Legal frame Pravilnik o sigurnosti pomorske plovidbe, NN 52/25 (in force 29 March 2025), arts 45 and 53, as amended by NN 40/26 (in force 25 April 2026); Zakon o pomorskom dobru i morskim lukama, NN 83/23, arts 3 and 144–146.
Croatia has no general permit for anchoring. You may drop the hook almost anywhere, unless one of a short list of bans applies. The list sits in one article, so learn it once.
The five outright bans (art. 53(9))
| Ban | What it means on deck |
|---|---|
| Charted prohibition | The anchor-crossed symbol or a note in the official publications. Check the chart before the cove looks inviting. |
| Harbour master's ban or restriction | The lučka kapetanija may ban or limit anchoring for all craft or by length or traffic pattern (art. 53(3)). Bans are published on charts, in publications and on the Ministry website (art. 53(4)). |
| Cables, pipelines, outfalls | Your swing circle must never put the vessel over them. |
| Buoyed beach | The swing circle must never bring you within 50 m of the fence of an uređeno kupalište. |
| Natural beach | No anchoring less than 150 m from the shore of a prirodno kupalište. |
Some channels add their own bans: the traffic lanes of the Pašman channel (art. 64(11)), the Sv. Josip and Skradin channels of the Krka estuary (art. 66.a(10)) and Mali Ždrelac. Module 2 covers them.
Two kinds of beach
- Uređeno kupalište (buoyed beach): an equipped shore area closed off on the sea side by a line of buoys, the "psychological barrier" (art. 45(12)). You can see it.
- Prirodno kupalište (natural beach): a beach declared in the municipality's spatial plan as a natural sea beach (art. 45(8)). You cannot see a spatial plan from the cockpit.
CAUTION — The invisible 150 m A pebble beach with no buoys may still be a declared natural beach. Treat any beach in use by bathers as one and stay 150 m off, unless local information says otherwise.
Mooring to the shore is also banned inside both kinds of bathing area and where cables or outfalls come ashore (art. 53(10)).
The four anchorage types (art. 45)
| Type | Definition | Charted? |
|---|---|---|
| Lučko sidrište (port anchorage) | Part of port waters, shown in official publications and charts | Yes |
| Nautičko sidrište (nautical anchorage) | Water equipped with moorings and run commercially under concession | Marked on site |
| Zaštićeno prirodno sidrište (protected natural anchorage) | Untouched natural water, no infrastructure, for safe anchoring | Yes |
| Nezaštićeno prirodno sidrište (unprotected natural anchorage) | Natural water for occasional anchoring in settled weather | No |
What you pay
- Natural anchorage outside a protected area: nothing. NN 83/23 art. 144 says a natural anchorage is in general use and anchoring there may not be charged for.
- Concession buoy field (nautičko sidrište): the concessionaire's price list. NN 83/23 art. 145 requires the field to be clearly marked, its moorings certified, and makes the concessionaire answer for safety and order and take your rubbish. No national tariff exists, so prices vary.
- Port anchorage: part of the port area (NN 83/23 art. 3), so the port authority's tariff may apply. Ask on VHF before assuming it is free.
- Mooring point (privezište): a concession quay of up to 50 m. The concessionaire must charge for the berth (art. 146).
- National and nature parks: a ticket per vessel per day. Lastovo charges for its buoys on top. Module 2 covers these.
TIP — The man in the RIB If someone asks for money in an unbuoyed cove outside a park, ask which concession or park he collects for and ask for a fiscal receipt. Natural anchorages are free by law.
The vignette, tourist tax and berth fees are separate. They are covered in Chartering in Croatian Waters and Bareboat Chartering in Croatia.