Article 14 of the Act on Movement and Stay of Aliens, (1991), states that a visa is issued to non-citizens for entry, departure or transit in Croatia. It also states that the Government of Croatia may allow citizens of certain countries to enter, depart from or transit without visas. Over 40 countries are at the time of writing exempt from these visa requirements to enter Croatia.

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Article 14 of the Act on Movement and Stay of Aliens, (1991), states that a visa is issued to non-citizens for entry, departure or transit in Croatia. It also states that the Government of Croatia may allow citizens of certain countries to enter, depart from or transit without visas. Over 40 countries are at the time of writing exempt from these visa requirements to enter Croatia. Visas are issued for a validity of up to one year. Article 20 provides that police stations competent for border control may issue border passes on the basis of a persons identification issued by their country of citizenship. Article 21 states that the requests for border passes are rejected on the same basis as visa requests. Border passes facilitate the free movement of border populations who live outside the country and require free movement into the country on a regular basis.

The new Law on Aliens which came into force in July 2003 and will come into use in January 2004 also makes provision for visas. The new Law will supersede the 1991 Act. Article 33 provides for the stay of migrants for up to 90 days and states that such stay may be without a visa, with a visas, or a border pass, unless it is differently regulated by the Law or International Agreement. The same Law under Article 87 exempts foreign workers who have permanent employment in Croatia from employment quotas under the condition of reciprocity, this would allow for the movement of border populations for the purposes of work. The new Law on Asylum which comes into force in July 2004, under Article 28, includes a provision on the issuing of border passes by border control bodies, for up to three months, to migrants who do not have valid travel documents, and are coming for the purposes of tourism or business which may be issued on the grounds of other documents granted by their state of citizenship which establish their identity.

Analysis provided by: Anisa Niaz LLM (Public Law), United Kingdom.

Croatia has signed a number of agreements with neighbouring countries on border movement. In 1997 an agreement was signed with Yugoslavia for the movement of persons living in border regions such persons are issued with border passes. Similar Agreements have been signed with Slovenia, in 2001, and Bosnia Herzegovina, in March 2003. Croatia also participates in the EU CARDS Assistance Programme to the Western Balkans one of the objectives of this programme being border control (see 8.12 – International Co-operation on Migration).

The Croatian government attended the Ohrid conference, concluded on 23^rd May 2003, on border management which was attended by the governments of six other Balkan countries, namely Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro and Romania, the members of the 1999 Stability Pact (see 8.12-International Co-operation). Border controls in the area were described by NATO as “inadequate” and participating states agreed on ways to reinforce border controls, which will apply by the end of 2004. A new system of information exchange will be introduced between national authorities and enhanced cooperation in the training of border police one aim being to bring border management in the region into line with EU standards as soon as possible. Amongst those attending the conference were NATO Secretary General George Robertson and the head of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Jan Kubis as well as EU officials.

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