Can I buy and set off firecrackers for New Year's Eve?
No — firecrackers are banned, all year round, New Year included. Members of the public may not buy, possess or use firecrackers and banger strings of categories F2 and F3: F3 since the act came into force in 2017, F2 since 2 January 2021 (NN 141/2020 — NN is Narodne novine, the official gazette). The fine is 660–1,990 EUR plus seizure of the goods. The myth that "firecrackers are allowed for New Year" is simply false: in the window from 27 December to 1 January adults may use only other F2/F3 pyrotechnics — rockets, fountains and firework boxes — never firecrackers. Category F1 (sparklers, Bengal lights, tiny novelties) is legal all year from age 14. Indoors and near crowds, only F1 may be used at all.
📋 The rules
- The public may not acquire, possess or use firecrackers and banger strings of categories F2 and F3, nor any pyrotechnics of categories F4, P1, P2, T1 and T2 (art. 62(6) of the Zakon o eksplozivnim tvarima te proizvodnji i prometu oružja); breach = 660–1,990 EUR (art. 90).
- The timeline of the ban: F3 firecrackers were banned by the parent act NN 70/17 (in force from 27.7.2017), and NN 141/2020 extended the ban to F2 firecrackers with effect from 2.1.2021 — since then there has been no legal consumer firecracker in Croatia.
- The other permitted F2/F3 fireworks (rockets, fountains, boxes): sold only in licensed shops, only to persons 18+, and only from 15 December to 1 January; use is allowed only from 27 December to 1 January by persons 18+ (art. 62(3)–(4)). Using them between 2 January and 26 December is a misdemeanour (art. 90(4)).
- Category F1 (sparklers, Bengal lights, small novelties such as "jumping jacks" and "dog bombs") is legal all year from age 14 and is sold even at newsstands; indoors and near crowds of people the public may use F1 only (art. 62(5), (9) and (10)).
- Quantities and imports: a private person may keep at most 2 kg of net pyrotechnic composition of permitted F1/F2/F3 products (art. 62(8)); bringing banned pyrotechnics into Croatia, or more than 2 kg of the permitted kind, is a misdemeanour (art. 56(6)) — and courier services must hold back pyrotechnics ordered online.
🔓 Exceptions
- Category F1 pyrotechnics stay legal all year for anyone aged 14 and over — the ban targets the loud F2/F3 bangers, not that novelty category.
- Licensed professionals (companies and trades holding a ministry or civil-protection permit) may acquire and use F2, F3, T1 and P1 all year round for public displays, rescue work, agriculture, theatre, maritime signalling and rocket modelling (art. 62(7)); only licensed firms may stage a public firework display.
- The 27.12.–1.1. window legalises only the other permitted F2/F3 products for adults — never firecrackers and banger strings, which stay banned on New Year's Eve as well.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Buying, holding or using banned pyrotechnics costs 660–1,990 EUR plus seizure of the goods. The consequence few expect: if a child under 14 is caught with pyrotechnics, the parents answer for the offence — 130–390 EUR — and MUP (the police) notify the Institute for Social Work; a shop selling pyrotechnics to a child under 14 risks 1,320–3,980 EUR; parcels ordered illegally are stopped at the courier. The real loophole: equally loud "aerial bombs" and firework boxes are not legally "firecrackers", so they can still be bought in the December window.
📎 Official sources
- Narodne novine · the official gazette (NN 141/2020 — the ban on F2 firecrackers) →
- Croatian Police · annual notices on the rules for using pyrotechnics →
- Zakon.hr · consolidated text of the Act on Explosive Substances and the Production of and Trade in Weapons →
❓ Frequently asked
Can firecrackers at least be used on New Year's Eve?
No — firecrackers and banger strings of categories F2 and F3 are banned for the public all year round, 31 December included. In the window from 27 December to 1 January adults may use only other F2/F3 products, such as rockets and boxed fireworks.
Since when have F2 firecrackers been banned?
F3 firecrackers were banned by the parent act from 27 July 2017, and the ban was extended to F2 by the amendments in NN 141/2020 with effect from 2 January 2021. Since then there has been no legal consumer firecracker in Croatia.
What if a child is caught with pyrotechnics?
If the child is under 14, it is the parents who answer for the offence, and the fine is 130 to 390 EUR. In such cases the police also notify the Institute for Social Work, which is the part parents rarely see coming.
Which pyrotechnics may I use all year round?
Only category F1 — sparklers, Bengal lights and small novelties such as jumping jacks — and only from the age of 14. Indoors and near crowds of people, F1 products are the only ones the public may use at all.
Is a stricter pyrotechnics law on the way?
MUP announced in its 2026 programme amendments to the explosives act that would tighten sale, purchase and use and raise the fines. As of 12 July 2026 none has been adopted, so the rules described here still apply.
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