August the 19th, 2026 – The new Croatian motorway toll collection system will alter things as we know them quite dramatically. Here’s everything you need to know.
Poslovni reports that the new Croatian toll collection project covers the entire Croatian motorway network, including the motorways managed by Croatian Motorways, Bina Istra and the Zagreb–Macelj Motorway, meaning that Croatia should (for the first time ever) get a unified electronic toll collection system. Croatian Motorways are currently preparing one of the biggest changes in the way tolls are collected in recent decades. Classic toll booths are expected to become a thing of the past, and the new system will allow drivers to pass through motorways without stopping.
For the many drivers who already use ENC, the immediate question is: what will happen to their device? The good news is that ENC is not disappearing. On the contrary, it will remain one of the two basic methods of payment in the new system. The system will use free-flow vehicle technology, or Multi-Lane Free Flow, so it will no longer be necessary to slow down and stop in front of a barrier, tportal reports.
For passenger cars there will be two options. Drivers will be able to continue using their ENC device, while vehicles without one will be recognised by the system through automatic reading of licence plates. For heavy vehicles, ENC will be mandatory. This means that existing ENC users will not have to give up their device just because the toll booths are disappearing. What is primarily changing is the way the infrastructure will register the passage of vehicles.
The biggest change will be precisely the absence of physical barriers. Instead of approaching a barrier, slowing down and waiting, the vehicle will pass through the toll zone in the normal flow of traffic, and the system will automatically record the passage.
HAC states that tolls will continue to be calculated according to the distance travelled and the vehicle category, as is the case today. The goal of the new system is to reduce congestion, travel time, fuel consumption and emissions caused by slowing down and waiting at toll stations. The project covers the entire Croatian motorway network, including the motorways managed by Croatian Motorways, Bina Istra and the Zagreb–Macelj Motorway, so Croatia should for the first time get a unified electronic toll collection system.
An additional sign of the transition is already visible. At the beginning of July, HAC announced the gradual abolition of ARZ SMART cards, with the possibility of transferring funds to an ENC account. From the 1st of October 2026, SMART cards will no longer be usable for paying tolls. For the average driver, the most important message is therefore simple: ENC is not retiring together with the toll booths. In the new system it should become even more practical, because reading will be possible without stopping in front of a barrier.
