Can you record a phone call in Croatia?
Everyone on the call must agree before you record it. Croatia's Criminal Code makes it a crime to record another person's non-public words without authorization, and this also covers a participant in the call.
- Phone calls
- Criminal Code Article 143 punishes anyone who records another person's non-public spoken words without authorization. Unlike the eavesdropping offence, the recording offence is not limited to words not meant for you, so it covers participants too. Using the recording or making it available to a third person is also a crime. There is no crime if the act serves the public interest or another interest that outweighs privacy.
- Business calls
- GDPR applies, supervised by the data protection agency AZOP. Fix a legal basis before you start recording; if you rely on legitimate interest, do and document the balancing test first. The Electronic Communications Act allows lawful recording of business communications as evidence of commercial transactions. In 2023 AZOP fined a debt collector EUR 5.47 million, partly for recording calls without a legal basis and with unclear notice.
- What counts as consent
- Tell callers plainly at the start that the call is being recorded and why. AZOP says the wording should be "this call is being recorded for the purpose of...", and "may be recorded" is not clear enough. Consent from every participant removes the crime, so ask before you record.
- Penalties
- Up to 3 years in prison for recording, or for using or sharing the recording, and 6 months to 5 years for an official. Prosecuted at the victim's request. Recordings and devices are confiscated. GDPR fines apply to businesses.
Say this at the start
Telling everyone and asking is the safe habit everywhere.
- English
Before we start: I record my calls so I can keep accurate notes. Is that OK with you?
- Croatian
Prije nego što počnemo: snimam svoje pozive da bi moje bilješke bile točne. Slažete li se s tim?
Worth knowing
- Croatian legal scholarship reads Article 143 as covering a participant who secretly records a conversation, unless an overriding interest applies, such as exposing a crime.
- Article 143 was last amended in 2015 (NN 56/15). The later Criminal Code amendments, up to 2025, left it unchanged.
- Courts are split. Supreme Court rulings from 2012 to 2014 excluded such recordings as evidence, but in 2015 the Zagreb County Court admitted one, finding that recording words addressed to you did not breach privacy.
Sources
Checked on 14 October 2026. A plain summary of the law, not legal advice.
- Kazneni zakon, Narodne novine 125/2011 (Article 143)statute
- AZOP: EUR 5.47 million fine on EOS Matrix, including call recording findings (5 October 2023)regulator
- Kazneni zakon, consolidated text with amendment history (Zakon.hr)guide
- Karas: court practice on secretly recording a conversation partner (Policija i sigurnost, 2015)guide
- Telegram.hr: Zagreb County Court admits a secretly recorded conversation as evidence (4 November 2015)guide
Other countries
More free tools
Questions
Is Croatia a one-party consent country?
No. Everyone on the call must agree before you record it. Croatia's Criminal Code makes it a crime to record another person's non-public words without authorization, and this also covers a participant in the call.
Can a business record calls in Croatia?
GDPR applies, supervised by the data protection agency AZOP. Fix a legal basis before you start recording; if you rely on legitimate interest, do and document the balancing test first. The Electronic Communications Act allows lawful recording of business communications as evidence of commercial transactions. In 2023 AZOP fined a debt collector EUR 5.47 million, partly for recording calls without a legal basis and with unclear notice.
What counts as consent in Croatia?
Tell callers plainly at the start that the call is being recorded and why. AZOP says the wording should be "this call is being recorded for the purpose of...", and "may be recorded" is not clear enough. Consent from every participant removes the crime, so ask before you record.
What happens if you record a call illegally in Croatia?
Up to 3 years in prison for recording, or for using or sharing the recording, and 6 months to 5 years for an official. Prosecuted at the victim's request. Recordings and devices are confiscated. GDPR fines apply to businesses.
Hang up. The notes are done.
Superscribe records your business calls on the number you already have and writes the note when you hang up. You say one line at the start, and it does the rest.
