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I have an Indian passport and a multiple-entry Schengen visa valid from 12 July to 5 August. I wish to travel to Croatia from 14 July to 22 July and then onto Schengen countries.

Can I travel directly to Croatia first and then to the Schengen area, must I travel to a Schengen country first, before going to Croatia and returning the Schengen zone?

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    Why do you think you have to enter Schengen area first?
    – Neusser
    Jun 17 '17 at 11:40
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Croatia is not in Schengen, but it does unilaterally exempt foreigners holding a valid (double or multiple entry) Schengen visa from needing a Croatian visa.

This exemption applies no matter where the traveler arrives in Croatia from, and does not require the Schengen visa to have been used yet. (However, arguably a double-entry Schengen visa cannot have been used twice since the visa is subsequently not valid for its original purpose.)

For official information, see http://www.mvep.hr/en/consular-information/visas/visa-requirements-overview/

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  • Why would the the visa be "not valid for its original purpose"? Are you saying that entering Croatia invalidates a Schengen visa or counts as one entry?
    – ugoren
    Jun 17 '17 at 16:43
  • @ugoren: I'm saying that if its a 2-entry visa and you have already entered Schengen two times, then the visa cannot be used for its purpose of visiting the Schengen area anymore. It is unclear to me whether Croatia would consider it "no longer valid" at that point, though.
    – hmakholm left over Monica
    Jun 17 '17 at 17:35
  • It's completely impossible to understand what you want to say in your statement about double-entry visa. Even your comment doesn't make it more clear.
    – Neusser
    Jun 18 '17 at 7:26
  • @Neusser: Suppose someone has a two-entry Schengen visa with at 20 day duration of stay, valid from August 1 to August 31. He enters the Schengen area on August 1 and leaves on August 8, and then again enters the Schengen area on August 10 and leaves on August 17. Can he then, on the basis on that visa, enter Croatia on August 20?
    – hmakholm left over Monica
    Jun 18 '17 at 8:44
  • I don't know. Do you?
    – Neusser
    Jun 18 '17 at 9:10

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