September the 16th, 2026 – Croatia will make significant changes to ENC usage as of March the 1st, 2027, and drivers with multiple vehicles need to pay particular attention to what is coming.
The much anticipated new Croatian road toll collection system will use ENC technology, but also automatic licence plate recognition via cameras. Poslovni reports that for years now, ENC has been one of the simplest ways to pay motorway tolls across Croatia. You put the device in your car, drive through the marked lane, and the system automatically handles the payment. However, with the introduction of the new electronic toll collection system, one thing becomes much more important than before: the ENC will also be linked to the vehicle’s registration plate.
From the 1st of March 2027, when the new system starts operating, the vehicle’s registration number, data on the ENC device, and a valid means of payment will have to be registered in the system for the ENC model to be used. The law expressly stipulates that a driver using ENC must pass through the toll point in a vehicle whose registration plates are identical to those linked in the system to the ENC device in the vehicle. This means it will no longer be enough simply to take a working ENC device and put it in any car. Before driving, it will be important that the vehicle being used on the motorway is properly registered in the new system.
this is particularly important if you use one enc for multiple cars
The change is especially significant for those who currently use the same ENC in several cars. Under the current rules of Croatian Motorways, an ENC device for vehicle categories IA, I and II is not tied to a single registration number. It can be used in multiple vehicles of the same category, provided the same device is not used simultaneously in more than one vehicle. The new system introduces a different principle: the registration number becomes an integral part of the data linked to the ENC device. Therefore, drivers who currently simply move the ENC from one car to another will have to make sure that the registration of the vehicle they are using is correctly linked to the device in the Electronic Toll Collection System.
The law itself does not currently stipulate that one ENC can necessarily be linked to only one registration number. The detailed rules on use and changes to data will be regulated by the rules of the new system. However, it is clear that the previous practice of simply transferring the device without checking the registration will no longer be sufficient. The good news for existing users is that current ENC devices will not become unusable. The law obliges motorway operators to include ENC devices purchased before the establishment of the new system into the new ESNC no later than its start.
the new cameras will read license plates
The new toll collection system will use ENC technology as well as automatic licence plate recognition via cameras. For passenger cars and other light vehicles, drivers will be able to choose between the ENC model and a model based solely on the registration number and a registered means of payment. When using ENC, the system will therefore have data on both the device and the vehicle’s registration number. Cameras will record the vehicle’s passage and read the licence plates in order to identify the vehicle and verify payment. For drivers, this brings a new habit: before driving, it will no longer be enough simply to check whether the ENC is in the car and whether there are sufficient funds on the account. They will also have to make sure that the vehicle’s registration number is correctly registered in the system. This is precisely what could be particularly important for those who currently use one ENC in multiple cars.
