The rental terms for Croatia describe the standard insurance on a car booked for collection at Dubrovnik Airport: what the standard cover leaves out and what cancels it. They do not describe higher cover levels, so where a car offers more, the car's own page is the place to read what it adds.
The deposit sits beside the insurance. It is set per car, on part of the Dubrovnik supply it is zero, and both the amount and the way it is held are shown before you pay.
What does standard car rental insurance not cover in Croatia?
Under clause 5 of the terms, standard insurance does not cover damage to the wheels, the undercarriage, the windscreen or the interior of the car.
Clause 8 limits where the car may be driven: rental cars are allowed to travel only on paved public roads. All eighteen clauses are reproduced on the car rental terms and conditions for Croatia page.
What cancels the insurance?
Two conditions, both in the terms. Clause 6: after an insured event you must notify the rental agent immediately and obtain a police report, unless the agent agrees otherwise. Missing either step cancels the insurance issued for the car and makes you fully responsible.
Clause 7: the insurance is invalid for deliberate damage caused by intentional vandalism or neglect. The terms do not define neglect further.
After any damage, notify the rental agent immediately and follow their instruction on the police report. The phone you booked with must stay reachable for the whole rental.
How is the deposit held on a Dubrovnik rental?
The booking process and the rental voucher show the method for paying the rest of the rental cost, how the deposit is held, and when it is refunded. Most rental companies reserve the deposit on the card rather than charging it. When a debit card is accepted, the company either places a hold or asks for the deposit by transfer to a named account.
Some companies keep the deposit for 30 to 45 days after you return the car. If the company is fined, or invoiced for an unpaid toll, for the time you had the car, that amount comes out of the deposit, and fines carry administrative costs on top.
Rental conditions
Deposit
Set per car and shown before you pay; zero on part of the Dubrovnik supply.
Card
Some cars need a physical embossed credit card in the main driver's name.
Cancellation
Free cancellation is shown on each car that offers it.
One-way
Drop-offs in Split, Zagreb, Zadar and Pula on cars that allow it.
Do I need a credit card for the deposit?
Some cars require a physical embossed credit card in the main driver's name, and it must be with you at pick-up. Some rental companies accept debit cards; the booking and the voucher say when. A debit card must also be physical, personalised, embossed and in the main driver's name.
The card rule is a field on each car, so two cars at Dubrovnik Airport on the same dates can differ. Read it on the car before paying rather than assuming it from the car's class.
Am I insured if I drive to Montenegro or Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Driving outside Croatia needs permission arranged by email with the booking help desk before the trip, and prices and conditions vary with the length of the trip, the type of car and the rental company. The terms do not say what happens to the cover if that permission is missing, so arrange it before you set off.
On the other side of the border, both countries' green card bureaus accept Croatian number plates as proof of third-party insurance. A Croatian-registered rental car therefore needs no green card at the border crossing on the road to Kotor or at the crossings into Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Can the rental car go on a ferry to an island?
Taking a rental car by ferry between the islands and the mainland is only possible with prior arrangement, made with customer support before you complete the booking.
Who pays fines, tolls and parking?
The renter. Clause 12 makes fuel, parking, fines and toll roads the renter's responsibility, and clause 17 lets the company take a fine or unpaid toll from the deposit after the return.
In Dubrovnik, the Old Town traffic zone is enforced against rental cars too. From 1 March to 30 November, entry to the zone is allowed only with a prepaid parking reservation, registered accommodation parking or a stay at a hotel inside the zone, enforcement is by video surveillance, and rental cars are not exempt. The City's instructions fine the rental company for entries made with its cars.
