Four companies publish their Dubrovnik cross-border terms. Three others don’t. Here are the verified numbers for driving into Bosnia or Montenegro — and what happens if you don’t declare it.
Before the numbers, three separate questions. Mixing them up is the most common (and most expensive) mistake in this corner of travel.
For a Croatian-plated rental, the registration plate itself is recognised in Bosnia (since 19 Oct 2020) and Montenegro (since 2 Aug 2021) under the Multilateral Agreement — a Green Card is legally not required at those borders.
Your rental contract can still forbid the crossing, require written approval, or restrict vehicle categories — even though the border police have no insurance objection.
A commercial fee, not a government fee and not a border tax. Normally paid at the desk in Croatia, and not always published in advance.
Every figure below was read directly from the operator’s own published terms on 18 October 2026. Where a company does not state something explicitly, we say so — we don’t guess.
Vehicle categories matter too: Hertz allows “all vehicles except luxury categories” (discretionary wording) · Nova says the fee is subject to vehicle category · Sixt publishes no category restriction. Fees are point-in-time and may depend on pickup office, vehicle group and booking channel.
| Operator | Published fee | Fee unit | Bosnia | Montenegro | Neum corridor | Advance notice | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sixt | €11.20 per day, max €56 | Per day (cap €56) | Allowed (named) | Allowed (named) | Exempt from the foreign-use charge | Request at the station | 18 Oct 2026 |
| Hertz | €40 | Not specified | Allowed with written approval | Allowed with written approval | Exempt from written approval (A8/E65) | 5 days, in writing | 18 Oct 2026 |
| Enterprise | €40 EU / €60 non-EU | Per hire (stated for non-EU) | Allowed (named, non-EU fee) | Allowed (named, non-EU fee) | Not specified | Inform the branch in advance | 18 Oct 2026 |
| Nova | €56 standard / €136 special | Not specified | Allowed (incl. Neum) | Allowed | Included in permitted area | Written authorisation before crossing | 18 Oct 2026 |
“Not specified” means the operator’s official terms do not state it — not that it does not exist. Confirm anything marked Not specified in writing before you pay.
We checked the official channels of every major operator at Dubrovnik. Some simply don’t publish their Croatian cross-border policy online:
| Operator | What we found (18 Oct 2026) | Practical consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | No published Croatian cross-border policy on any official Budget page. | Any Budget fee figure you see online is unverified. Ask the branch in writing. |
| Green Motion | Croatian terms only available inside a JavaScript selector; no retrievable official text. | Claims that Green Motion charges for Neum transit could not be verified. Confirm before booking. |
| Oryx | Official website no longer resolves to a rental company. | Any Oryx fee in circulation is unverifiable against a primary source. |
| Europcar | Permission and allowed countries published, but the fee amount is not (it refers to the price list). | Usable for “permitted with consent”, not for price comparison. Penalty for undeclared crossing: €2,000. |
| Avis | Fee published (€24 EU / €64 non-EU) but no unit, no Neum clause, no procedure. | Confirm the unit and the Neum question directly with Avis. |
That asymmetry is the point of this page: some companies let you verify the price before you book, and some don’t. If a company’s fee is not published, get it in writing before you pay anything.
People ask one question — “can I cross?” — but the three journeys below have different rules, different borders and different fees.
A real border crossing into Bosnia and Herzegovina: you need the company’s permission, and non-EU fees apply at Enterprise (€60) and Avis (€64). Expect queue variability and remember that EES biometric registration now applies to non-EU travellers at Croatia’s external Schengen borders (fully operational since 10 April 2026) — plan extra time.
Another full crossing into Montenegro. The drive is short (~90–95 km) but summer queues at Debeli Brijeg/Karasovići have reached 15–20 km in peak season. The Kamenari–Lepetane ferry across the Bay of Kotor can save time on the way to Kotor. Same permission and fee rules apply; one-way drop-offs in Montenegro are usually unavailable or expensive.
Neum is the ~9 km strip of Bosnian coast that interrupts the Croatian coast road between Split and Dubrovnik. Since the Pelješac Bridge opened (2022), most drivers bypass it entirely — but during the bridge renovation (from October 2026), traffic returns to the corridor. Sixt exempts Neum transit from the foreign-use charge and Hertz exempts it from the written-approval rule; other companies don’t publish a Neum condition, so confirm in writing if you rent with them.
Run through this before you pay for the rental — it takes five minutes and can save you a ruined trip:
Legally, no. Croatian registration plates are recognised as proof of motor insurance in Bosnia and Herzegovina under the Multilateral Agreement (since 19 October 2020), so a Green Card is not required at the border. The rental company, however, still has to give you contractual permission — and may charge an administrative fee for it. Those are two separate things.
Legally, no. Montenegro joined the Multilateral Agreement with effect from 2 August 2021, so Croatian plates are recognised there too. The same rental-contract rule applies: permission and any fee come from the company, not from the border.
It varies. Hertz Croatia requires the request in writing at least 5 days before pickup. Sixt asks you to request cross-border travel at the station. Enterprise requires you to inform the branch of your intention. Nova requires written authorisation before you cross. Always confirm before you pay for the rental.
Every operator we verified states consequences. Hertz says an unauthorised crossing 'makes void all insurance policies and customer fully liable'. Sixt says all protections lose their validity. Nova charges a contractual penalty of €825. Europcar charges up to €2,000. This is the single most expensive mistake you can make with a Croatian rental.
Sixt explicitly exempts vehicles passing through the Neum corridor from the foreign-use charge, and Hertz exempts the corridor (the A8 main road, route E65, between Split and Dubrovnik) from the written-approval rule. Enterprise and Nova do not publish a specific Neum condition — if you rent with them and plan to use the corridor, ask in writing before pickup.
One-way international drop-offs are restricted by most Croatian operators and are typically more expensive than returning the car to Croatia. Avax states international one-way is not available. Budget-friendly planning usually means a loop back into Croatia, or returning the car and renting again on the other side of the border. Confirm one-way availability with the specific company before booking.
Fees and permission rules can differ by pickup office, vehicle group and booking channel. A third-party booking platform does not set or guarantee cross-border permission — the contract is always with the rental company named on your voucher, and the final terms are confirmed at the desk. Where you see a fee quoted on a booking site, treat it as indicative until the rental company confirms it in writing. If you reserve through an intermediary, check that intermediary’s payment rules before relying on a debit card: several rental desks in Croatia require a physical credit card in the main driver’s name for the deposit, even when the online payment went through on a debit card.
The same discipline applies to flights: the ticket price is never the whole journey.
Reveal the real winnerEvery operator figure on this page was read directly from the official source below. Rental fees change; treat every number as point-in-time and re-check the operator’s page before booking.