📱 Can I use my phone while driving?

With conditions

Quick answer

You may — but only through a device that lets you use it without your hands. A phone in your hand while driving costs 130 euros (ZSPC čl. 196. st. 7.), and the law permits use exclusively via a hands-free device (čl. 196. st. 4.). Two myths fall at once. First: "I will just glance at a message at the lights" — sitting at a red light or in a jam is still driving, because the ban applies while driving, not only while the vehicle is moving. Second: "the fine is 500 kuna" — it was doubled to 1,000 kn back on 1 August 2019 (NN 70/19), and since 1 January 2023 it reads 130 euros (NN 114/22). Some official police pages still show the old kuna figure.

📋 The rules

ZSPC čl. 196. st. 3.: while driving, a driver may not use a phone or other devices in a way that reduces their ability to react and control the vehicle safely — in enforcement practice this means any use with the hand (calls, messages, scrolling).
Čl. 196. st. 4.: a phone may be used only via a device that works without using a hand (hands-free, Bluetooth, cradle). The exception is about the hand — tapping on a phone sitting in a cradle still breaches st. 3.
The fine: 130 euros (čl. 196. st. 7.). NN 70/19 raised it from 500 to 1,000 kn (in force from 1 August 2019), and NN 114/22 restated it as 130 euros from 1 January 2023.
This offence carries no penalty points — no amendment up to and including NN 145/24 added any to čl. 196. (points exist for speeding, alcohol, running a red light and the like).
Since NN 85/22 (30 July 2022) cyclists and e-scooter riders may not ride with headphones in both ears; the fine is 30 euros (čl. 196. st. 4. and 8.).

🔓 Exceptions

Hands-free is expressly permitted (čl. 196. st. 4.) — a call over the car speakers or a headset is not an offence, although MUP (police) warns that even a hands-free conversation narrows your field of attention.
Emergency vehicles using lights and sirens are exempt from the phone ban as well as from the other rules (ZSPC čl. 149., per the MUP FAQ).
Using a phone while the vehicle is properly parked is not covered by the ban, because that is not "while driving" — but waiting at a red light or in a traffic jam still counts as driving.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

130 euros per offence and not a single penalty point — so it looks cheap. The hidden cost is liability: MUP ranks the phone among the "four killers" on the road, and if phone use contributes to a crash the driver faces far heavier accident-related offences plus civil and criminal liability, with consequences that dwarf the fine many times over. Police record tens of thousands of these offences a year, making it one of the most frequently punished behaviours in Croatia — and one of the first things pointed to when fault for a collision is being established.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

Can I check a message while stopped at a red light?

No. Sitting at the lights or in a jam is still legally driving, so the ban in čl. 196. applies. It is allowed only if the vehicle is properly parked, not merely stopped temporarily in traffic.

Is the fine still 500 kuna?

It is not. The amount was doubled to 1,000 kuna on 1 August 2019 (NN 70/19), and since 1 January 2023 it reads 130 euros (NN 114/22). Some official police pages still display the obsolete 500 kuna.

Do I get penalty points for using a phone while driving?

No. Under the current ZSPC, phone use carries no penalty points, only the 130 euro fine. Points attach to speeding, alcohol, running a red light and similar offences instead.

Can I tap on a phone that is in a cradle?

You should not. The exception in st. 4. covers use without the hand, so tapping and scrolling on a device in a cradle still breaches the st. 3. ban on reduced ability to control the vehicle.

Does the ban apply to cyclists too?

Since 30 July 2022 cyclists and e-scooter riders may not ride with headphones in both ears, with a fine of 30 euros. It was introduced by the ZSPC amendment published in NN 85/22.

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