Sea fishing permit in Croatia 2026

A short introduction: since 1999 Blufishing.com has kept its readers constantly up to date on the news and the laws governing the issue and purchase of the Sea Fishing Permit in Croatia and Sport Fishing at Sea in Croatia. What you will read on this page has been copied several times, with gross errors, on other sites. Blufishing.com leaves the conclusions to you and wishes you a good read.
In this video you will find an in-depth look at fishing in Croatia, made by F.I.P.I.A. with my collaboration (the video predates the 2026 changes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrj0lIuSoSw

Page last updated: 20/10/2026

On this page: News 2026 · Recreational permit · Sport permit (spearfishing) · Prices · Minimum sizes and closed seasons

To fish in Croatia (from the shore, from a boat or freediving) you need a fishing permit, valid along the whole coast of the Republic of Croatia, except protected areas (national parks, special reserves and nature parks, for example Mljet and the Kornati), where you need a special permit from the park authority (see “News 2026”).
There are two sea fishing permits for Croatia:

1 – RECREATIONAL FISHING PERMIT FOR CROATIA →NO SPEARFISHING←

This permit allows you to fish, even at the same time, with:
– up to 2 rods (odmet)
– up to 2 handlines (kančenica)
– up to 2 trolling lines (panula)
– up to 2 cephalopod lines (povraz), each with at most 3 baits or hooks
– up to 2 tools for the large sea worm (trapula)
– hand collecting of marine organisms, with or without hand tools
Anyone can get the recreational permit: it is bought at tourist offices and other authorised sellers, or online (see below). With the recreational permit spearfishing is NOT allowed!

2 – SPORT FISHING PERMIT FOR CROATIA – FOR SPEARFISHERS

This permit allows you to fish, even at the same time, with the same gear as the recreational permit (see above) and also with:
– 2 SPEARGUNS (the limits of spearfishing are set by the marine fisheries law; the Regulation prohibits being towed by the boat and using an underwater scooter)

The Sport Fishing Permit is bought from the sport fishing associations of the Croatian Federation, stating the membership card number (F.I.P.I.A. or Croatian Sport Fishing Federation) when requested. Anyone without a card can get the Federation's card online, at the permit purchase address, by selecting the option “I don’t have valid annual membership card”, at a cost of €2.00 for minors and €10.00 for adults. On that site only the 1-, 3- and 7-day sport permits can be bought online. The 150-day permit (on sale from 2 March to 30 November) and the annual permit (from 1 December to 1 March) are bought from the Federation's associations.

→ When you buy the Sport Fishing Permit on Sub.hr, the payment already includes the annual fee to the national Sport Fishing association of the Republic of Croatia and the membership fee to their club.
I strongly recommend that anyone without an F.I.P.I.A. card buys it on Sub.hr!

→ Protected areas: to fish, for example, in the Lastovo Islands Nature Park you need a special permit, issued by the Ministry and sold by the body that manages the park (see “News 2026”).

The maximum quantities shown apply to each type of gear and can be used at the same time (art. 7, paragraph 1 of the Regulation).

There is still other important information on sport fishing, in particular:
– Big game fishing (rod and reel of at least 30 lb, art. 3 point 8) requires the sport permit plus the special big game permit, whose prices are in the table at the end of the page.
– The maximum number of tools is two (2) of each type; cephalopod lines have at most 3 baits or hooks each. Be careful, this detail is not to be underestimated, because no excuses of any kind are tolerated.
– Atlantic bluefin tuna, swordfish, Mediterranean spearfish and albacore are species whose catch is prohibited (Annex 1, table 3). One caught by accident must be released alive and unharmed before pulling it out of the water. Bluefin tuna is an exception only for the “trophy catch” and for competitions with an assigned quota (art. 8, paragraph 13).

The Croatian fishing permit is personal and non-transferable! The purchase confirmation shows the FIRST NAME and SURNAME of the angler, the document number provided at the time of purchase (identity card or passport), the date of birth and the address of residence. The travel document (always required, even though Croatia now fully belongs to the Schengen area) must be the same one shown on the fishing permit and must be shown, together with the permit, in case of a check by the competent authorities. They are:

• the Police (Policija)
• the Coast Guard (Lučka Kapetanija)
• the Fisheries Inspection (Ribarska Inspekcija)

You do not need to print a permit bought online: just show the PDF that arrives by e-mail, because it contains a serial number that the authorities can easily check. I strongly recommend saving it on your smartphone.

The maximum daily quantity of fish remains unchanged: 5 kg per person, plus the exception.

The permit is easy to find on site: almost all the tourist offices on the coast can issue it. This is the official (.xlsx) file from the Croatian Ministry with the list of authorised sellers: List of authorised sellers

→ IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO BUY THE CROATIAN RECREATIONAL FISHING PERMIT THROUGH BLUFISHING.COM ←
It can be bought online only at this address or on Sub.hr

→ IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO BUY THE CROATIAN SPORT FISHING PERMIT THROUGH BLUFISHING.COM ←
The sport permit is bought from the Federation's associations, for example on Sub.hr. On the website of the Croatian Ministry only the 1-, 3- and 7-day sport permits can be bought online.

Other rules
– The monthly permit no longer exists.
– The annual recreational permit can be bought online only by 1 March of the current year, or at authorised Croatian travel agencies (List of authorised sellers).
– There is a recreational and sport permit for 150 days.
– The annual permit for “pensioners” applies from age 65 (previously 60). Annual permits for pensioners under 65 and for Croatian war invalids can only be bought in person, at the Ministry or from authorised sellers.
– With equipment of 30 lb or more (rod or reel) you need the sport permit plus the special big game permit.
– Marking of the catch: the rules have changed, see “News 2026” above.

PRICES OF THE SEA FISHING PERMIT IN CROATIA (in euro, valid from 1 June 2026)

* The 150-day permit is bought from 2 March to 30 November, the annual one from 1 December to 1 March. For over-65s resident on the islands and on Pelješac the recreational 150-day and annual permit is free. The big game permit is added to the sport one and must cover the whole period. There are also special annual permits for fixed longlines and fish traps (€26.54), for fish spears and for artificial light (€13.27).

MINIMUM SIZES AND CLOSED SEASONS (Pravilnik NN 64/2023, as amended by NN 134/2024)

The Regulation refers to this rule for minimum sizes and closed seasons (art. 8, paragraph 2). Sizes are measured as indicated in Annex IV of EU Regulation 2019/1241 (art. 4). Undersized specimens, or those caught during a closed season, must be released (art. 8, paragraph 11 of the Regulation on sport and recreational fishing). In red, the species whose catch is prohibited in sport and recreational fishing. Other organisms: common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) 1 kg, at most 2 per day; European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) 7 cm; Mediterranean scallop (Pecten jacobaeus) 10 cm; clams (Chamelea gallina, Ruditapes spp., Venus spp.) 25 mm. Catching large crustaceans (spiny lobster, European lobster, spiny spider crab, slipper lobster), echinoderms (sea urchins, sea cucumbers, starfish), corals and sponges is prohibited.