As of 01 January 2023 Croatia is part of the Schengen area.

Visas

You can travel to countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa.

If you are travelling to Croatia and other Schengen countries without a visa, make sure your whole visit is within the 90-day limit. Visits to Schengen countries within the previous 180 days before you travel count towards your 90 days.

Passport stamping

Check your passport is stamped if you enter or exit the Schengen area through Croatia as a visitor. Border guards will use passport stamps to check you’re complying with the 90-day visa-free limit for short stays in the Schengen area. If relevant entry or exit stamps are not in your passport, border guards will presume that you have overstayed your visa-free limit.

You can show evidence of when and where you entered or exited the Schengen area, and ask the border guards to add this date and location in your passport. Examples of acceptable evidence include boarding passes and tickets.

You may also need to:

Show a return or onward ticket

Show proof of accommodation

show you have enough money for your stay

If you have a Withdrawal Agreement residency document for another country, your passport might still be stamped if you are a visitor to Croatia.

Passport

Your passport must be:

Issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the country (check the ‘date of issue’)

Valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’)

You must check your passport meets these requirements before you travel. If your passport was issued before 1 October 2018, extra months may have been added to its expiry date.

Currency 

The currency in Croatia will also change on the 1st of January 2023. Croatia will now use Euros. 

Prices for goods and services will be indicated in both euro and kuna until 31 December 2023

EHIC  & Healthcare 

A European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gives you the right to access state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in the EU country.

The UK has reached an agreement on healthcare when visiting the EU and your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will continue to be valid if you’re travelling to an EU country.

If you apply for a card now, you'll get a new UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) instead of an EHIC. ( for our info - These pages and the application portal will still refer to EHIC until 4 January 2021)

You do not need to apply for a GHIC if you already have an EHIC. Your EHIC remains valid in the EU until it expires.

EHIC/GHIC are not replacements for travel insurance. Always ensure you have travel insurance that provides the comprehensive healthcare you require

For more information follow this link

Taking food and drink into EU countries

You will not be able to take meat, milk or products containing them into EU countries from 1 January 2021.

There are some exceptions, for example, certain amounts of powdered infant milk, infant food, or pet food required for medical reasons. Check the rules about taking food and drink into the EU on the European Commission website.

Driving

For Croatia, you do not need an International Driving Permit, however, If you hold a paper driving licence or a driving licence from Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, you may need a 1968 IDP from 1 January 2021. Check with the Croatian Embassy.

More information can be found here

Free mobile roaming:

From 1 January 2021, the guarantee of free mobile phone roaming throughout the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway changed. Many operators made no changes initially but from January 2022 there may be changes.

Check with your phone operator to find out about any roaming charges you might get from 1 January 2021.

A new law means that you’re protected from getting mobile data charges above £45 without you knowing. Once you reach £45, you need to opt in to spend more so that you can continue using the internet while you’re abroad. Your phone operator will tell you how you can do this.

More information on all the information above can be found on the GOV website

GENERAL HOLIDAY INFORMATION 

FLIGHTS

You should expect to receive air tickets/e-ticket reference numbers and car hire vouchers at least 10 days prior to departure. If for any reason you do not receive these within 10 days of departure, please email info@long-travel.co.uk or alternatively call our Customer Services teams on 01743 295772. 

Completely Croatia is not able to take responsibility for any changes to flight schedules which may impact the flight times of your holiday. Our Customer Service team will be on hand to assist with any changes to your holiday that need to be made consequently from the flight change. Please be advised, our car hire providers to charge an ‘out of hours’ fee which we would not be liable for should your flight time change to ‘out of hours’. Clients who book their own flights may incur administration charges as well as those mentioned above, should we have to amend car hire or accommodation details.

Advanced Passenger Information (API) – International regulations now require all passengers to submit advanced passenger information to the airline ahead of travel. You are able to submit this via the airline website or APP. You will need to provide this information prior to being able to check-in.

You will be responsible for checking yourself in for your flights. You will find your locater number within the flight details of your tailor-made itinerary. Every airline we use has an app which can be downloaded on to your apple or android smartphone. Alternatively, our Customer Service team is able to help should you need any assistance with your online check-in.  

Below you will find links to download some of our more frequently used airline APP’s.

Easyjet
Travel App for Apple 
Travel App for Android

Ryanair
Travel App for Apple 
Travel App for Android

BA
Travel App for Apple 
Travel App for Android

Jet 2
Travel App for Apple 
Travel App for Android

Some airlines have specific luggage allowances and size restrictions for taking cabin baggage on board, this will vary between airlines. We advise that you check your documentation or the airline's website to understand what the luggage limits are.

Please be aware that not all of the properties have a 24-hour reception. If you are booking your own flights which may arrive late or are delayed on your journey, you may need to contact your accommodation to inform them.  The contact details can be found on your accommodation vouchers.

CAR HIRE

You will receive your car hire voucher from us at least 10 days prior to departure.

To collect your car, you must have your car hire voucher, a valid full British driving license card. You must carry your driving license card with you whilst you are driving. You can be fined if you are stopped without it.

You will be required to provide credit card details at the time of collection to provide a security deposit. The credit card needs to be in the main driver's name otherwise rental may be refused. The deposit amount will often be authorised on your credit card but not debited from your account unless additional charges are incurred. The deposit is intended to cover additional rental costs such as extra days, upgrades, a one-way drop-off, or if you deliver your car less than full of petrol. We recommend you retain all documentation for at least 3 months after your holiday in case you need to query any charges made.  

Extras like child seats will have to be paid for locally. Do not forget to tell us if you need a child seat as they need to be pre-booked. We cannot guarantee that one will be provided for late bookings.

Parking fines or traffic fines incurred will eventually be charged to your credit card – any fines incurred will be your sole responsibility, due to the administration systems in some countries a fine for a traffic violation may come through several months later. The car hire company may charge an administration fee for realising details to the authorities and you may see a fee debited from your car if this is the case and you will subsequently receive a fine from the authorities which is payable separately.

Damage to cars - In common with most car rental companies the insurance cover offered by our suppliers does not cover tyres, windows, wheels, the roof, the underside and interior of the car, towing charges and willful damage. You may therefore be liable for damage to these items.  Insurance cover is not provided for contents of the car in case of theft. 

Our Policies with Zest include Excess Reimbursement insurance, this means if you damage the car, you will be charged the excess by the rental company. Your Excess Reimbursement insurance through Zest allows you to reclaim the excess providing you complete an accident report form on returning your car and then follow the steps on your policy upon your return (within 31 days). In the event that keys are lost or damaged, you will be liable for the cost of obtaining a replacement. The vital point seems to be that, if the car is damaged in any way, you must obtain a report from the car hire office (and the police if it is serious enough for them to be involved), in order for your claim for reimbursement of the excess to be considered. Any willful damage to the car, by the driver or its passengers, will incur the full cost of the repair.

Please note that even if your voucher states a specific make or model car, you may get an alternative vehicle of a similar spec (unless specified as guaranteed).

We recommend you check your car at the airport including wipers and tyres, but especially lights, as you will need these as you go through tunnels and it is now a legal requirement to keep your lights on at all times on motorways and most main roads (if in doubt, keep them on!). We advise that, after checking your car, you report any damage already on it and insist that it is written on the contract. If possible, we recommend that you take pictures of the car at the start and end of your stay with your mobile phone.

We always recommend: - leave nothing of value in your car. Keep luggage hidden and cameras, handbags etc well out of sight. In traffic, keep doors locked at all times. The glovebox guide provided by Zest and uploaded in your ‘My Completely Croatia Area’ will also reiterate the information above.

ACCOMMODATION INFORMATION

Please note most hotels will apply a ‘Tourism Tax’, which is payable locally direct to the Hotel and will typically be no more than 5 Euros per person, per night.

Some hotels may ask you to provide a valid credit card upon check-in which they will pre-authorise to cover any extras you may spend at the hotel. The amount can vary between hotels and can take up to 10 days to be refunded back to your card after your stay.

SELF-CATERING VILLAS AND APARTMENTS

If there is something, which is essential to the enjoyment of your holiday, be sure to call us and see if the property already provides it. In some countries, they tend to use saucepans instead of a kettle. We recommend taking a travel kettle should you feel it is a necessity. It is not unusual for there to be no shower curtains in some of our properties.

Any fuel used must be paid for locally, unless the website states that the cost of heating is included. Not all properties are centrally heated, so heating may be in the form of open fires, Calor gas heaters etc. 

Please do not move the furniture outside. The owners also request crockery is kept in the property and not taken to the beach.

Guests are responsible for any damage or loss caused by them to the properties or facilities, whether accidentally, negligently or deliberately, (fair wear and expected.)

TIME OF ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE

On arrival day, your property will generally be available from 3pm/4pm. On departure day, guests are normally asked to be out of the property by 10am to allow for cleaning in preparation for the next guests. Times may vary, so please refer to your property details.

In case of a delayed arrival, it is essential to contact the property from the airport to advise of the late arrival. Alternatively, contact us during our open hours and we will happily do this for you.

TOWELS

Bathroom towels will be provided in all hotels and most self-catering properties. However, Beach towels may not be provided. 

COTS

If you require a cot, please pre-book accordingly. If the property charges for the cot, you must usually pay it directly to the property. Check individual property descriptions on the website for details.

SWIMMING

Many pools are unsupervised. Please note, children must always be supervised at all times.  Pool availability varies from property to property, but all of them should be available from the end of May to the end of September, (weather permitting) unless maintenance or repair is required.

MONEY

It’s always a good idea to take some cash with you for your holiday, however, these days contactless travel cards are very popular, which all come with a mobile app to manage them where you can load them with GPB and then convert them to the currency relevant to your holiday destination which is held on your card or just use the card to withdraw from a cashpoint for free (limits may apply) or alternatively you are able to use in store’s to get the best exchange rate on the day.

With most providers, you can also instantly freeze the card on the app should your card be lost or stolen.

If you use your card to withdraw money overseas always select the rate without conversion as the local banks will make money from you and you will get less value from your exchange.

The travel cards will always give you better exchange rates (interbank exchange rate) than the post office, M&S etc and all airports have cash machines so you can obtain money the moment you arrive in your destination.

For more information please visit moneysavingexpert.com 

Its good practice to inform your bank and credit card providers that you are going away on holiday as some may restrict your cards if they see the unusual transaction and not aware you will be out of the country.

TELEPHONING AND ROAMING

To dial an international number, you need the following:

International Access Code (also called Exit Code): Dial 00 from the UK

Country code: So, to dial Italy for example use 39

Area code: Enter this before the phone number.

Phone number: Enter the individual phone number

For a full list of international country, codes check out BT’s The Phone Book website

If you are using a mobile phone to dial any number whilst you are overseas you will need to, dial the international access and country code first, so for Italy 0039 then drop the first 0 of the mobile number  

Following a change in EU roaming rules which came into effect on 15 June 2017, you’ll now be able to ‘roam like at home’ while using your mobile phone when travelling within the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.

The new rules generally require providers to charge pay-monthly and pay-as-you-go mobile customers the same price for calls, text messages and data services as you pay when in the UK.

However, there may be some instances (such as when a provider has a fair use policy in place) where you may be charged more than your domestic charge, so make sure you know what roaming product your provider offers before heading off.

Providers offering roaming services should automatically apply ‘roam like at home’ to all existing and new customers – you don’t have to sign up. Check with your provider if you want to confirm that this has been activated on your mobile phone.

If you’re travelling outside of the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, roaming charges can be much higher, and you may want to talk to your provider to understand the best available deal for the country you're travelling to. Alternatively, it might be worth considering buying a SIM for the country you are visiting.

Ofcom has put together some frequently asked questions to help you understand the new ‘roam like at home’ rules, and how they apply in practice - Download here.

STAYING SAFE

The government have extensive information in relation to preparing for safe and healthy travel abroad, you can explore this by following the link to Travel Aware GOV.UK

Mosquitoes and other insects are a common and perfectly natural occurrence in Mediterranean countries. We advise that you take mosquito spray and plug-ins. Mosquitoes are drawn to light, so keeping doors and windows closed from late afternoon when property lights are on will help.

We advise packing a small torch if you are arriving at your property in the evenings.

MAPS AND NAVIGATION

The best way to find your way to your accommodation is to use google maps on your mobile phone, it is also possible for you to use google maps on your laptop or PC and send the directions straight to your mobile phone. Alternatively, you are able to request some directions should you not want to use your phone. Should you be staying in one of our accommodations where navigation may be a little trickier, we will automatically forward these out to you.

Google maps is always available on all smartphones however if you do not have Google maps please use the links below

Google Maps for Apple
Google Maps for Android

WEATHER

Of course, we always want you to have the best weather on your holiday. To keep up to date you can download the BBC weather app on your smartphone.

BBC Weather App for Apple
BBC Weather App for Android

TRAVEL HEALTH

We recommend that you seek professional advice from your doctor if you are unsure if you may be fit for travel. Further advice is available from fitfortravel website
If you are travelling within the EU a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is available free of charge from the website 

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Many people only book Travel Insurance from their holiday departure date, however, you should book insurance from the date your holiday is booked.  All Completely Croatia guests as part of the booking conditions and should have valid travel insurance for the date of booking. Please ensure that you are travelling with adequate travel insurance to cover the total value of your trip and check the policy details carefully being aware of any conditions and exclusions relevant to your holiday with us.

TRANSLATION

English is widely spoken in most of our locations, however, you can download the Google translate app on your phone just in case you may need it, or even may wish to try out some of the local languages whilst you are away

Google Translate for Apple
Google Translate for Android

ONSITE PROBLEMS AND COMPLAINTS

Your satisfaction is just important to the property owner/manager as it is to us. During your holiday if you have a problem or query with regards to the property, please contact the property owner/manager and they will do their best to resolve it. In the unlikely event that the owner/manager is unable to help, please follow the complaints procedure outlined in your booking terms and conditions.

If you need us whilst you are travelling, you can contact us via the various means as noted below;

Via Email: info@long-travel.co.uk 

Phone or Text: You will be given an emergency mobile number to call in your final information documentation 

Terms and Conditions
For more information visit our Terms & Conditions page

LAST BUT NOT LEAST…

We wish you a fantastic holiday and look forward to hearing all about it when you complete your post-travel questionnaire or talk to our team.