New toll collection system worth €160.5 million to be introduced from March 2027
Hrvatske autoceste switch to electronic non-stop tolling from 1 March 2027, with 208 gantries and two payment models for drivers.
Hrvatske autoceste switch to electronic non-stop tolling from 1 March 2027, with 208 gantries and two payment models for drivers.
At a government session held on 31 July 2026, the new Electronic Toll Collection System was presented, which will replace all existing toll booths on motorways operated by Hrvatske autoceste, Autocesta Zagreb, Macelj and BINA Istra on 1 March 2027. The total value of the project is €160.5 million, with the largest portion, €115.6 million, to be covered by European Union grants from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
The remaining €44.9 million will be provided by Hrvatske autoceste as the project lead. Of that amount, €29.3 million relates to value-added tax, while €15.6 million is earmarked for operating costs, maintenance and other items not eligible for NPOO funding. The government also gave consent to the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure to assume obligations in the state budget for 2027 in the amount of €74.6 million.
Before the system is introduced, toll booths will be gradually removed, and 208 toll gantries and 140 fast registration lanes will be installed on motorways. The gantries automatically read licence plates at speeds exceeding 200 kilometres per hour, and, as NacionalnoPlus reports, passenger car drivers will be able to choose between a prepaid model with registration of their plate and linking to a bank card, or using an ENC device. For heavy goods vehicles, ENC is mandatory.
Toll enforcement will be carried out by mobile units, more than 70 specially equipped vehicles that will, in direct connection with control centres, check whether the toll has been paid.
The project is one of the largest transport undertakings in the past decade, and according to the government, it should reduce stopping, speed up vehicle flow and remove kilometre-long queues, especially during the tourist season. The Ministry published a call for proposals on 17 June, and after the project application has been reviewed, a final funding decision and the signing of a contract with Hrvatske autoceste will follow.
The real result, sources at Narodno.hr emphasise, will only be visible if the system truly eliminates congestion, does not create additional costs for drivers and is fully ready before the start of the main 2027 tourist season.
