- Vehicles under 3.5 T
- Croatia toll roads – how to pay?
- Vehicle categories for Croatia vignette
- How do I pay tolls Croatia?
- Tolls roads Croatia for tunnels and bridges
- Fine for Croatia vignette
- Croatia toll calculator
- Vehicle categories over 3.5 T for Croatia vignette
- Croatia toll roads
- Toll device ETC
Vehicles under 3.5 T
Good news for drivers traveling in Croatia is that there is no specific Croatia vignette for this country. Instead of vignettes, the Croatian authorities apply tolls for the use of highways, expressways, bridges and tunnels.
Croatia has a well-developed system of motorways and the tolls for using them vary depending on the number of kilometers traveled and the type of vehicle.
The cost of the motorway toll in Croatia is approximately 6-7 euros for every 100 km traveled.
Croatia toll roads – how to pay?
There are two road toll payment systems in Croatia, depending on how they are implemented on tunnels, bridges and highways.
- Closed system: This toll system applies to bridges, tunnels and some shorter highway sections in Croatia. In the closed system, you will pay a single toll when entering the respective road section. This is a fixed fee and there are no other payment costs upon exit.
- Open system: In the case of the open payment system, you will go through a toll station at the start of the motorway, where you will receive a ticket. At the end of the motorway section you are driving, you will have to pay the Croatia motorway toll depending on the type of vehicle and the number of kilometers driven.
Careful! It is very important to keep the ticket you receive when you enter the motorway, because otherwise, at the end of the journey, if you cannot present the ticket, you will be obliged to pay the equivalent of the longest stretches of motorway that you could travel according to of your vehicle category.
Vehicle categories for Croatia vignette
The vehicle categories for motorway tolling for vehicles under 3.5 T are as follows:
- Category IA: Motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles.
- Category I: Motor vehicles with two axles and a height of up to 1.90 m.
- Category II: Motor vehicles with two axles and a height greater than 1.90 m, but with a maximum authorized mass of 3500 kg, as well as motor vehicles consisting of two vehicles, where the motor vehicle is less than 1.90 m high and with a trailer with any number of axles and height.
Depending on the category of your vehicle and the kilometers traveled on the road section, you will have a certain amount to pay.
How do I pay tolls Croatia?
You can pay the motorway Croatia toll roads (Croatia vignette) in different ways at the toll stations related to each type of system you pass through:
- Cash – you can pay the fee in euros;
- Debit/credit card – you can pay using your bank card;
- Fuel cards – some fuel cards can be used to pay motorway tolls.
It is important to note that, between June and September, a seasonal surcharge of 10% applies.
If you want more information about the related fees and payment systems, you can consult the official websites of the motorways:
- HAC (Hrvatske Autoceste) – https://hac.hr/en
- BINA Istra – https://www.bina-istra.com/en
- Autocesta Zagreb-Macelj (AZM) – https://www.azm.hr/en
Tolls roads Croatia for tunnels and bridges
To cross the tunnels and bridges, a fixed fee is charged at the entrance to the corresponding road section. This tax is not calculated according to kilometers traveled, but depends on the category of vehicle. Thus, tolls for tunnels and bridges are paid at the toll station only when entering the respective structures. Each category of vehicle has its own rates, and the amount must be paid at the time of passing through the appropriate toll point.
For the KRK Bridge in Croatia, the toll for vehicles under 3.5 T is around 5 euros.
In the case of the Sveti Ilija Tunnel, the toll has been removed since 2018 and the passage is free.
Fine for Croatia vignette
The penalties for not paying Croatia toll roads are very severe. According to the penalty rules for failure to pay the Croatia motorway toll (Croatia vignette), the driver of the vehicle will be fined twice the fare for the longest route corresponding to the vehicle category, in the following situations:
- The driver no longer holds the ticket issued at the entrance to the highway section;
- The driver presents himself at the toll station 24 hours after the ticket was issued, without having any justification for the delay;
- The data recorded on the ticket issued at the entrance to the motorway can no longer be used to calculate the toll.
Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the tickets issued at the toll stations and pay in time to avoid such penalties.
Croatia toll calculator
If you want to be better organized and plan your route efficiently, you can calculate the costs of your chosen route from home, including related tolls, for a smooth and predictable journey.
For this, you can use the Croatia Tax Calculator, available here.
Vehicle categories over 3.5 T for Croatia vignette
Depending on the vehicle category and kilometers traveled, you will have to pay a certain amount for the Croatia vignette.
- Category III: Vehicles with two or three axles and a maximum authorized mass of more than 3500 kg, vehicles with two axles and a mass of more than 3500 kg with a single-axle trailer, as well as category II vehicles with a trailer with any number of axles attached.
- Category IV: Motor vehicles with four or more axles and a maximum authorized mass of more than 3500 kg, two-axle vehicles with a maximum authorized mass of more than 3500 kg with a trailer with two or three axles, as well as motor vehicles with three axles and a maximum authorized mass of over 3500 kg, with a trailer having any number of axles.
Croatia toll roads
If you are transiting or carrying out a transport in Croatia, you will be subject to the payment of road tax, and the costs will be determined according to the distance traveled on the highway and the category of your vehicle.
Tolls will be collected at toll stations on the motorways and will be calculated according to the number of kilometers traveled and the type of vehicle you drive.
This process is similar to that of vehicles under 3.5 T, which you can read more about in the first part of this article, in the related section.
Toll device ETC
The electronic tolling system ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) is an efficient option for paying road tax in Croatia. It is mounted on the windshield of the vehicle and can be configured either in pre-paid mode, where you can load the sums of money in advance, or in post-paid mode, where the payment is made later, depending on the route traveled and related taxes.
To load money in pre-paid mode, you can use the mobile application or make payments via SMS, using the bank card. This system facilitates transit on highways and reduces waiting time at toll stations.
For more information about the ETC service and how to use it, you can access this link.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes. If you drove without a vignette and were recorded by the inspection cameras, you have a very high chance of receiving the fine at home. But in some countries, you may have the misfortune of being stopped to pay the fine on the spot. Generally, the fine is a few hundred euros, but it varies from country to country.
Vignettes in any country can be purchased at gas stations or specially dedicated points. In recent years, most European countries also allow the purchase of the vignette online. In the Toll Shop app you have step-by-step information for purchasing the vignette in all European countries and the possibility to buy online for some of them.
Most countries in Europe allow this. They have developed their own online payment methods, and for many of them you have access to purchase the vignette directly from the Toll Shop. To find out exactly how you can purchase your vignette for each country, visit the free Toll Shop app, you have all the information in one place.
There is no such option. If you have purchased a vignette, it remains valid until the end of the selected period. Be very careful when entering the data so as not to make a mistake, because once purchased, you cannot get the money back.
No matter how many countries you transit through, you must purchase a vignette for each country. It is important to make sure it is valid upon entering that country to avoid fines.
No, you do not need to print any physical sheet if you purchased the vignette online. You just need to make sure that the online payment has been processed and that the vignette is within the validity period.
Yes, whether it's personal or company data, your data is kept safe in the app.
Yes. Whether you have several personal cars or own a car fleet, you can register as many vehicles as you have to purchase a vignette in any country available in the app.
Yes. After purchasing the vignette, you will receive the invoice both by email and in the application.
The vignette is checked by the video cameras installed on the roads that require the payment of the toll. After the check, you will receive the fine at home. In other countries, you may be stopped to pay it on the spot.
Yes, absolutely. Most countries require vignettes for motorcycles as well, so you will be able to purchase either online (for example through Toll Shop) or physically in the country for which you need the vignette.
Categorical. You can have several vignettes active at the same time, for each country you transit. The most important thing is to buy the vignette before entering each country to make sure you don't risk fines. With the help of Toll Shop, you can simultaneously buy several vignettes in Europe, for the same vehicle or for several.
In many European countries, in addition to the vignette, you will also have to pay tolls for bridges or tunnels. You can find all the information in the Toll Shop app.
The validity of the purchased vignette, regardless of the country and regardless of whether you purchase it physically or online, starts from the selected day until the last day of the selected period. You can choose to have the vignette for your car valid from today, without any delays.
After the vignette expires, you must purchase the vignette again for the desired period. You can always check its status in the application or select the option to be informed by email when it is about to expire.
The validity of the vignette differs from country to country. Each country sets the validity periods, such as 1 day, weekend vignette, 7 days, 10 days, one or three months and other periods up to one year at most.
