Instructions for Boat Registration


Request for the first registration of a boat has to be submitted to the Harbourmaster’s Office or its branch office where the boat is eligible to be registered in the Vessel Register.
 

Instructions for Boat Registration

Request for the first registration of a boat has to be submitted to the Harbourmaster’s Office or its branch office where the boat is eligible to be registered in the Vessel Register.
In Croatia, the Vessel Register has been the common register for maritime crafts of Croatian nationality since 01/01/2020, where maritime crafts and maritime crafts under construction are registered, with the exception of military vessels and vessels under construction built for the purposes of the Croatian Armed Forces or foreign armed forces.

According to their use, boats in Croatia are classified as follows:
  • Boats for personal use;
  • Boats for commercial use;
  • Public boats. 

Boats for commercial use are as follows:
  • Boats for transporting passengers;
  • Boats for transporting cargo;
  • Work boats;
  • Fishing boats;
  • Other boats for commercial use.

Pursuant to Article 53 of the Ordinance1 boats cannot be registered in the Vessel Register if they have been built before 16 June 2000 unless they bear the CE conformity marking in accordance with applicable requirements from Directive 94/25/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 June 1994 on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to recreational craft.

Application for the first entry of a boat into the register of ships

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NOTE
1. Ordinance on the Vessel Register, Maximum Permitted Age and Technical Requirements for Registration in the Vessel Register


Submitting the Registration Request

Registration requests can be submitted:
  1. Through the public digital service available in the e-Citizens or e-Business platforms2;
  2. By e-mail or other appropriate means of digital delivery3;
  3. By direct delivery to the Harbourmaster’s Office keeping 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.
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 the request and its attachments 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 boat for which the registration is requested.
 
Request for boats

The Harbourmaster’s Office or its branch office, on whose territory the residence or the registered seat of a natural person or legal entity of the boat owner or user are situated, is competent for the registration of the boat.

By way of derogation from the above provision, the Harbourmaster’s Office, or its branch office, on whose territory a boat permanently or predominantly resides or navigates is competent for the registration of the boat.

Registration in Sheet C of the Vessel Register folio for boats is carried out based on a decision of the competent Harbourmaster’s Office or the court.

A list of Harbourmaster’s Offices and their branch offices can be found on the website of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure.

Harbourmaster’s Offices and their branch offices.

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NOTES:
2. Documents that serve as the basis for registration in Sheet B and Sheet C (registration/pre-registration/notice) must 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 when sending the form and other documents to the relevant Harbourmaster’s Office e-mail
3. Documents that serve as the basis for registration in Sheet B and Sheet C (registration/pre-registration/notice) must 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 when sending the form and other documents to the relevant Harbourmaster’s Office e-mail


Documents Required for the First Registration of a Boat

The following documents have to be submitted along with the request for the first registration of a new (newly built) boat:
 
1. Written sales contract concluded with the seller or an invoice issued by the seller
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 proving technical eligibility, as prescribed in the Ordinance on the Vessel Register and the special regulation defining technical eligibility of boats and yachts of up to 24 m in length and
4. Document proving the status of the boat user if they are to be entered in the Vessel Register.

The authorized seller from point 1 can be a manufacturer, authorized representative, distributor or importer of a new boat of up to 24 meters lenght.

If the Harbourmaster’s Office where the request for the first registration of a boat built for the personal needs of the builder (boat built for own use) has not supervised the construction, instead of documents set out in Article 38(1)(i) and (iii) of the Ordinance4, the request has to be accompanied by a building 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.
 
When registering a boat owned by a foreign natural person or legal entity, along with the request, the owner shall submit a power of attorney set out in Article 190 of the Maritime Code.
 
The power of attorney is co-signed by the authorised representative and the giver of the power of attorney. The data indicated on the power of attorney shall be correct and include the full name and permanent address or company name and registered seat, as well as PINs of the giver of the power of attorney and the authorised representative. Signatures on the power of attorney do not have to be certified by an authority authorised for signature certification.

If the owner of the boat fails to deliver a valid power of attorney, the boat shall be deemed to have failed to meet the requirements for being registered in the Vessel Register as prescribed by the Maritime Code.

When submitting a request for registering any type of boat in the Vessel Register, except the request for removing a boat from the Vessel Register, after the Ordinance came into force, foreign natural persons and legal entities shall also submit a power of attorney (Article 26 of the Ordinance) if they do not have a registered representative or if they have a registered representative on the basis of an authorisation letter to receive documents or other authorisation letter that does not fall within the scope of a power of attorney as set out in Article 26 of the Ordinance.
 
When registering a new (newly built) boat for the first time, a technical inspection is not necessary, but you have to fill out the Declaration on Equipment Installed on the Boat form.
 
Declaration form can be downloaded from the link of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure.

Declaration on Equipment Installed on the Boat

The following documents shall be submitted along with the request for the first registration of an existing boat:
  1. Document proving the ownership of the boat;
  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 proving the age and technical eligibility of a boat, as prescribed in the Ordinance on the Vessel Register and the special regulation defining technical eligibility of boats;
  4. Certificate from a foreign registrar that the boat has been removed from that register if the boat is transferred from a foreign register into the Croatian Vessel Register; and 
  5. Document proving the status of the boat user if they are to be entered in the Vessel Register. 

If ownership is obtained on the basis of a legal transaction, the transaction has to be made in writing with a certified signature of the person whose right is being transferred.

A Boat Purchase and Sale Contract template can be downloaded from the link of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure.

Boat Purchase and Sale Contract

For the first registration of a boat placed on the market or put to use in one of the EU Member States, which complies with the requirement for the maximum permitted age as set out in Article 53 of the Ordinance5, the document in point (3) may be replaced by the document in point (4).

If the above boat was not subject to registering in the register of a country under whose flag it sailed, the registration request shall not be accompanied by the document in point (4), but documents in point (3) are mandatory, including the documents for the outboard propulsion engine.

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.

All domestic and foreign boats with total propulsion engine power greater than 15 kW, which travel in internal sea waters, the territorial sea and internal waters of the Republic of Croatia, shall have a valid liability insurance policy in accordance with the special regulation on compulsory marine liability insurance.

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NOTES:
4. Ordinance on the Vessel Register, Maximum Permitted Age and Technical Requirements for Registration in the Vessel Register (Official Gazette, No 131/23, 142/23)
5. Ordinance on the Vessel Register, Maximum Permitted Age and Technical Requirements for Registration in the Vessel Register (Official Gazette, No 131/23, 142/23)


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 or its branch office within 30 days from the day when the changes occurred. In case of circumstances due to which the boat has to be removed from the Vessel Register, see section Removal of a boat from the Vessel Register.
 
In the event of changes in ownership rights of the boat, the new owner shall request a change of data in the Vessel Register within 30 days from gaining ownership rights. If the new owner fails to do so, the previous owner of the boat has the right to submit the request for removing the boat from the Vessel Register.
 
Request forms can be downloaded from the link of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure.

Request for boats


Registration of a Mortgage

Proprietary rights with which the boat or part thereof is encumbered and rights acquired on the basis of these rights, boat lease, charter by demise, time charter for the whole boat, pre-emptive rights and any other restriction regarding rights of disposal of an encumbered boat by which an owner of an encumbered boat, 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 in Sheet C of the main register folio.

Registration in Sheet C is carried out based on a decision of the competent Harbourmaster’s Office. 


Removal of a Boat from the Vessel Register

A boat 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 boat 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 boat has been wrecked on the date when the last available news regarding it has been received.

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

Apart from provisions in Article 192(1) and (2) of the Maritime Code, the boat shall be removed from the Vessel Register if the boat owner or user fails to pay the fee defined in Article 51(6) of the Maritime Code (Fee for the safety of navigation and protection of the sea from pollution)

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

When a boat 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 the removal of the boat have been met or following a creditor’s consent for the removal of the boat from the Vessel Register.

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

Request form for deleting a boat from register can be downloaded from the link of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure.
 
Application for deleting a boat 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:
  • Basic inspection fee6 and, if applicable, the tonnage measurement fee (for details on paying these fees, please contact the Harbourmaster’s Office or its branch office where you shall submit the request for the first registration of the boat);
  • Other costs (e.g. cost of translation, notarisation, and/or apostille, cost of issuing the removal certificate, etc.).

You can find the technical inspection and tonnage measurement costs at the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure website:

Technical inspection and tonnage measurement price list

The registration sheet is issued free of charge.
 
After registering the boat in the Vessel Register, each year you have to pay the following fees:
  • Fee for the use of the maritime domain;
  • Fee for the safety of navigation and protection of the sea from pollution7.
 
You can find more details on the above fees at the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure website.


You shall also pay attention to other additional costs: berthing fee, periodic/extraordinary inspection costs, boat tax, insurance, in some cases sojourn tax, etc.

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NOTES:
6. Basic inspection is not necessary for new (newly built) boats, but you have to fill out the Declaration on Equipment Installed on the Boat form
7. Previously: fee for the use of navigation safety facilities (2014 - 2015) and safety of navigation fee (2016 - 2019)
 

Technical Inspection of Boats

Periodic inspection of boats is carried out:
1. Every two years for boats for commercial use and public boats/small vessels;
2. Every five years for boats for personal use of over 7 m in length or having propulsion engine power of over 15 kW if:
  • They are equipped with a sanitation facility; and/or
  • They have a kitchen with a built-in gas-consuming appliance; and/or
  • They are intended for staying several days at sea; and/or
  • They are equipped with a built-in propulsion engine; and/or
  • They have a built-in fuel tank.

All boats registered in the Croatian Vessel Register are subject to Extraordinary inspection, mandatory in the following cases:
  1.       In the case of a boating accident (e.g. stranding, collision, sinking, damage, fire, etc.);
  2.       In cases when there is reasonable suspicion that the boat does not comply with the prescribed requirements regarding navigability;
  3.       If the boat has undergone significant repairs and modifications;
  4.       If the intended use of the boat has changed from personal use to commercial use or if the area of navigation has changed;
  5.       In the cases of postponed periodic inspection.

In cases of significant repairs or modifications of an existing boat, regardless of its intended use, type of propulsion and area of navigation, which have or may have an impact on the structural integrity of the hull, stability, navigation characteristics, propulsion systems, permitted number of passengers, tonnage or area of navigation, the owner shall immediately notify the competent Harbourmaster’s Office or its branch office prior to commencing work.

Owners of boats intended for personal use of over 7 m in length or having built-in propulsion engine power of over 15 kW, which, according to provisions of the Ordinance on Boats and Yachts (Official Gazette, No 27/2005, 57/2006, 80/2007, 3/2008, 18/2009, 56/2010, 97/2012, 137/2013, 18/2016, 72/2017), were not obligated to perform periodic inspections, shall submit a request for periodic inspection, as follows:
  • For boats not older than 5 years at the latest by 31 December 2025;
  • For boats between 5 and 10 years of age at the latest by 31 December 2023;
  • For boats older than 10 years at the latest by 31 December 2021.

Owners of boats that have been registered, according to provisions of the Ordinance on Boats and Yachts (Official Gazette, No 27/05, 57/06, 80/07, 3/08, 18/09, 56/10, 97/12, 137/13, 18/16, 72/17), for areas of navigation Ia, II, and IIa, shall submit a request to comply the areas of navigation with provisions of the Ordinance on Boats, Small Vessels and Yachts at the latest by 31 December 2020.

Request for a the technical inspection of a boat
Technical inspection price list


Boat name and designation

When registering the boat in the Vessel Register, the Harbourmaster’s Office or its branch office shall allocate a designation.
Designation of a boat for personal use consists of two letters designating the port of registration and NIB.
Designation of a boat for commercial use consists of the boat’s NIB and two letters designating the port of registration.
Designation of a public boat consists of the letters “RH”, the boat’s NIB, and two letters designating the port of registration.

NIB (Croatian National Identification Number) is a unique identification number allocated to a boat.

Name, designation, and port of registration shall be legibly written in capital letters, in Latin script and technical lettering, in a light color on a dark background or in a dark color on a light background.
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, and their width and thickness must be in accordance with the height.
 
The component parts of the sign must be separated by at least 10 cm.

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

The boat designation shall be written on both sides of the clear side of the boat’s bow or, if clearer, on a visible spot on both sides of the superstructure.


Boat designation shall be clearly painted with a colour visibly different from the colour of the boat.

Letters and numbers of the boat designation shall be at least 10 cm high, and they shall be proportional to the size of the boat.

If the boat has a name, it shall be legibly written on the boat so that it does not interfere with the visibility of the designation.
Boats belonging to a mothership shall have a designation of the ship they belong to.
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. 

Exceptionally of derogation from Article 88(1) of the Ordinance8, boat name and port of registration can be written on both sides of the stern.

Port of registration in Article 89(2) thereof shall be written below the name of the fishing boat.

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 91 of the Ordinance on the Vessel of the Ordinance.

A public boat shall have the name of the authority using the boat or the short or common name of that authority (Harbourmaster’s Office, customs, police, etc.) written on both sides or superstructures.

Apart from its designation, a public boat can also have a name, as determined by its owner.
 
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NOTE:
8. Ordinance on the Vessel Register, Maximum Permitted Age and Technical Requirements for Registration in the Vessel Register (Official Gazette, No 131/23, 142/23)

 
Temporary Certificate of Registration
At the request of an owner of an unregistered boat, a Harbourmaster’s Office or its branch office can issue a Temporary Certificate of Registration for the purpose of navigation for a maximum of 30 days in order to arrive in the port where the Harbourmaster’s office or its branch office is located in order to register the boat.

At the request of a user of a new boat or a boat that underwent significant modifications, a Harbourmaster’s Office or its branch office can issue a Temporary Certificate of Registration for the purpose of navigation for a maximum of 30 days in order to carry out a sea trial.

A Temporary Certificate of Registration for carrying out a sea trial can be issued only for the area of competence of the Harbourmaster’s Office where the request had been submitted after performing the inspection in accordance with provisions of Annex 12 “Inspection of Boats and Small Vessels” to the Ordinance on Boats, Small Vessels and Yachts.

A Temporary Certificate of Registration for arriving in the port where the Harbourmaster’s Office or its branch office is located in order to register the boat can be issued to new and existing boats after performing the technical inspection in accordance with provisions of Annex 12 “Inspection of Boats and Small Vessels” to the Ordinance on Boats, Small Vessels and Yachts only if the Temporary Certificate of Registration is issued for the purpose of navigating the territorial sea and internal sea waters of the Republic of Croatia.

Digital Registration of a Boat 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.
e-Vessel

By using e-Vessel you can check the technical data of the vessel in Sheet A, ownership data in Sheet B, and encumbrances and notices in Sheet C of the folio. The e-Vessel platform also shows the information on the validity of the technical inspection of a vessel, as well as the charged fee for the safety of navigation and protection of the sea from pollution (previously: safety navigation fee or fee for the use of navigation safety facilities); learn more at the following link

e-Vessel

With the e-Fee system, taxpayers can pay prescribed fees and charges, instead of state stamps or payment slip, faster and simpler through their bank cards (for a current account, giro account or credit card) such as Visa, Maestro, MasterCard and Diners.


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.