Extradition Lawyer in Zagreb: Županijski sud u Zagrebu and the Local Procedure
For a case handled in Zagreb, the relevant local court may be the Županijski sud u Zagrebu (Zagreb County Court), with the Županijsko državno odvjetništvo u Zagrebu (Zagreb County State Attorney’s Office) involved in the EU-surrender route. But “Zagreb Airport” is a misleading shorthand for venue: Franjo Tuđman Airport’s official address is in Velika Gorica, which has a different county-court district. The correct authority depends on the legal route and, under the applicable allocation rule, the person’s Croatian residence or the actual place of arrest. The first urgent steps are to obtain the arrest record and formal instrument, request a lawyer and interpreter, and calendar the deadline stated in the applicable procedure.
Which court and prosecutor cover the place relevant to this case?
Županijski sud u Zagrebu covers Zagreb’s municipal civil, criminal, misdemeanour and labour courts, plus Sesvete and Zlatar. Franjo Tuđman Airport’s official address is Ulica Rudolfa Fizira 21, 10410 Velika Gorica. The official Županijski sud u Velikoj Gorici lists the Municipal Courts of Velika Gorica and Novi Zagreb in its district and includes international judicial cooperation among its functions.
| Institution or location | Local role and next step |
|---|---|
| Županijski sud u Zagrebu | Handles the file only if the statutory territorial rule places it in this district; follow the formal referral. |
| Županijsko državno odvjetništvo u Zagrebu | Criminal department: Savska 41/4. Public reception is weekdays 09:00–13:00; this is not a legal deadline. |
| Franjo Tuđman Airport / Velika Gorica | Under Article 9 of the 2026 EU-cooperation Act, an incoming EAW is allocated by residence or, if the person has no Croatian residence or stay, by place of arrest. In that second situation, an airport arrest may point to ŽDO Velika Gorica and Županijski sud u Velikoj Gorici. For third-country extradition, Article 45 uses where the person resides or is found. Check the referral, not just the airport name. |
| Zatvor u Zagrebu | If the person is held there: Dr. Luje Naletilića 1. Visitors need ID and cannot bring mobile phones; pre-trial visits require authorisation from the investigating judge or panel chair. |
| Županijsko državno odvjetništvo u Velikoj Gorici | Official address: Hrvatske bratske zajednice 1, Velika Gorica. Its published remit corresponds to that county-court area; criminal-file access requires prior notice. |
See the Croatia extradition guide for the national process and the Croatia challenges page for refusal grounds and remedies.
Is the case an EAW surrender or ordinary extradition?
An EAW is a judicial surrender procedure. Croatia’s Zakon o pravosudnoj suradnji u kaznenim stvarima s državama članicama Europske unije (Act on Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters with EU Member States), Narodne novine 86/2026, has applied since 15 August 2026. Article 43 also covers the EU agreements with Norway and Iceland and the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Under Article 219, proceedings already pending when the new Act entered into force finish under the previous Act.
Other requests generally follow the Zakon o međunarodnoj pravnoj pomoći u kaznenim stvarima (Act on International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters), the applicable treaty and Croatian procedure. The court and appeal route differ.
What should happen during the first 72 hours?
This is a practical plan, not one statutory 72-hour limit. Article 49 of the 2026 Act sets these EAW deadlines:
| Trigger | Legal step | Immediate action |
|---|---|---|
| Immediately | Article 50 covers a lawyer, interpreter/translation, silence, file access before prosecutor questioning, urgent medical help and contact with a chosen person or consular authority. | Request counsel and an interpreter; record arrest time, police unit and EAW/SIS reference. |
| Within 24 hours of arrest | Police must bring the person to the custody supervisor (pritvorski nadzornik) and notify the prosecutor. | Give counsel the arrest record and ask which prosecutor and court formally received the file. |
| Within 16 hours after handover | The prosecutor must question the person within 16 hours after delivery to the custody supervisor. | Confirm requests for counsel and an interpreter; do not sign a statement you cannot understand. |
| Within 48 hours of arrest, if documents and translation are available | If no precautionary measures are ordered, police must bring the person before the investigative judge. If the EAW/alert or translation is missing, detention may initially last up to 48 hours; a judge may add 36 hours for a missing translation. If required documents do not arrive in time, release is required; later delivery can lead to a new arrest and a new 24-hour production period. | Check the instrument, translation, detention order and start time of each period. A screenshot is not the file. |
| After the file reaches the panel | If surrender is opposed, Article 52(2) requires the out-of-trial panel session to be scheduled within three days after receipt of documents. A lawyer must attend the relevant hearing; one is appointed if needed. | Prepare identity/residence documents, a short chronology and relevant medical or care records. |
These deadlines do not guarantee release. The detention order and surrender decision are separate, so ask counsel to check the legal basis for detention and the next review or hearing.
What is the appeal deadline for a contested EAW surrender?
For the local first-stage steps, check the documents and deadlines above; for a contested surrender decision, Article 59(6) gives the person, defence lawyer and prosecutor three days from service to appeal, and a higher-court panel must decide within three days — under the general criminal-court hierarchy this is normally the Visoki kazneni sud Republike Hrvatske (High Criminal Court), subject to the appeal instructions in the served ruling. Under Article 65, surrender is ordered only after the decision becomes final; check the served ruling and any separate detention order, and use the Croatia challenges page linked above for refusal grounds and distinct remedies (the Croatia extradition guide summarises the national process).
What changes for a request from outside the EU?
Under Article 45 of Croatia’s International Legal Assistance Act, an ordinary third-country extradition request goes to the court for the area where the person resides or is found. Because the airport’s official address is in Velika Gorica, ask which prosecutor and court received the referral rather than relying on the airport’s colloquial name; national thresholds, detention rules and refusal grounds are covered in the Croatia guide and challenges page linked above.
What should the family and lawyer prepare?
- Record the person’s passport name, date of birth, citizenship, arrest time and exact location. The airport’s official address is in Velika Gorica.
- Ask which instrument triggered arrest (EAW, SIS alert or provisional third-country arrest), the case number and the authority receiving the file.
- Obtain the arrest record, warrant/request, translation, detention order and appeal instruction. Record when each document was served.
- Send counsel identity and residence documents plus relevant medical or care records. Confirm the detention facility and visit authorisation before travelling; Zagreb Prison requires ID and prohibits mobile phones.
Hypothetical example: a traveller with no Croatian residence is arrested at Franjo Tuđman Airport on an SIS alert linked to an EAW. Counsel should check the arrest record and referral because the airport is in Velika Gorica and the competent office may be there; then obtain the instrument and translation, request file access before questioning and calendar each statutory period from its correct trigger.
This page covers Zagreb’s district and the airport venue distinction, not all refusal grounds or post-decision remedies. The Rijeka and Split pages cover their own districts; venue follows the statutory allocation rule, not the family’s location.
Questions families often ask
Does an arrest at Zagreb Airport automatically make the Zagreb County Court competent?
No. The airport’s official address is in Velika Gorica. For an EAW, the receiving prosecutor’s office is allocated by residence or stay, or by the place of arrest if the person has no residence or stay in Croatia; confirm the actual referral and receiving authority.
Can relatives visit someone at Zagreb Prison immediately?
Not automatically. First confirm that the person is held there and ask what authorisation applies to that detention status. Visitors need identification and cannot bring mobile phones inside.
How can the family identify the procedure?
Ask whether the file concerns an EAW/SIS alert or a third-country extradition or provisional-arrest request. Keep the arrest record, instrument, translation and detention order for counsel.
Sources and legal materials
- Act on Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters with EU Member States, Narodne novine 86/2026 — Articles 9, 43, 49–59, 65, 219 and 221.
- Act on International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, Narodne novine 178/2004 — Article 45 (territorial venue).
- Consolidated text of the Act on International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.
- Županijski sud u Zagrebu — official jurisdiction page.
- Županijsko državno odvjetništvo u Zagrebu — official contacts.
- Županijski sud u Velikoj Gorici — official jurisdiction and functions.
- Županijsko državno odvjetništvo u Velikoj Gorici — official contacts and territorial remit.
- Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation — Zagreb Prison.
- Courts Act amendments, Narodne novine 21/2022 — High Criminal Court’s second-instance role in criminal matters, subject to special statutory rules.
- Franjo Tuđman Airport — official address in Velika Gorica.
This information is general and cannot replace advice on the actual warrant, arrest record and court order. For case-specific guidance on the documents and immediate deadlines, use the consultation request page.