On December 9, 2022, the 26 member states of the Schengen Agreement voted to admit Croatia into the Schengen area with unanimous support. Croatia will officially become a member of the agreement on January 1, 2023; the first new member since Liechtenstein’s admittance in 2008.

How Croatia’s Schengen Membership Will Affect International Travel

Beginning on January 1, Croatia will drop all border controls with fellow Schengen member states such as Slovenia, Hungary, and Greece. As with all other Schengen nations, people will be free to travel to Croatia and between the country any other Schengen member state using a common visa and no additional requirements or identification.

Croatia’s admittance to the Schengen Agreement also means it will cease using its own currency, the kuna, and will switch to using the euro. Travelers to Croatia from any other country that uses the euro will no longer be required to change currency when they visit the country.

Croatia Travel Insurance Requirements

As Croatia will now be a part of the Schengen Agreement, travelers from certain countries will be required to apply for a Schengen visa in order to visit. They will no longer need to apply for a separate Croatian visa if they are visiting Europe as part of a multi-country trip. If you require a Schengen visa to visit the Schengen area, you are legally mandated to purchase compliant Schengen visa insurance as part of your visa application process. This requirement will now extend to trips to Croatia.

If you are allowed to visit Croatia (or any other Schengen country) without a Schengen visa, the insurance requirement will not apply to you, and coverage is optional. However, due to the high cost of healthcare abroad, it is still highly recommended that you purchase travel medical insurance to get necessary medical treatment for a predictable price.

If you’re a resident of the United States and you are primarily interested in trip cancellation coverage and other travel insurance benefits along with emergency medical coverage, consider purchasing travel insurance for your Croatian trip.