December 29, 2020 — BREAKING: Passes (Propusnice) will be temporarily abolished due to today’s earthquake. According to Prime Minister Plenkovic: “We do not want to create any administrative obstacles for people now, but I ask people to remain responsible,” he announced. Police are suspending operations at checkpoints between counties.
December 19, 2020 — The Croatia National Civil Protection Headquarters announced the details of the introduction of passes at yesterday’s press conference. Passes will therefore be required to leave a county, and the ban on leaving counties without passes will be valid from 00:01 December 23 to January 8.
Official announcement here (in Croatian). Answers to additional questions (in English) here.
The ban on leaving a county will not apply to:
- Staff necessary for traffic maintenance and supply.
- Daily movement of employees in services important for: provision of health and veterinary protection, delivery of medicines and sanitary items, maintenance for communal activities, water supply and drainage, gas and electricity supply and security services.
- Public reporting.
- Patients requiring medical care.
- Travel to and from work, if necessary, which cannot be done from home.
- Emergency and operational services involved in preventing the spread of COVID-19.
- Diplomatic staff.
- People who have paid reservations at hotels which are still working.
When entering or leaving the territory of a particular county:
- It is mandatory to adhere to strict guidelines regarding physical distancing.
- It is forbidden to stay unnecessarily in public places.
- It is obligatory to have an identity card, other identification document or document which can prove belonging to one of the categories of people for whom the ban does not apply, or a valid pass issued through the e-Pass (e-Propusnice) system.
Passes will be issued by the county headquarters, and in justified cases they may be issued by the Directorate of Civil Protection. The decision does not apply to movement between the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County.
For more information about passes:
[email protected] (for residents with e-građanin)
[email protected] (for everyone else)
0800 80 90
e-Propusnice website here
The website and services will be operational on Monday December 21.
Answers to Common Questions Regarding Passes in Croatia
How will those not covered by the ban prove it?
As the head of the Zagreb Police Administration Sector Davor Posilović explained on HRT yesterday evening, everyone who travels from county to county must have an identity card or other identification document, or a document that can prove belonging to one of these groups.
“When you say a document, then the document issued by the employer comes into consideration,” said Posilović. As we have learned from the Headquarters, this document is usually a work order from the company which proves that a person travels to another county within a certain period for a justified goal.
What if you need a pass to and from work?
As Posilović said, these are “situations that will probably require the issuance of a pass from the county headquarters according to the person’s place of residence or stay”.
“In exceptional situations which are not covered by the decision, the permit can also be issued by the Directorate of Civil Protection,” he added.
These are specific private or business emergencies that go beyond the categories and cases in which one can leave the county. All other passes, like those based upon the decision prohibiting leaving the county of residence, will be decided by the county headquarters.
What exactly is a valid reason for leaving the place of residence?
“This could be for something which cannot be done by any other way. For example, that could be caring for sick people or caring for animals. These are cases for which an objective cannot be achieved in any other way without leaving a county. These are exceptions and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis,” Posilovic said.
It should also be noted that children traveling accompanied by parents do not need passes, provided that the parents have passes.
What about people who have already booked a holiday stay in another county?
“Since there are some people who have already booked a holiday stay in another part of the country, they must show a confirmation at the checkpoint which proves that a reservation has already been made and that accommodation has been confirmed,” Posilovic explained.
It should be added that, according to the announcements of the Headquarters, for a trip to a pre-booked accommodation in another county, it will not be enough to show a reservation, but also proof that the accommodation has been paid for. Each service provider, whether host or hotelier, will issue a voucher to the guest who booked and paid for their stay, upon which the latter will request a travel pass. People must pay for their accommodations by December 22.
Provisions on travel do not apply to non-commercial accommodations, so going to second homes apartments in another county will not be possible.
Where will the checkpoints be located?
“Checkpoints will be set up at the exit points from the counties,” Posilovic said.
“If we are talking about the area of the city of Zagreb and Zagreb County, then we are talking about 13 to 14 checkpoints. These are places of more frequent roads, so these are highways, state roads, roads leading from county to county,” he pointed out.
How will citizens from the diaspora who entered Croatia with a negative PCR test, but do not reside here, move around the country?
“They can enter Croatia and reach the destination they reported at the border and they can stay there, and if they want to go to other counties, they will have to ask for a pass,” Bozinovic’s deputy Damir Trut said yesterday evening.
People leaving Croatia on international flights will, of course, be able to take the route necessary to get to the airport.
Will there be penalties for citizens who do not respect the decision to ban travel?
“This should be not viewed through the decision, but through possible punishable provisions of other laws, such as the law on road traffic safety,” Posilovic said.
“If a person refuses to act even after a warning or order has been issued, then there is a possibility of punishment. There is also a possibility of punishment in a broader sense if such behavior, in theory, violates public order. we cannot exclude them,” Posilovic added.
Trut, on the other hand, answering the same question, said that there would be no penalties.
What will happen to people caught on the road without a pass?
Bozinovic’s deputy, Trut, answered that question in one short sentence: “They will be prevented from traveling further.”
What about domestic flights?
People will need passes to travel to another county (except for the City of Zagreb and Zagreb County). Due to this requirement, Croatia Airlines and Trade Air will only be able to accept passengers with passes on their domestic flights. However, this decision does not apply to transfer passengers (for example, passengers traveling from Rome to Zagreb via Split or passengers from London traveling to Osijek via Zagreb).
Is the pass system ready now?
In short, it is not. The website is still not functional and nothing can be done through it yet.
“The system is being prepared and over the weekend we will have everything ready for Monday. Then, people will be able to request passes,” Trut said yesterday.
In addition to the website, which is currently not operational, contact information was also released:
[email protected] (for residents with e-građanin)
[email protected] (for everyone else)
0800 80 90
e-Propusnice website here
Currently, calling the phone number leads to a recorded message saying that the call center will be active beginning Monday December 21. Daily Croatia has confirmed that emails to the provided email address generate a similar response.
Follow this link for all Daily Croatia updates on the COVID-19 pandemic.
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