Is a stun gun (electroshock device) legal in Croatia?
Conditional — keeping one is allowed, but carrying and using it in public can be an offence. Contrary to a widespread belief, an electric stun gun (electroshock device) is not banned: the Weapons Act classes „hand-held devices that use high voltage to temporarily disable a person” as a category D weapon, which needs neither approval nor notification. That means an adult may buy one and keep it at home or in a vehicle. But freedom ends there: the moment you carry the stun gun in public in a way that alarms others, or use it to threaten, attack or injure, it becomes a prohibited weapon by law. The same logic covers pepper spray and cold weapons — category D is allowed until it is misused. Misuse brings a fine of 130 to 660 euros and permanent seizure, and injuring someone also triggers criminal prosecution.
📋 The rules
- Category D, no formalities: a stun gun is, under Art. 7 of the Weapons Act, a category D weapon — bought and kept without approval and without notification to the authorities.
- Statutory definition: these are hand-held devices that use high voltage to temporarily disable a person; the same category D also covers pepper sprays and cold weapons.
- Adulthood and sensible use: although it is not registered, it is a device that presumes an adult buyer and responsible handling — not a toy or a means of intimidation.
- Misuse is the line: under Art. 8, a category D weapon becomes a prohibited weapon when used to harass, attack or injure, or carried in public so that it points to attack.
- Use is not „free”: you may use a stun gun only within the limits of necessary defence; if you attack first or use it for revenge, you are liable under both misdemeanour and criminal law.
🔓 Exceptions
- Necessary defence: using a stun gun against a simultaneous unlawful attack may be justified as necessary defence under the Criminal Code and is then not a punishable act.
- Official powers: police and licensed security guards use electroshock devices under special rules and training — a separate regime from civilian category-D possession.
- Protected premises: bringing a stun gun into an aircraft, courts and other protected premises is barred by special security rules, regardless of the item being category D.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Merely keeping a stun gun is not an offence, because it is a category D weapon. The penalty starts with misuse: if you carry it in public so as to alarm, or use it to threaten and attack, then under the Weapons Act it is a prohibited weapon, bringing a fine of 130 to 660 euros and permanent seizure of the device. If you injure someone with it, bodily injury or threat is charged under the Criminal Code, with possible prison far above the misdemeanour fine. Hidden costs: a seized device is not returned, and the misdemeanour or conviction stays on record and hampers a firearms licence, a security job or a firearm permit. Anyone who hands a stun gun to a child or an obviously unfit person can answer for the consequences of its use.
📎 Official sources
- zakon.hr — Weapons Act / Zakon o nabavi i posjedovanju oružja (category D, Arts. 7–8) →
- Ministry of the Interior (MUP) — weapons and weapon categories →
- Narodne novine — Weapons Act (NN 94/2018) →
❓ Frequently asked
Is a stun gun banned in Croatia?
No. An electric stun gun is a category D weapon, so an adult may buy and keep it without approval or notification. The ban applies only to misuse — carrying it in public to intimidate, or using it to attack and injure.
Do I need a permit or to report a stun gun?
You need neither an approval from the Ministry of the Interior nor a police report, because a stun gun is not a weapon that is registered. That does not mean you may carry and use it as you wish: outside necessary defence, any use against another person is punishable.
May I carry a stun gun with me on the street?
Keeping it is allowed, but carrying it in public in a way that alarms others or points to attack turns it into a prohibited weapon. In practice you may have it, but you must not display it as a threat or brandish it in a clash.
What if I injure an attacker with a stun gun?
If you acted in necessary defence against a simultaneous unlawful attack, the use may be justified and unpunished. If you exceeded the limits of defence or attacked first, you answer for bodily injury or threat, and the device is seized.
Do the same rules apply to pepper spray?
Yes, sprayers of permitted harmless substances are also category D, so they are kept without a permit or notification. As with a stun gun, a penalty follows only if the spray is used to attack or to threaten another person.
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