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I live in Croatia, and laws here are not so clear to the actual restrictions for drivers licenses.

My question is this: what determens if a vehicle requires a driving license in Croatia? For example, I own an electric bike that has 45hp, max speed of 70kmh(~45mph) and weighs 200kg(~441lbs) and is selfpropelled. Is it legal to drive it without a license in Croatia? I am very interested in this, as I am looking to buy an electric motorcycle, and also my age is 20. I'm sorry for any spelling errors as English is not my first language, and for asking a question about a law that isn't in your country/state.

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    The answer is almost surely somewhere in the Croatian traffic code, but I don't have the language ability to locate it.
    – ohwilleke
    Commented Apr 12, 2018 at 0:20
  • It would be unlikely to be legal without any license. There may even be vehicles for which there is no legal license at all (like an electric scooter in the UK).
    – gnasher729
    Commented Oct 22, 2019 at 15:58
  • You don't drive a bike. You RIDE it.
    – erebus
    Commented Aug 12, 2020 at 17:02
  • @ohwilleke it's in the EU rules for the EU driver licenses, as they agreed to put the same classes onto all EU driver licenses and make them equivalent..
    – Trish
    Commented Oct 15, 2020 at 22:35
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    @Trish Even if that is the case, EU rules would not ordinarily be directly applicable. They are mandates to member states to adopt legislation (which you cite) and member states are not always perfectly faithful to EU directives in connection with that process.
    – ohwilleke
    Commented Oct 16, 2020 at 2:11

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using the Vehicle classification of Croatia, we can try to class it:

  • it has 33 kW, does more than 45 km/h and weighs 200 kg.
    • It's Power/weight ratio is 0.165 kW/kg

Croatia uses the EU driver's license classes A and A1 (and A2). A1 is power not exceeding 11 kilowatts (15 hp), while A2 is 35 kilowatts (47 hp) and with a power/weight ratio not exceeding 0.2 kilowatts per kilogram (0.12 hp/lb), just like in the rest of the EU... ok, the bike is powerwise in A2, and doesn't break the A2 power/weight ratio, so it will be classed as an A2.

For A2, you need to be 18, so good luck with your driving lessons. I am not sure but I bet you'd break Croatian law for driving without a license.

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Any Croation law regarding this is or will be based on EU law applies unless Croatia allows exemptions that are only valid there.

You can check your licence type here: Driving license models

The related EU directive is here: DIRECTIVE 2006/126/EC

This is transposed into national law which should be mostly the same. Croatia may not have fully adopted it but eventually will.

If you licence was issued before July 2013, you can look up the corresponding category here: equivalences between categories of driving licences

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  • EC directive 2006/126 only covers mutual recognition of driving licenses, license classes and some other details; The directive is, however, silent on when and whether you need a license in the first place. I know that Germany and the UK have exceptions that allow for the operation of a vehicle without a license; the same might be the case in Croatia.
    – erebus
    Commented Aug 12, 2020 at 17:15
  • @erebus the German exceptions for non-license operation of vehicles is for some rather odd items. For example, moving an excavator or bulldozer on a construction site does not require a license, and so does getting it onto a trailer, as these vehicles generally aren't even recognized as proper vehicles that take part in traffic and require a license plate. Motorized bicycles able to go <45 km/h (Mofa) require a license (obtainable if you are 15), but an e-bike that can only drive less than 25 km/h doesn't need a license. If it is faster (<45) it is a mofa. If it manages more, it requires...
    – Trish
    Commented Oct 15, 2020 at 21:55
  • ...license class A1 for motorbikes, if it can reach that speed with motor alone. The license requirement to run a mofa does not apply if you were born before April 1965. German law also distinguishes between e-bikes that have the motor assist (Pedelec) and those that have it push you without cranking, the latter automatically being Mofa. But then again, Mofa is included in pretty much any other driving licenses. Yea, it's odd and that convoluted.
    – Trish
    Commented Oct 15, 2020 at 22:02
  • Addendum: some construction equipment needs a plate on streets, and as long as it is faster than 20 km/h, but nobody needs a license to operate it below 6 km/h. As most heavy machinery doesn't crack either, it's usually fine. However, there are road cranes and bulldozers that are faster (the wheeled types!) and then you often might suddenly be in Class C license territory, unless the equipment is classed like a Tractor (Classes T and L), the latter of which is included in any B-license...
    – Trish
    Commented Oct 15, 2020 at 22:17

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