Croatia Introduces Stricter Measures: Thousands of Old ID Cards Become Invalid Next Week
Documents issued before 2003 lose validity, and citizens who fail to replace them will face serious financial consequences.
Documents issued before 2003 lose validity, and citizens who fail to replace them will face serious financial consequences.
A large number of Croatian citizens, more than 13,000 of them, will no longer be able to use their ID cards starting Monday, August 3, 2026. As reported by the portal 023.hr, these are documents with permanent validity, issued before January 1, 2003, which automatically lose their validity due to new security requirements.
Replacement is mandatory due to a European regulation that tightens security standards and the fight against counterfeiting. ID cards older than two decades do not meet modern biometric and technical requirements, so they are being withdrawn from use.
The Ministry of the Interior (MUP) urges all citizens who still hold such documents to request a replacement as soon as possible to avoid administrative issues and hefty fines.
To obtain a new ID card, you must appear in person at the nearest police administration or station. Along with the old ID card, you need to bring a photo measuring 3.5 x 4.5 centimeters. For those who cannot come due to health or reduced mobility, the MUP has arranged field visits, police officers will come to your home to collect the application and deliver the new document.
The price depends on the type and speed of production. Regular production with electronic certificates costs 13.27 euros. Those over 70 years old requesting a permanent ID without certificates pay 9.29 euros. The expedited process, with a ten-day turnaround, costs 25.88 euros, while the urgent process, which takes three working days, amounts to 66.36 euros.
According to the Law, an application for a new ID card must be submitted within 15 days after the expiration of the old one. If this deadline is missed, a fine of 66.36 euros follows. Much larger fines, ranging from 390 to 590 euros, are foreseen for those who do not have a valid document at all, reports 023.hr.
The MUP therefore appeals to citizens not to delay the replacement, as the fines are significantly higher than the cost of producing a new document.
