Lost travel document while abroad

If you lose your travel document while abroad, you can obtain a travelling certificate at the Croatian embassy or consulate, that will allow you to return to Croatia

Please report lost or found travel documents while abroad to the nearest diplomatic mission or consular office of the Republic of Croatia abroad.

If your travel document is lost or stolen in a country in which the Republic of Croatia does not have a diplomatic mission or consular office, you can report the stolen or missing travel document to the diplomatic mission or consular office of any other Member State of the European Union. The diplomatic mission or consular office of another EU Member State can then issue you a travelling certificate, which you will need to be able to return to Croatia.

Travelling certificate

If your travel document is lost or stolen while abroad, the first thing to do is report the stolen or lost travel document to the nearest police station abroad.

After receiving a police report, contact the Croatian diplomatic mission or consular office to obtain a travelling certificate that will allow you to return to Croatia, or if you are located in a country without a Croatian diplomatic mission or consular office, contact the embassy of another EU Member State.

Application for issuing a travelling certificate

The application for a travelling certificate is submitted in person to the competent Croatian embassy or consular office abroad. The list of Croatian diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad is available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs

Diplomatic missions and consular offices of the Republic of Croatia in the world.

The application for a travelling certificate on behalf of minors or legally incapacitated persons will be submitted by both of their parents or their legal representative.

Along with the application for a travelling certificate, it is also necessary to present an identity card or other document capable of establishing the identity and nationality of the person, as well as two 30 x 35-millimetre biometric photographs taken with the person facing forward, so that 70 to 80 percent of the height of the photographs shows the head of the person from the chin to the crown of the head, with the forehead uncovered and without any head covering (hat, cap or headscarf), showing a faithful representation of the applicant.

In case you are not in possession of another identity document, apart from the stolen or lost travel document, the diplomatic mission or consular office will verify your identity through official channels.
 
If your travel document has not been stolen or lost, along with the application for a travelling certificate, it is also necessary to present your passport or identity card that has expired or cannot serve its purpose, which will then be physically invalidated and returned to you.

After carrying out the procedure and establishing the circumstances of the missing travel document, the diplomatic mission or consular office will issue you a travelling certificate that is necessary for you to be able to return to Croatia.

For applications for a travelling certificate at the embassy of some other EU Member State, the representation of the other state will carry out the procedure for issuing a travelling certificate in communication with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia or the nearest diplomatic mission of the Republic of Croatia.

Costs of the procedure for issuing a travelling certificate

For the issuance of a travelling certificate at a Croatian diplomatic mission or consular office, a consular fee is charged pursuant to the Regulation on Administrative Fee Tariffs, or in case of a diplomatic mission or consular office of another EU Member State, a fee in accordance with the relevant tariff.

The spouse and children of the travelling certificate user may use the same Croatian travelling certificate if they are recorded in the travelling certificate, with their photographs included. In that case, the consular fee is charged only for the issuance of one travelling certificate.

The Croatian travelling certificate is issued for a period that is necessary for allowing a return to Croatia, but will not exceed 30 days.

The consular fee for the travelling certificate that is issued to the Croatian national by the embassy of another EU Member State will be charged in accordance with the national legal regulations of the relevant country.