On 1 January 2023 Croatia joined the Schengen Area.1
While Croatian consulates were in the past issuing national visas allowing their holders to enter Croatian territory, as of 1 January 2023, they are issuing Schengen visas, which allow free movement to their holder not only in Croatia, but within the Schengen Area (subject to the visa’s validity and period limitations).
The Schengen Area currently comprises 27 European countries2 that have all signed up to the Schengen Agreement. This is a treaty in which all signatories have agreed to abolish their national borders in order to facilitate simpler trading between member states as well as to speed up border crossing procedures for business travellers and visitors.