologija@stampar.hr or covid_potvrde@stampar.hr
- This option is for non-residents of Croatia and tourists
Note: If you were vaccinated against the COVID-19 outside of Croatia, first you must be entered into the central database of the Croatian Ministry of Health. To be entered, visit the epidemiology office of the county HZJZ or send them an email. Provide them with the medical documentation of your vaccination and a passport. They will provide a certificate that proves you are entered into the database.
If you have questions regarding the COVID-19 passport, send an email to covidpotvrde@hzjz.hr.
How to request the passport using e-Građani
If you are a legal resident, then you likely already have access to the e-Građani system. However, some non-residents of Croatia also have access. You’ll need security level 2 or 3 to make the request. If you have a Croatian bank account, you can most likely use your mobile banking app to access e-Građani using security level 3.
Unfortunately, this part of the system is only in Croatian, so we will walk you through it step-by-step with translations into English. To get the passport, you don’t need to provide any additional documentation. The e-Građani application will automatically populate your data from the database of the Croatian Ministry of Health.
Step 1: Visit this page.
Step 2: Click on the button that says “EU digitalna COVID potvrda” as shown below
Step 3: Click the button that says “Pristajem”, which means you want to proceed with the authentication.
Step 4: Authenticate into the system
In this step, you’ll need to choose your method of authentication. Once you land on this page, scroll down to see the list. The full list is shown in the below screenshot. Once you decide how to authenticate, click on the associated button and follow the instructions.
Step 5: Click on the green button that says “Zatraži potvrdu” to start the request, which means “Ask for confirmation”.
Step #6: Your OIB will auto-populate in the form shown in the below screenshot. Enter your email address, then click the button that says “Pošalji zahtjev”, which means “Submit request”.
Step #7: Confirmation
If the request was successful, you’ll get the below confirmation, which says “An application CONFIRMATION-NUMBER has been created for the issuance of an EU digital COVID certificate. Confirmation will be sent by EMAIL. You can see the status of the request in the list of requests at the bottom of the page.
Step #8: Download certificate
It only took 5 minutes for the certificate to be issued. Once issued, it can be downloaded from this same page. You’ll also receive a PDF on your email.
What does the passport look like?
Below is an example of what the EU digital certificate passport will look like if issued in Croatia.
CovidGO mobile application
The CovidGO mobile application enables the scanning and validation of the QR codes from COVID-19 passports that are issued in Croatia and the other EU Member States. If you scan a valid certificate, the screen will be displayed in green. If your certificate is not valid, the screen will be displayed in red and an additional explanation will be provided.
This mobile application allows users to check:
- Test certificates
- Vaccination certificates
- Recovery certificates
The application serves to facilitate the validation of certificates at events that require possession of the COVID-19 passport. It is free of charge and available to everyone.
The CovidGO mobile application for Android is available here.
The CovidGO mobile application for iOS is available here.
Sources:
eudigitalnacovidpotvrda.hr
Razjašnjavamo sve nejasnoće vezane uz COVID putovnice by HRT
Hrvatski građani mogu EU digitalnu COVID potvrdu preuzeti u ljekarnama by HZZO
Please note: Information provided by Expat in Croatia is only for the purposes of guidance. It does not constitute legal or financial advice in any form. Croatian laws and bureaucratic rules often change, and each personal case is individual, so different rules may apply. For legal advice, contact us to consult with a licensed Croatian lawyer. For financial advice, contact us to consult with a licensed Croatian tax advisor or accountant.
