Instructions for Registering a Vessel

Request for the first registration of a vessel in the Vessel Register has to be submitted to the relevant Harbourmaster’s Office

The following vessels can be registered in the Vessel Register:

  1. A vessel owned in whole or in part by a Croatian national;
  2. A vessel owned in whole or in part by a national from an European Economic Area (EEA) Member State if the company or the operator is a Croatian legal entity;
  3. A vessel owned in whole or in part by a legal entity registered in Croatia;
  4. A vessel owned in whole or in part by a legal entity registered in an EEA Member State if the company or the operator of the vessel is a legal entity registered in Croatia;
  5. A vessel owned in whole or in part by an EEA Member State national or a legal entity incorporated in accordance with EEA Member State regulations and registered in an EEA Member State if the vessel is operated from a branch in Croatia;
  6. A vessel owned by a foreign natural person with residence outside of Croatia or outside of an EEA Member State if the company or the operator of the vessel is a legal entity registered in Croatia;
  7. A vessel owned by a foreign legal entity registered outside of Croatia or outside of an EEA Member State if the company or the operator of the vessel is a legal entity registered in an EEA Member State, and that company or the operator of the vessel has a branch in Croatia;
  8. A vessel owned by a foreign legal entity registered outside of Croatia and outside of other EEA Member States if this foreign legal entity is a shipowner company dependent on a legal entity registered in Croatia and subject to tonnage tax.

 
In the cases referred to in points (b), (d), (f), (g), and (h), the owner of the vessel shall agree with the company’s or the operator’s request.


Submitting the Registration Request

Vessel registration requests can be submitted:
  1. through a public electronic service available within the e-Citizens or e-Business system1
  2. by e-mail or other appropriate means considered electronic delivery2
  3. by immediate delivery to the Harbourmaster’s Office which keeps the register and
  4. by regular mail.
Notwithstanding the above methods of delivery, the registration request shall be deemed duly delivered when recorded in the Central Information System for Digital Administration of the Ministry.
 
Delivery to the competent authority
 
If the registration request is delivered to the Harbourmaster’s Office which, according to Article 254 of the Croatian Maritime Code, is not competent to process it, the Harbourmaster’s Office shall immediately register the request in the Central Information System for Digital Administration of the Ministry and forward it to the competent Harbourmaster’s Office for processing.
 
Each request for registration in the Vessel Register, with the exception of the request for the first registration, has to clearly indicate the NIB and/or the name of the vessel for which the registration is requested.

If a registration of a vessel engaged in international navigation is requested, the registration request shall clearly indicate: “Zahtjev za upis bez odgode po čl. 253. st. 3. PZ-a”(Request for registration without delay in accordance with Art. 253(3) of the Maritime Code), otherwise Art. 253(3) of the Maritime Code shall not apply.
 
The Harbourmaster’s Office where the owner of the vessel, its operator or the company are registered is competent for the registration of the vessel.
 
Notwithstanding the foregoing provision, the Harbourmaster’s Office where the registration request has been submitted or the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure are both competent for the registration of a vessel engaged in international navigation.
 
The Harbourmaster’s Office where the request for the first registration of a vessel has been submitted is competent for the registration of a vessel whose owner, operator or company does not have residence or registered seat within the territory of the Harbourmaster’s Office.
 
The Harbourmaster’s Office on whose territory a floating facility or a fixed offshore facility are located is competent for registering such a facility.

The Harbourmaster’s Office on whose territory the registered seat of a shipbuilder or a builder of a ship under construction or a floating facility under construction or a fixed offshore facility under construction are located is competent for the registration thereof.
 
When the shipbuilder or a builder does not have a registered seat on the territory of a Harbourmaster’s Office, the Harbourmaster’s Office where the request for registering the maritime craft under construction has been submitted is competent for its registration.
 
A list of Harbourmaster’s Offices can be found on the website of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure: 
Harbourmaster’s Offices.

The request for the first registration of a vessel has to be submitted on a prescribed form, which you can download from the link of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure.
 
Request for the first entry of a ship in the register of ships
 
______________________________________________
NOTES
1. Documents on the basis of which entries are made in sheet B and sheet C (registration / pre-registration / note) must be attached in the original, and other documents may also be attached in a certified transcript (therefore, these documents cannot be scanned and sent by e-mail so it is necessary to submit the same to the competent Harbourmaster’s Office or branch office by post or directly, at the same time as sending the form and other documentation to the competent Harbor Master's Office).
2. Documents on the basis of which entries are made in sheet B and sheet C (registration / pre-registration / note) must be attached in the original, and other documents may also be attached in a certified transcript (therefore, these documents cannot be scanned and sent by e-mail. so it is necessary to submit the same to the competent Harbourmaster’s Office or branch office by post or directly, at the same time as sending the form and other documentation to the competent Harbor Master's Office).
 

Types of Registers

Since 01/01/2020, there is only the Common Vessel Register.

A vessel may be a passenger, cargo or technical waterborne craft, or a fishing, public or a scientific research ship.

All Harbourmaster’s Offices became a Common Administration (CA) for receiving vessel registration requests.

Documents Required for the First Registration of a Vessel

The following documents have to be submitted along with the request for the first registration of a new (newly built) vessel:
  1. Document proving the ownership of the vessel; 
  2. Document proving that the requirements for registering the vessel in the Vessel Register have been met in accordance with Articles 187 and 188 of the Maritime Code;
  3. Shipbuilding certificate issued by the shipbuilder or the shipyard;
  4. Attestation from a classification society that the vessel was completed, containing all data to be entered into Sheet A;
  5. Documents proving the status of the operator or the company if they are to be entered in the Vessel Register;
  6. If the gross tonnage is over 1000, a certificate of security or other financial guarantee for issuing a Bunker Certificate;
  7. If the vessel shall transport over 2000 tonnes of oil as cargo, a certificate of security or other financial guarantee for issuing a CLC Certificate;
  8. If the gross tonnage is 300 tonnes or more, a certificate of security or other financial guarantee for issuing a Wreck Removal Certificate;
  9. If the vessel shall carry out international transport in full or in part, and if the vessel is authorised to transport more than 12 passengers, a certificate of security or other financial guarantee for issuing a PLR (Athens) Certificate.

A foreign company shall submit proof of registration from a court, craft, professional or other relevant register in the country of its establishment, and a foreign natural person shall submit a copy of an identification document.
 
The request for the first registration of a new (newly built) vessel in the Vessel Register has to indicate three proposed names for the vessel.
  
The following documents have to be submitted along with the request for the first registration of an existing vessel:
  1. Document proving the ownership of the vessel or a yacht;
  2. Document proving that the requirements for registering the vessel in the Vessel Register have been met in accordance with Articles 187 and 188 of the Maritime Code;
  3. Documents and certificates determining the age and technical eligibility, depending on the size, intended use, and the area of navigation, as prescribed in the Ordinance on the Vessel Register and technical rules for that type of vessel or yacht, larger than 24 m, of Croatian nationality; 
  4. Certificate from a foreign registrar that the vessel or yacht has been removed from that register if the vessel or the yacht is transferred from a foreign register into the Croatian Vessel Register; and 
  5. Documents proving the status of the operator, the company, or the yacht user, if they are to be entered in the Vessel Register;
  6. Wreck Removal Certificate for a vessel or yacht with a gross tonnage of 300 tonnes or more;
  7. Bunker Certificate if the gross tonnage of the vessel or yacht is greater than 1000 tonnes; 
  8. CLC Certificate if the vessel shall transport more than 2000 tonnes of oil as cargo; and/or
  9. PLR (Athens) Certificate if the vessel or yacht shall be used for international transport in whole or in part, and the vessel or the yacht is authorised to transport more than 12 passengers.
A foreign company shall submit proof of registration from a court, craft, professional or other relevant register in the country of its establishment, and a foreign natural person shall submit a copy of an identification document.
 
The request for the first registration of an existing vessel in the Vessel Register has to indicate three proposed names for the vessel.
  
If the vessel was purchased at a public auction carried out by the Republic of Croatia or through a judicial sale carried out in the Republic of Croatia, the certificate of removal from the foreign register is not needed.
 
During the registration process, the vessel’s compliance with relevant international and national rules and regulations shall be verified, and, for that purpose, documents, records, and other information regarding the safety of the vessel shall be verified.
 
When the vessel is transferred from a foreign register into the Croatian Vessel Register, if needed, the country where the vessel had previously been registered shall be requested to provide information on unresolved shortcomings or other information regarding the safety of the vessel.
 
Apart from the above documents, if the fixed offshore facility or a floating facility, with the exception of facilities set out in Article 188(a) of the Maritime Code, is moored, anchored, positioned or embedded in the port area, in addition to the application for the first registration, authorisation of the competent government authority, as well as consent of the authorised port authority, shall be obtained.

For the purpose of conducting the administrative procedure of registering the vessel in the Vessel Register and all corresponding administrative procedures conducted by other competent authorities, the Harbourmaster’s Office that manages the Register under Article 254 of the Maritime Code performs the activities of the Common Administration, in accordance with the provisions of the Act governing general administrative proceedings.

Request for the first entry of a ship in the register of ships
 
Application for naming a ship

Registration of Changes

In the event of changes in data entered in the Vessel Register, a request for the registration of changes has to be submitted to the Harbourmaster’s Office within 30 days from the day when the changes occurred. In case of circumstances due to which the vessel has to be removed from the Vessel Register, see section Removal of a vessel from the Vessel Register.

The request form for registering the changes in data (Request for registration/pre-registration/notice and the Request for registration in Sheet A of the Vessel Register folio can be downloaded from the link of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure.
 
Application for registration / pre-registration / annotation in the register of ships
 
Application for entry in sheet A of the entry in the register of ships

Registering and Removing a Mortgage

Mortgage on a ship may be established on the basis of a contract (contractual mortgage) or a court decision (court-ordered mortgage).

If a mortgage contract or document on which the debtor's signature has been publicly notarised contains a statement of the debtor that the creditor may request the entry of the mortgage into the Vessel Register directly on the basis of the contract or a document, as well as the debtor's statement that he agrees, based on the said contract or document, that direct enforcement may be conducted on the mortgaged vessel for settling claims established by this contract or document following the maturity of these claims, then this contract shall be considered as an enforceable document, on the basis of which such enforcement may be carried out without an attestation of its enforceability.

Proprietary rights with which the vessel or part thereof is encumbered and rights acquired on the basis of these rights, charter by demise, time charter for the whole ship, pre-emptive rights and any other restriction regarding rights of disposal of an encumbered maritime craft by which an owner of an encumbered maritime craft is bound, the ban on encumbering and alienating and all notices for which it has not been explicitly specified that they shall be registered in another sheet of the folio shall be registered into Sheet C of the main register folio.

If a mortgage has been established on the vessel, mortgage creditors shall give their consent for removing the vessel from the Vessel Register.

When the vessel with a mortgage has to be removed on official duty, the removal from the Vessel Register shall be performed at the end of a three-month period following notice to mortgage creditors that the conditions for removal of the vessel have been met or following a creditor’s consent for the removal of the vessel from the Vessel Register.

Notice to mortgage creditors shall be carried out in accordance with Article 384(č) of the Maritime Code.

These provisions also apply to vessels under construction.

Application for registration / pre-registration / annotation in the register of ships

Removal of a Vessel from the Vessel Register

A vessel is removed from the Vessel Register:
1. On official duty:
  • If it has been wrecked or it is presumed wrecked;
  • If it no longer meets the requirements for being registered in the Vessel Register as prescribed by the Maritime Code;
2. At the Owner’s request.

A vessel is presumed wrecked if a period of three months has elapsed from last receiving news about it. In that case, it is presumed that the vessel has been wrecked on the date when the last available news regarding it has been received.

Provisions under 1. and 2. also apply, mutatis mutandis, to removing vessels under construction from the Vessel Register.

The owner of the vessel shall notify the Harbourmaster’s Office about the vessel being wrecked or presumed wrecked within 15 days of the occurrence.

If a mortgage has been established on the vessel, mortgage creditors shall give their consent for removing the vessel from the Vessel Register.

When the vessel with a mortgage has to be removed on official duty, the removal from the Vessel Register shall be performed at the end of a three-month period following notice to mortgage creditors that the conditions for removal of the vessel have been met or following a creditor’s consent for the removal of the vessel from the Vessel Register.

Notice to mortgage creditors shall be carried out in accordance with Article 384(č) of the Maritime Code.

These provisions also apply to vessels under construction.

The request form for removing a maritime craft from the Vessel Register can be downloaded from the link of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure.
 
Application for deleting a ship from the register of ships

Legal Remedies

Appeals are not permitted against decisions from the Harbourmaster’s Office managing the Vessel Register; however, one can initiate an administrative proceeding within 30 days of receiving the decision (in accordance with Article 376 of the Maritime Code).

Costs

Costs linked to the first registration of a vessel:
  • Other costs (e.g. cost of translation, notarisation, and/or apostille, cost of issuing the removal certificate, etc.).

The registration sheet is issued free of charge.
 
If a vessel travels or resides in internal sea waters and the territorial sea of the Republic of Croatia, a fee shall be paid for using the navigation safety facilities to the company Plovput d.o.o.
 
Plovput d.o.o.

Name and Port of Registration

During the first registration of a vessel, if the request for the first registration has been approved and there are no obstacles for the vessel to be given the suggested name, the decision on the first registration shall specify the name of the vessel.

The above provisions also apply, mutatis mutandis, to the first registration of a vessel under construction.

By way of derogation from Article 53 of the Ordinance on the Vessel Register, the name of a vessel engaged in international navigation can be specified in a decision prior to registration. 

The above decision on naming the vessel expires after three years from its issuing if the vessel is not registered in the Vessel Register.

Only the owner of the vessel can submit a request for naming it.

The request for naming the vessel shall include: full name and permanent address or company name and registered seat of the applicant; personal identification number (PIN) of the applicant; three proposed names; general specifications of the vessel (length and gross tonnage); intended use; previous name and/or designation.

Along with the request, the applicant shall submit a copy of the proof of ownership of the vessel.

A vessel cannot bear a name inappropriate on ethical, religious or historical grounds or a name that is contrary to the interests of the Republic of Croatia.

Only a vessel travelling in the areas of the “Ocean” category, not older than five years, can be authorised to bear the name “Croatia”.

A vessel may bear a name that contains a Roman or Arabic numeral, or a word denoting a Roman or Arabic numeral in the case of identical vessels.
Two vessels cannot bear the same name.

Name, designation, and port of registration shall be legibly written in capital letters, in Latin script and technical lettering, with a colour which is visibly different from the colour of the paint on the maritime craft.

The letters indicating the name, designation, and the port of registration shall be proportional to the size of the maritime craft, and their height has to be at least 20 cm. 

The main components of the designation shall be separated at least 10 cm.

The name, designation, and the port of registration cannot be erased, damaged, covered or obscured in any way.

The name of the vessel shall be written on both sides of the bow and the stern.
The port of registration shall be written on the stern, below the name of the vessel. 

The name and the port of registration of a vessel with a cruiser stern shall be written on both sides of the stern.

The designation of a technical waterborne craft, floating facility and a fixed offshore facility has to be written on both sides of the bow and the stern.

If the above maritime craft has a name as well as a designation, it shall be written on the stern, and the port of registration has to be written on the stern below the name. 

If the craft is built without a bow or a stern, the designation and the name shall be written on the craft so that they are clearly visible from the sea and air.

Marking of fishing vessels, fishing boats of over 10 m in length and boats belonging to the fishing mothership is carried out in accordance with the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 404/2011. 

By way of derogation from Article 82(2) of the Ordinance on the Vessel Register, the name and port of registration of a fishing vessel may be written on both sides of the stern.

The port of registration from Article 82(2) of the Ordinance on the Vessel Register shall be written below the name of the fishing vessel.

Fishing boats that have a wheelhouse - cabin shall also write the designation on the roof of the boat.

Fishing boats of 10 m or less in length are marked in accordance with the provisions in Article 84 of the Ordinance on the Vessel Register.

Application for naming a ship

Temporary Certificate of Registration

A Temporary Certificate of Registration is issued to a vessel when the requirements for its registration have not yet been met; a vessel purchased abroad that has not yet obtained a Certificate of Registration; a vessel that is abroad and whose Certificate of Registration has been lost and; a vessel under construction when the requirements for registering it into the Vessel Register as a vessel have not yet been met.

By obtaining a Temporary Certificate of Registration, a vessel and a vessel under construction that has not yet been registered in the Croatian Vessel Register is granted the status of a Croatian ship, as well as the right and obligation to fly the flag of the Republic of Croatia.

The Temporary Certificate of Registration is valid for a maximum of three months from the date of its issuing.

The Temporary Certificate of Registration is issued by the competent Harbourmaster’s Office under Article 254 of the Maritime Code.

Digital registration in the Vessel Register

The procedure is as follows:

  • Fill out the request (form) and sign it (place your stamp, if applicable).
  • The request shall then be sent to the e-mail of the competent Harbourmaster’s Office, along with the required documents (all as scanned PDFs).
  • Documents that serve as the basis for registration in Sheet B and Sheet C (registration/pre-registration/notice) shall be submitted as original documents, while other documents can be submitted as notarised copies (which is why these documents cannot be scanned and send by e-mail and have to be sent by regular mail or delivered in person to the relevant Harbourmaster’s Office or its branch office when sending the form and other documents to the relevant Harbourmaster’s Office e-mail).
  • If the request can be complied, the Harbourmaster’s Office or its branch office issues a decision authorising the registration in the relevant Vessel Register.


The deadline for issuing a decision is 30 days from receiving a duly delivered request and 60 days from receiving a duly delivered request in the case of conducting an investigation.

The registration of a vessel engaged in international navigation is processed without delay and, in exceptional circumstances, not later than three days from the day of receiving a duly delivered registration request.

Public Vessel Register

A portion of data from the Vessel Register of ships, boats, yachts, and small vessels can be searched through the Public Vessel Register. The Public Vessel Register is available on the website of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure

Public Vessel Register.

You can find more information on the Public Vessel Register on the website of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure

About the Public Vessel Register.