Are shops allowed to open on Sundays?
Conditional — shops are as a rule closed on Sundays, but a trader may choose up to 16 Sundays a year on which to open. This rule was introduced by the Act amending the Trade Act (NN 33/23), in force since 1 July 2023. From Monday to Saturday the trader arranges opening hours freely, up to 90 hours a week per outlet; in a week with a working Sunday that budget rises by 15 hours, to a maximum of 105 hours. Here the main myth falls: many assume the ban was struck down as it was in 2009, but the Constitutional Court upheld it on 14 February 2024 (U-I-3291/2023) as constitutional and proportionate. So from the 17th Sunday onward a shop must stay closed, unless it is one of the outlets the law lists as exempt, such as petrol stations, stations and airports.
📋 The rules
- Basic rule: sales outlets open Monday to Saturday and are closed on Sundays and public holidays (Art. 57 of the Trade Act, NN 33/23, in force from 1 July 2023).
- A 90-hour budget: from Monday to Saturday the trader arranges working hours freely, up to 90 hours a week per outlet.
- 16 working Sundays: a trader may, at their own choice, designate up to 16 Sundays a year as working; in such a week the budget rises by 15 hours, to a maximum of 105.
- Constitutionally confirmed: the Constitutional Court in 2024 (U-I-3291/2023) held that restricting Sunday work is legitimate and proportionate, so the rule stands.
- Enforcement: compliance with working hours and the number of working Sundays is checked by the State Inspectorate, and exceeding them is an offence of the trader and the responsible person.
🔓 Exceptions
- Transport and travel hubs: outlets at petrol stations, railway and bus stations, airports and ports, and on ships and ferries, may open on Sundays.
- Tourism and health: exemptions also cover outlets in hospitals, hotels, campsites and marinas, museums and declared protected natural areas, per the list in the Act.
- Farms and cultural institutions: family farms (OPGs) selling their own produce and outlets within cultural and religious institutions may also open on Sundays.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Opening on a Sunday outside the permitted 16, or exceeding the hours budget, is an offence established by the State Inspectorate, and the penalty falls on both the trader (the company) and the responsible person within it. The Trade Act sets high fines for working-hours offences; before the euro their range reached into the hundreds of thousands of kuna, and they are now expressed in euros. The hidden cost is commercial: on repeat breaches the inspectorate may order a temporary closure of the outlet, and the offence weighs on the trader's reputation. There is a labour-law cost too — a worker who does work a chosen Sunday is entitled to premium pay under the collective agreement or workplace rules, so unplanned opening makes the shift dearer. The biggest misconception is that it "pays to risk it": inspections have intensified since the Constitutional Court upheld the rule, so the chance of a fine is real.
📎 Official sources
- zakon.hr — Trade Act (working hours Art. 57; exemptions) [Croatian] →
- Narodne novine — Act amending the Trade Act (NN 33/23) →
- Narodne novine — Constitutional Court ruling U-I-3291/2023 (NN 21/24) →
❓ Frequently asked
How many Sundays a year may a shop open?
A trader may designate at most 16 Sundays a year as working, at their own choice, while the remaining Sundays and public holidays are non-working. The choice of which Sundays is left to the trader, but the total may never exceed 16.
Has the Sunday trading ban been abolished?
No; unlike the earlier ban the Constitutional Court struck down in 2009, this version was held constitutional and proportionate in 2024. The rule of Sunday closing with 16 permitted working Sundays therefore remains in force.
Which shops may open every Sunday?
The exemptions are listed in the Act and include outlets at petrol stations, stations, airports and ports, and in hospitals, hotels, campsites and marinas. Family farms selling their own produce and outlets within cultural and religious institutions may also open.
How many hours a week may a shop work?
From Monday to Saturday the trader freely arranges up to 90 hours of work a week per outlet. In a week when it uses one of its 16 working Sundays, that budget rises by 15 hours, to a maximum of 105 hours.
Who monitors and penalises Sunday opening?
Oversight is carried out by the State Inspectorate, and both the trader and the responsible person in the company answer for unlawful Sunday work. On repeat offences the inspectorate may also impose a temporary closure of the outlet.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “sunday trading croatia”
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