- Abortion legal status
- Legal
- Emergency number
- 112
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: total-croatia-news.com, isitsafetovisit.com
Good to know
Good to Know
- Croatia's currency is the Euro (EUR) — it replaced the kuna in January 2023, so all prices are already in euros.
- Emergency contraception (the morning-after pill) is available without a prescription directly from pharmacies in Zagreb, but only at official 'Ljekarna' pharmacies (green cross sign), not at drugstore chains like DM or Müller.
- Regular birth control pills and IUDs require a prescription from a gynecologist — as a visitor without a Croatian-registered doctor, the fastest route is a private clinic (poliklinika) visit to get an e-prescription.
- Croatia has limited state-mandated sex education and does not offer free contraception, so budget for out-of-pocket costs regardless of your home country's typical coverage.
- If you experience assault, Zagreb's 'Ženska soba' (Women's Room) specifically supports female sexual assault survivors, but has limited daytime hours — for immediate danger always call 112 first.
- Croatia's abortion law technically states a '10 weeks from conception' limit, but because doctors date pregnancies from the last menstrual period (standard medical practice), the practical on-request window is closer to 12 weeks — don't panic if a clinic quotes a slightly different number than what you read online.
- As a non-resident without Croatian health insurance, expect to pay out of pocket for an elective abortion since it's only free for insured residents or for medically-indicated cases.
- Some individual doctors or even entire hospitals may invoke 'conscientious objection' and decline to perform the procedure; if you hit this, ask the hospital administration directly, as they are required to arrange an alternative provider rather than turn you away entirely.
- Private clinics like Agram, NovaMed, and St. Catherine's are commonly used by expats/nomads for routine gynecology (exams, contraception, pregnancy checks) and generally handle English-speaking patients smoothly with fast appointment turnaround.
- If you need the abortion pill (Mifegyne), you'll need a doctor's prescription first — it isn't available over the counter.
Street, Night and Taxi Safety
Street Harassment
A 2020 Twitter campaign called #zeneujavnomprostoru ("women in the public space") brought a wave of accounts from Croatian women describing being shouted at in the street or inappropriately touched, including on crowded trams. Local activists quoted in the coverage noted that some of this behaviour is still dismissed by part of the public as harmless compliments rather than harassment, which has made it harder to get it taken seriously. Physical stranger assault and violent street crime against women are described as rare, but low-level verbal harassment is something many Zagreb women say they have personally experienced.
Walking Alone at Night
Zagreb is generally described as safe to walk in after dark, with local women commonly out alone day and night and regular police patrols and well-lit streets in the central areas. The Upper Town, Tkalčićeva (the main bar street) and the Lower Town parks are described as routine solo experiences day or night, with cafés and the bar street staying lively and populated into the evening. The standard caution given is to avoid isolated, poorly lit, or deserted streets late at night and to stick to the well-populated central districts.
Taxis and Ride-hailing
Uber and Bolt both operate in Zagreb and are generally described as a safe, reliable, and often cheaper way to get around than traditional taxis, including to and from the airport. A documented taxi scam involved an unlicensed-feeling operator at the Main Station overcharging a foreign traveler by manipulating the fare display and taking control of her card payment device, so travelers are advised to avoid unsolicited taxi offers in arrival areas and to use the official taxi rank or a ride-hailing app instead. Zagreb's public transport (the ZET tram and bus network) is also described as very safe, reliable, and running with good security presence.
Taxi Fare Scam Warning
A specific, documented 2025 case involved a Zagreb taxi driver charging a foreign woman an inflated fare for a very short ride from the Main Station after insisting on cash, then switching tactics and taking control of her card and PIN entry when she objected. The advice drawn from this and similar reports is to insist on a running, visible meter, confirm the currency and price list before the ride starts, and avoid handing over a card or PIN to the driver.
Practical Precautions
Common advice for women in Zagreb includes avoiding isolated or poorly lit side streets late at night, keeping an eye on drinks in bars and nightlife areas, keeping bags and valuables secure in crowded spots like markets and trams where pickpocketing can occur, and telling someone your plans if going out alone. Choosing licensed taxi ranks or ride-hailing apps over unsolicited offers, especially around the train station and airport, is specifically recommended.
Access Routes
- Public System
- Free of charge for residents (and non-residents with valid Croatian health insurance) when performed for medical reasons; otherwise costs are paid out of pocket. Abortions can only be performed by a physician in a hospital with an obstetrics/gynaecology department or another authorized facility.
- Medication Abortion
- Mifegyne (mifepristone), approved in Croatia since 2019, can be used up to 10 weeks of pregnancy with a doctor's prescription; a pharmacy can typically fill it within 24–48 hours, followed by a required gynaecological check-up after the treatment course.
- Estimated Out Of Pocket Cost No Insurance
- €200
Low end of typical self-pay range for women without Croatian health coverage
- Estimated Out Of Pocket Cost No Insurance High
- €270
High end of typical self-pay range for women without Croatian health coverage
Named Facilities Offering Abortion In Zagreb
- Clinical Hospital Center Zagreb – Clinic for Women's Diseases and Obstetrics ('Petrova') – medical abortion
- Clinical Hospital Center Sestre Milosrdnice ('Vinogradska') – surgical and medical abortion
- Clinical Hospital 'Sveti Duh' – medical abortion
- Maternity Hospital and Polyclinic Podobnik (private) – surgical and medical abortion
Named OB-GYN Options Zagreb
Special Hospital St. Catherine's – Centre for Women's Health
- Type
- Private specialty hospital
- Notes
- Led by Dr. Ivana Erceg Ivkosic, an OBGYN and human-reproduction subspecialist. Offers general gynecological exams, ultrasound, Pap smears, contraception/family planning, pregnancy check-ups, and fertility counseling.
Agram Hospital / Agram Polyclinic
- Type
- Private hospital and polyclinic system
- Notes
- Described as the leading private healthcare system in Croatia with over 20 years of operation; gynecology services include doctors such as Dr. Mario Ćorić and Dr. Bakula, covering routine gynecology and pregnancy check-ups.
NovaMed
- Type
- Private polyclinic
- Notes
- Team of gynecologists combining internal medicine with gynecology for full women's health screening, diagnostics, and preventive care.
Poliklinika Eljuga
- Type
- Private polyclinic
- Notes
- Operating since 1994; focuses on breast diagnostics, gynecology, birthing, and offers a range of pregnancy- and gynecology-related procedures.
ZagrebMed (Referral/concierge Service)
- Type
- Medical concierge / booking platform
- Notes
- Connects English-speaking patients with Zagreb gynecologists (e.g., Dr. Mario Ćorić) for exams, blood tests, and pregnancy confirmation; useful for nomads needing help booking appointments across the language barrier.
Assault Support Hotlines Zagreb
ŽEnska Soba (The Women's Room) – Center for Sexual Rights
- Phone
- +385 1 6119 174
- zenska.soba@zenskasoba.hr
- Focus
- Zagreb-based service that assists female sexual assault victims
- Notes
- Working hours limited (mornings); address Maksimirska cesta 51a, Zagreb.
Women's Help Now
- Phone
- 0800-655-222 (within Croatia) or +385-1-4658-389
- zenskapomocsada@gmail.com
- Focus
- National emergency hotline for women and children who are victims of domestic and sexual violence, usable from Zagreb
Centre for Women War Victims – ROSA
- Phone Admin
- +385 1 4551 142
- Phone Support
- 0800 77 99 / +385 1 4551 128
- cenzena@zamir.net
- Focus
- Zagreb-based women's support organization
- Address
- Kralja Držislava 2, 10000 Zagreb
B.a.B.e. (Be Active, Be Emancipated)
- Phone
- 0800-200-144 or +385-1-4611-351
- babe@babe.hr
- Focus
- Free legal assistance for victims of violence, can help through the judicial process
U.S. Embassy Zagreb – Victims of Crime Line
- Phone
- +385 1 661 2200
- Focus
- 24-hour consular assistance for U.S. citizen crime victims (helps with police/medical navigation, not a counseling line)
Contraception Access
- Currency Note
- Croatia's official currency is the Euro (EUR), adopted in January 2023.
IUD And Implant
- Access
- Available via gynecologist consultation and insertion at public or private clinics; requires an appointment and is not an over-the-counter product.
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Price Note
- Specific current Zagreb pricing for IUD or implant insertion was not found in available sources; nomads should expect a private gynecology consultation fee plus the device cost, confirmed directly with a clinic.
Birth Control Pill
- Access
- Requires a prescription from a gynecologist (public or private); Croatian state insurance does not cover the pill by default, though supplementary (dopunsko) insurance may partially cover some brands.
- Price Low
- €11
- Price High
- €16
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Price Note
- Typical monthly out-of-pocket cost range for uninsured/tourist purchase.
Emergency Contraception
- Price
- €26
- Access
- Both levonorgestrel (LNG, e.g. Escapelle) for women over 16 and ulipristal acetate (UPA, e.g. ellaOne) emergency contraception pills can be purchased directly from pharmacies (Ljekarna) without a prescription; this has been the case since 2015.
- Legal Status
- Fully legal and regulated
- Where To Buy
- Only at licensed pharmacies marked 'Ljekarna' with a green cross sign; general drugstores like DM or Müller cannot sell it.
- Price Note
- Not reimbursed or covered by social/state health insurance; price paid fully out of pocket.
Minors
Girls under 16 require parental authorization; unmarried minors 16 and older may need a special commission decision (with parental notification) if the abortion carries serious risk or weeks of pregnancy exceeds 10 weeks.
Law Summary
Abortion on request is legal in Croatia under a 1978 law that has remained unchanged since independence in 1991, and the Constitutional Court confirmed in 2017 that the law allowing abortion on request does not violate the Constitution. Croatian statute frames the limit as 10 weeks from conception, but because Croatian medical practice counts pregnancy from the first day of the last menstrual period rather than from conception, this generally translates to roughly 12 weeks (11 weeks 6 days) of weeks of pregnancy as commonly counted elsewhere. Beyond the on-request window, abortion remains legal in cases of rape, incest, fetal impairment, or danger to the woman's life or health, with no explicit pregnancy cutoff stated in the law for these indications.
Legal Status
Fully legal and regulated
Abortion Time Limits
- On Request
- Up to 10 weeks post-conception per statute (commonly interpreted as up to ~12 weeks / 11 weeks 6 days counted from last menstrual period, the standard medical dating convention).
- Beyond On Request Limit
- Permitted afterward only in cases of rape, incest, fetal impairment, or risk to the woman's life/health, requiring approval from a Commission of First Instance (a gynaecologist, another physician, and a social worker or nurse). No explicit pregnancy cap is specified in the law for these grounds.
Conscientious Objection
Doctors have a legal right to conscientious objection (allowed since a 2003 amendment). This has historically made access difficult in some regions; since a 2014 Ministry of Health directive, public hospitals where all staff object must contract an external provider willing to perform the procedure, so access should not be legally denied outright, but appointment delays or the need to travel to a different hospital are a realistic practical risk.
Emergency Number
- Number
- 112
- Description
- General emergency number in Croatia for police, ambulance, and fire; also reachable via 192 for police directly.
Reporting And Medical Notes
- Police Reporting
- Both female and male victims can report to police; larger stations like Zagreb should have specially trained officers, though the first responder may not be specialized.
- Post Assault Care
- Victims should seek STI testing from a local health provider or hospital even if already tested elsewhere, and can request police provide an interpreter if needed.
- Legal Representation
- Croatia does not automatically appoint victims a state lawyer for criminal proceedings; the case is handled by the Public Prosecutor. Victims can request a prosecutor-appointed lawyer or hire one privately at their own cost.
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this women's health & safety research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Zagreb
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.