Motorhome in Croatia: wild camping and fines

Article 29 of the Zakon o ugostiteljskoj djelatnosti defines camping as staying outdoors “in a tent, caravan, mobile home, motorhome (autodom)” or other equipment. Motorhomes are named in the text: sleeping on board is camping. And that stay is allowed only on a campsite as the law defines it:

• • establishments in the “Kampovi” category: campsites and kamp-odmorišta (motorhome stopover areas);
• • campsites at private homes and on farms, registered as such.

The only exception covers organised camping during a sports, scouting or cultural event or an organised canoe or cycling trip, and only on the area that the local authority, a public body or the site manager designates for it. These areas are not open to everyone: they do not cover a couple in a van looking for a quiet spot.

Article 52 of the same act fines anyone who camps outside campsites and designated areas. The 2015 text said 1,500 to 10,000 kuna; Croatia adopted the euro on 1 January 2023, and the December 2024 amendment (NN 152/24) rewrote the fine in euros: €190 to €1,320, which is the conversion at the fixed rate of 7.53450 kuna rounded down to the nearest ten.

Who enforces it: tourism inspectors and, since the 2018 reform (NN 99/18), the komunalni redari, the municipal wardens — the ones who patrol beach car parks and viewpoints. They can refer the case to court, issue a penalty notice or collect the fine on the spot, and, under article 45, verbally ban camping or setting up equipment on that land, public or private, for 60 days.

A new law in the pipeline: on 26 June 2026 the government sent the Croatian Parliament (Sabor) a bill for a new Zakon o ugostiteljskoj djelatnosti (P.Z.E. 315), at first reading. As of 14 October 2026 we found no final vote and no publication in the official gazette (Narodne novine): the rules above apply; check the amounts again before you leave.

Croatia has no equivalent of article 185 of the Italian Highway Code, under which a parked motorhome is not camping (see our Italy guide). Here the hospitality law decides, and it targets the stay: a motorhome parked for a visit is a parked vehicle; the same vehicle occupied for the night is a stay in an autodom, which is camping. Levelling ramps, an awning or chairs outside only make it more obvious.

• • Parking — ordinary rules and signs. Some coastal car parks ban motorhomes (crossed-out pictogram) or keep them out with a height barrier: local signs prevail.
• • Motorway rest area — the law has no “driver's rest” exception. If tiredness calls for a break, take it; but plan the night on a campsite or a kamp-odmorište.
• • Islands and ferries — the rule is the same on the islands, where campsites fill up fast in summer. Jadrolinija ferries charge motorhomes by vehicle length; in July and August, book the campsite before crossing and turn up early for boarding.

The campsite classification rules (Pravilnik “Kampovi”, NN 54/16, amended in 2019) set out three types of establishment; the act adds small campsites at private homes and on farms.

Private “camper stops”: a paid car park that lets you sleep is only legal if it is registered as an establishment (kamp-odmorište or home campsite). In apps, favour places that show their status; a site that is merely “tolerated” does not protect you, since you are the one camping.

The Croatian camping association's website, camping.hr, lists establishments by region; Park4Night and Campercontact also list kamp-odmorišta, with recent reviews. Out of season, check opening dates: many coastal campsites are seasonal.

Since you only sleep on a campsite or at a kamp-odmorište, the real question is not finding a wild spot but spacing your stops: every legal stop is also a water and waste point. Emptying grey water or a cassette in the countryside, a ditch or a drain is out of the question.

• • Grey water decides — nearly all the water you use ends up in the grey tank: at 20 L a day, an 80 L grey tank is full in 4 days; at 40 L a day, in 2.
• • The cassette — 17 to 21 L, or 3 to 5 days for two. It is emptied at a dedicated point, never in public toilets.
• • Passing service — some campsites let motorhomes that are not staying use the service point for a fee: ask at reception.

The longest gap between two stops is therefore the shortest autonomy on board: water, grey or cassette. Our motorhome autonomy calculator works it out for your vehicle, and the grey water and toilets guide shows how to gain days.

• • No vignette — Croatian motorways charge by distance travelled.
• • Group I — two-axle vehicles up to 1.90 m high: a low van stays here.
• • Group II — two axles, over 1.90 m and 3.5 t at most: most motorhomes and high-roof vans, as well as a car towing a caravan.
• • Group III — above 3.5 t, with two or three axles: large heavy motorhomes. The Hrvatske autoceste (HAC) price list is the reference on its network; the A2 Zagreb–Macelj (AZM) and the Istrian Y (Bina-Istra) have their own concessionaire and price list.
• • Summer — in some years HAC raises summer tolls for groups IA and I, sometimes group II as well; check its website for a seasonal rate on your travel dates.
• • Height — the 1.90 m threshold decides it: if your van is close to it, ask HAC which group it falls into before you leave.
• • Electronic tolling — HAC is preparing to replace toll booths on all tolled motorways (AZM and Bina-Istra included) with a barrier-free system, Crolibertas (ENC tag or number-plate reading, with the vehicle and a payment method registered beforehand). Before you leave, check on the HAC website what applies on your travel dates.

If you drive down through Germany, our Germany guide (Stellplätze, Umweltplakette) covers the first leg; and to compare with other countries' rules, the van parking guide has a European table.

The rule applies all year, but checks concentrate in the tourist season, on the coast and the islands: beach car parks, viewpoints, around ports. Out of season, a fine is still possible and many coastal campsites are closed, so plan your nights all the earlier.

1. A list of campsites and kamp-odmorišta open along the route, with their opening dates.
2. In July and August, a booking for the islands and coastal campsites.
3. A gap between two stops shorter than the shortest autonomy on board.
4. The vehicle's exact height, for the toll group.
5. Registration for electronic tolling, if HAC requires it on your travel dates.
6. No night outside a campsite: not “just one night”, not on private land.