🍄 How many mushrooms may I pick and do I need a permit in Croatia?

With conditions

Quick answer

Yes — but at most 3 kg a day, and in state forests with a permit. For personal use a picker and their family may pick up to 3 kg of above-ground mushrooms a day (Forest Act), and to pick in state forests you need a permit from Hrvatske sume (the state forestry) — for personal use it is free and valid until the end of the year. Only two-thirds of the fruiting bodies are picked; one-third stays in place. Note: 314 strictly protected species of mushroom must not be touched. The myth "the forest belongs to everyone, I pick as much as I like" does not hold — both the amount and the place are limited, and picking without a permit in a state forest is fined (up to about 930 € for a natural person). The myth "the limit is per person in a group" is also shaky: 3 kg is for the picker and family together.

📋 The rules

Daily limit: for personal use you may pick up to 3 kg of above-ground mushrooms a day per picker and family (Forest Act); other forest produce has its own limits.
Permit for state forests: to gather mushrooms and other non-timber forest produce in state forests you need a permit from Hrvatske sume, which for personal use is free and valid until 31 December of the current year.
Protected species: Croatia has 314 strictly protected species of mushroom that must not be picked (nature-protection rules) — among them some prized edibles.
Sustainable picking: you may pick only two-thirds of the fruiting bodies at a site, one-third stays for propagation; over-mature and immature bodies are not picked, and picked mushrooms are not discarded.
Fine: a natural person who gathers forest produce in a state forest without a permit is fined — Hrvatske sume cite amounts up to about 930 € (Forest Act), and nature-protection rules apply to protected species.

🔓 Exceptions

Your own forest: in your own private forest you do not need a Hrvatske sume permit, but the daily limit and the ban on picking protected species still apply.
Commercial gathering: picking for sale is not "personal use" — it requires a special permit, higher fees and records, with different limits and conditions.
Protected areas: in national parks and nature parks picking may be further restricted or banned by the rules of that area, regardless of the general 3 kg limit.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

For a picker who respects the limit and holds a permit there is no fine. Picking without a permit in a state forest is an offence under the Forest Act — Hrvatske sume cite fines up to about 930 € for a natural person (the figure is converted from earlier kuna amounts). It is far more serious with the 314 strictly protected species: picking them breaches nature-protection rules, where the fines are markedly higher and the mushrooms are seized. What people do not expect: nature wardens and foresters can seize the entire haul and the equipment, and going over the 3 kg limit is treated as picking beyond "personal use". The costliest mistake is misidentifying species — a poisonous mushroom is a health risk, not a legal one, with treatment costs and danger to life, which is why checking at an expert mushroom-control point is recommended.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

How many mushrooms may I pick in one day?

For personal use you may pick up to 3 kg of above-ground mushrooms a day, and that is for you and your family together, not per person in a group. Going over that amount is treated as picking beyond personal use and can be fined.

Do I need a permit to pick mushrooms?

In state forests yes — you need a permit from Hrvatske sume, which for personal use is free and valid until the end of the year. In your own private forest no permit is needed, but the daily limit and the ban on protected species still apply.

Which mushrooms may I not pick?

You may not pick strictly protected species, of which Croatia has 314, among them some prized edibles. Picking them breaches nature-protection rules and is punished markedly more severely than ordinary picking without a permit.

How big is the fine for picking without a permit?

Hrvatske sume state that a natural person without a permit can be fined amounts up to about 930 € under the Forest Act. Alongside the fine, wardens and foresters can seize the mushrooms you picked and the equipment you used.

May I pick all the mushrooms from one spot?

No, sustainable-picking rules allow you to pick only two-thirds of the fruiting bodies, while one-third must stay for propagation. Over-mature and immature bodies are not picked, and mushrooms already picked must not be discarded in the forest.

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