Prostitution laws in CroatiaHrvatska
Croatia penalises the person who sells sex rather than the buyer. Under the 1977 Act on Misdemeanours against Public Order and Peace, engaging in prostitution is punishable by a fine of EUR 20–100 or up to 30 days' imprisonment, and allowing premises to be used for prostitution or otherwise enabling it by EUR 300–2,000 or up to 30 days. Article 157 of the Criminal Code covers recruiting, organising or enabling prostitution for gain, buying sex from a person known to be coerced, and advertising another person's prostitution through public media. A 2015 amendment limited the advertising offence to the prostitution "of another person". In June 2024 the interior minister said a working group was drafting a new public order law; no draft had been published by October 2026 as far as could be checked.
Legal model
Selling and buying prohibited. Selling sex is an offence (criminal or administrative), whether or not buying is.
Selling sex is a misdemeanour under Article 12 of the 1977 public order act. Buying is not an offence unless the buyer knew or should have known that the person was coerced (Article 157(2) Criminal Code). Organising, enabling and profiting from prostitution, and advertising another person's prostitution, are crimes.[1][2]
At a glance
| Question | Status | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Selling sexual services | Illegal Administrative offence | Engaging in prostitution ("tko se odaje prostituciji") is a misdemeanour punishable by a fine of EUR 20–100 or up to 30 days' imprisonment. The provision is not limited to public places.[1][3][4] |
| Buying sexual services | Legal | Paying an adult for sex is not an offence. Buying sexual services from a person whom the buyer knew, or should and could have known, was forced, deceived or otherwise coerced into providing them is a crime punishable by one to ten years' imprisonment.[2][5] |
| Brothels and managed venues | Illegal Criminal offence | Allowing one's premises to be used for prostitution, or otherwise enabling or assisting it, is a misdemeanour (EUR 300–2,000 or up to 30 days). Organising or enabling another person's provision of sexual services for gain is a crime punishable by six months to five years.[1][2][4] |
| Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping) | Illegal Criminal offence | Luring, recruiting or inciting another person to provide sexual services, or organising or enabling it, for gain is punishable by six months to five years. Force, deception or abuse of a position of dependence raises the range to one to ten years. The person's consent, and whether they already sold sex, is irrelevant.[2] |
| Advertising sexual services | Restricted Breach: criminal offence | Advertising the prostitution of another person through public media "and other similar means" is a crime punishable by up to three years. Since a 2015 amendment the provision refers expressly to another person's prostitution, so people advertising their own services fall outside it.[2][5][6] |
The law in detail
Selling sexual services
Engaging in prostitution ("tko se odaje prostituciji") is a misdemeanour punishable by a fine of EUR 20–100 or up to 30 days' imprisonment. The provision is not limited to public places.[1][3][4]
The fine range was converted from DEM to euro by NN 114/2022 with effect from the euro changeover (1 January 2023). The 2023 amendment (NN 47/2023), which raised most fines in the act, did not change Article 12.
Checked 30 October 2026
Buying sexual services
Paying an adult for sex is not an offence. Buying sexual services from a person whom the buyer knew, or should and could have known, was forced, deceived or otherwise coerced into providing them is a crime punishable by one to ten years' imprisonment.[2][5]
Checked 30 October 2026
Brothels and managed venues
Allowing one's premises to be used for prostitution, or otherwise enabling or assisting it, is a misdemeanour (EUR 300–2,000 or up to 30 days). Organising or enabling another person's provision of sexual services for gain is a crime punishable by six months to five years.[1][2][4]
Checked 30 October 2026
Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping)
Luring, recruiting or inciting another person to provide sexual services, or organising or enabling it, for gain is punishable by six months to five years. Force, deception or abuse of a position of dependence raises the range to one to ten years. The person's consent, and whether they already sold sex, is irrelevant.[2]
Checked 30 October 2026
Advertising sexual services
Advertising the prostitution of another person through public media "and other similar means" is a crime punishable by up to three years. Since a 2015 amendment the provision refers expressly to another person's prostitution, so people advertising their own services fall outside it.[2][5][6]
The 2011 text read "oglašava prostituciju" (advertises prostitution). Article 46 of NN 56/2015 inserted "druge osobe" (of another person) after "prostituciju".
Note. Whether a website that hosts third-party ads counts as "other similar means" under Article 157(3), and how the provision interacts with the EU Digital Services Act, has not been checked against case law for this overview.
Checked 30 October 2026
Key legislation
| Law | What it does here | In force |
|---|---|---|
| Zakon o prekršajima protiv javnog reda i mira (pročišćeni tekst, NN 41/77 … 114/22, 47/23) Act on Misdemeanours against Public Order and Peace (1977, as amended) čl. 7 · čl. 12 | Makes selling sex (Art. 12) and providing premises for or enabling prostitution (Art. 7) misdemeanours.[1] | |
| Kazneni zakon (pročišćeni tekst) Criminal Code (2011, as amended) čl. 157 | Article 157 criminalises procuring, buying from coerced persons and advertising another person's prostitution.[2] | |
| Zakon o izmjenama i dopunama Kaznenog zakona (NN 56/2015) Act amending the Criminal Code (NN 56/2015) čl. 46 | Narrowed the advertising offence to advertising the prostitution of another person.[6] | 30 May 2015 |
Pending and under review
Proposed · updated 24 June 2024
New law on public order and peace (Ministry of the Interior working group)
In June 2024 Interior Minister Davor Božinović said an inter-ministerial working group was drafting a new public order law, which would go to the government and then to public consultation. Media reported that it would penalise buyers rather than sellers of sexual services; the minister declined to confirm this. No published draft was found as of October 2026.[7]
Timeline
- 30 May 2015Criminal Code amendment (NN 56/2015) enters into force, limiting the advertising offence to the prostitution "of another person".[6]
- 1 January 2023Public order act fines converted to euro; selling sex becomes punishable by EUR 20–100.[3]
- 11 May 2023Higher fines for most public order misdemeanours enter into force; premises/enabling offence rises to EUR 300–2,000, selling unchanged.[4]
- 24 June 2024Interior minister confirms a working group is drafting a new public order law.[7]
Sources
- Zakon o prekršajima protiv javnog reda i mira (pročišćeni tekst, NN 41/77 … 114/22, 47/23) (Act on Misdemeanours against Public Order and Peace (consolidated)). Zakon.hr (unofficial consolidated text). legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Kazneni zakon (pročišćeni tekst) (Criminal Code (consolidated)). Zakon.hr (unofficial consolidated text). legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Zakon o izmjenama Zakona o prekršajima protiv javnog reda i mira (NN 114/2022) (Act amending the Act on Misdemeanours against Public Order and Peace (euro conversion)). Narodne novine, 3 October 2022. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Zakon o izmjenama Zakona o prekršajima protiv javnog reda i mira (NN 47/2023) (Act amending the Act on Misdemeanours against Public Order and Peace (higher fines)). Narodne novine, 3 May 2023. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Kazneni zakon (NN 125/2011) (Criminal Code (original text)). Narodne novine. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Zakon o izmjenama i dopunama Kaznenog zakona (NN 56/2015) (Act amending the Criminal Code (2015)). Narodne novine, 22 May 2015. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Hoće li Hrvatska dekriminalizirati prostituciju? "Radi se novi zakon..." (Will Croatia decriminalise prostitution? "A new law is being drafted"). Dnevnik.hr (Hina), 24 June 2024. news · accessed 30 October 2026