Croatia will join Europe’s open travel zone, Schengen, from January 1, 2023. This means that people will not have to stop for border checks as they pass between Croatia and the rest of the Schengen area.
Key Takeaways:
- From January 1, 2023, Croatia will start issuing Schengen visas and will be able to make full use of the Schengen Information System.
- From January 1, 2023, checks on persons at internal land and sea borders between Croatia and the other countries in the Schengen area will be lifted.
- From March 26, 2023, checks at internal air borders will be lifted.
Go Deeper:
- Five (5) EU countries are currently NOT part of Schengen (Europe’s open travel zone): Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, and Romania.
- Croatia was approved to join on December 8, 2022.
- The Schengen Counsel voted NOT to allow Romania and Bulgaria to join. Austria blocked them.
The European Council’s entire Decision can be accessed here.
Erickson Insights
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments, and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.