Croatia visa requirements for Vietnamese citizens

Croatia Visa Application Centre run by VFS Global in Hanoi; the decision rests with the Embassy of Croatia in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), competent for Viet Nam

Croatia has no embassy in Viet Nam. In the directory of the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Viet Nam falls under the embassy in Kuala Lumpur, whose district also covers Laos, Myanmar, Brunei and Cambodia, and for consular matters it further refers to the Croatian embassy in Indonesia. Hanoi has an honorary consulate, which does not process visas. The application is filed at the centre VFS Global runs in Hanoi, with an appointment booked online, and travels from there to the mission that decides. That explains two things about the price and the timeframe. On top of the EUR 90 Schengen visa, charged in dong at the exchange rate, come the centre's service charge of VND 1,037,000 and a logistics charge of VND 1,257,000 that pays for moving the file. And the timeframe the centre itself announces is 15 to 45 days from the application reaching the embassy, not from the moment it is handed in in Hanoi: with dates already booked, file well in advance.

What the visa centre can and can't do →

Authorization system

None operational yet (ETIAS delayed)

Croatia is part of the future European ETIAS system (a travel authorization for nationalities exempt from a Schengen visa), as a Schengen member since 1 January 2023. As of the verification date, ETIAS is NOT operational. Once launched: cost €20, validity 3 years, applicable to passport holders from countries exempt from a Schengen visa.

What ETIAS is, who it will affect and when it starts →

Fee

EUR 90.00

The €90 is the short-stay Schengen visa fee, set by Article 16 of the Visa Code (Regulation (EC) 810/2009) as amended by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1415, in force since 11 June 2024. It is not a fee set by Croatia: the same amount is paid at any Schengen consulate. Children from the age of 6 and under 12 pay €45, and children under 6 are exempt. Travellers entering without a visa pay no fee at all.

Processing time

Where the trip requires a Schengen visa, the consulate must decide within 15 calendar days of an admissible application being lodged. That period may be extended to a maximum of 45 calendar days in individual cases, particularly where the application needs closer examination; in justified urgent individual cases the decision is taken immediately (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 23). An application may not be lodged more than six months before the intended trip and, as a rule, no later than 15 calendar days before it; where the consulate requires an appointment, it is normally given within two weeks of being requested (Art. 9).

Required documents

• A valid passport or travel document, issued within the previous ten years and valid for at least three months beyond the date you plan to leave the Schengen area (Regulation (EU) 2016/399, Art. 6(1)(a))
• A valid visa, if your nationality requires one. It is not needed if you hold a valid residence permit or long-stay visa issued by a Schengen State (Art. 6(1)(b))
• Documents justifying the purpose and conditions of the intended stay: an accommodation booking or a declaration of invitation from your host, and a return or onward ticket (Art. 6(1)(c) and Art. 6(3), which points to the non-exhaustive list in Annex I)
• Proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the whole stay and for the return to your country of origin, or of being in a position to acquire such means lawfully. They are assessed according to the duration and purpose of the stay, by reference to average prices for board and lodging in budget accommodation (Art. 6(1)(c) and 6(4)). Cash, traveller's cheques, credit cards and declarations of invitation or of sponsorship all count as proof (Art. 6(4))
• Reference amount set by Croatia: EUR 70 for each day of the intended stay, or EUR 30 per day if you produce a verified letter of guarantee or a paid tourist booking; a letter of guarantee in which the guarantor assumes all costs exempts you from proving your own means (OJ C/2024/1951, 4 March 2024)

Vaccinations

• No mandatory vaccines for entry. The international vaccination certificate is asked of nobody: not the yellow fever one, and not even of travellers arriving from a country with risk of transmission. That is what the country has declared in the International Health Regulations list.

Health insurance

Mandatory to apply for the Schengen visa: minimum coverage of €30,000, valid across the whole Schengen area and for the entire length of the stay (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 15).

Which policies meet the €30,000 requirement →

Transit rules

Schengen rule: a maximum stay of 90 days within any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area. During a short-term stay, accommodation must be registered within one day of arrival, either through the e-Visitor system or by notifying the local police station.

Why isn't your passport being stamped? The EES system →

Customs limits

Cash

Declare if entering or leaving the EU with €10,000 or more in cash (or the equivalent in another currency, including instruments like traveller's cheques); an EU-harmonized regime (Regulation (EU) 2018/1672). Individuals can be fined between €660 and €13,270 for non-compliance.

Alcohol

Arriving from outside the EU (over 17 years old): 1 liter of spirits over 22% alcohol, or 2 liters under 22%; plus 4 liters of still wine and 16 liters of beer.

Tobacco

200 cigarettes, or 100 cigarillos (up to 3 grams each), or 50 cigars, or 250 grams of smoking tobacco, for air or sea travelers; travelers using other modes of transport receive a reduced allowance (e.g. 40 cigarettes).

Overstay penalties

Article 183, paragraph 1, of the Zakon o strancima (Aliens Act, NN 133/20, with the euro conversion introduced by NN 151/22) fines a third-country national who unlawfully stays in Croatian territory between €60 and €920. Independently of the fine, an expulsion measure can be ordered.

What happens if you stay past 90 days →

Common reasons for denial

• Producing a false or falsified travel document, or reasonable doubts arising about the authenticity of the supporting documents submitted or the truthfulness of their content (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 32(1)(a)(i) and 32(1)(b)).
• Failing to justify the purpose and conditions of the intended stay (Art. 32(1)(a)(ii); the same entry condition appears in Art. 6(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2016/399, so it is also checked at the border).
• Failing to provide proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the whole intended stay and for the return to the country of origin or residence, and not being in a position to acquire such means lawfully (Art. 32(1)(a)(iii)).
• Having already used up the 90 days of stay within the current 180-day period on the territory of the Member States (Art. 32(1)(a)(iv)).
• Being the subject of an alert in the Schengen Information System (SIS) for the purpose of refusing entry (Art. 32(1)(a)(v)).
• Being considered a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the international relations of any Member State (Art. 32(1)(a)(vi)).
• Failing to provide proof of adequate and valid travel medical insurance, where applicable (Art. 32(1)(a)(vii)).
• Reasonable doubts arising about the reliability of the statements made or about the applicant’s intention to leave the territory of the Member States before the visa applied for expires (Art. 32(1)(b)).