Those traveling to Croatia from 1 January will no longer have to go through passport control and will be able to pay in euros. The Balkan country, increasingly frequented by tourists, is entering the euro zone and is becoming part of the so-called Schengen area.
Croatia has been a member of the European Union for almost ten years, but was not ready to adopt the euro until recently. Last year it received permission from the EU to exchange the kuna for the euro. The national currency can still be used throughout 2023. With the addition of Croatia, twenty countries now use the euro to pay.
Croatia has been fanatically working for several years to become a euro country, just like its former Yugoslav neighbor Slovenia. According to Brussels, it was integrated into the EU economically and monetary very quickly. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković sees euro membership as an “excellent signal” for the economy and says the country is ready for him.
Tens of millions
The tens of millions of Croatian euro coins that have been distributed will soon arrive in the Netherlands and other euro countries. The 2 euro coin features the map of Croatia and the 1 euro coin features a marten, the national symbol. The 50, 20 and 10 cent coins bear the likeness of Croatian-born Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla, although the neighboring country actually lays claim to this hero. The smaller coins bear the abbreviation HR, for Hrvatska or Croatia, in the old Glagolitic alphabet.
Travelers to Croatia not only no longer have to change euros into kunas, they can also cross the border without passport control. Those traveling to the country by car or train from one of the other 26 Schengen countries will no longer be asked for a passport. This will no longer happen at the airport from the end of March.
Travel freely
The 4.5 million Croatians in turn can travel freely through the other member countries of the Schengen treaty. They consider that Croatia has its external borders in order and fulfills all conditions to be part of the zone.
Source: BNR
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