Transport is the part of an official visit that everyone notices only when something goes wrong: a car at the wrong entrance, a driver who doesn’t know the building, a delegation waiting on the pavement. This checklist is based on our work with embassies and protocol services in Zagreb.
1. Before you ask for a quote
- The programme – dates, times and addresses of every movement, even if they are still provisional.
- The passengers – the principal, the delegation, staff, security officers and how they are split between vehicles.
- Luggage and equipment – especially on arrival and departure days.
- Protocol requirements – dress code, flags, seating order, who opens which door.
- Security requirements – whether the visit has its own security team or needs a licensed local security company, and who is the contact.
2. Choosing the vehicles
- One vehicle for the principal, with a reserve car on standby for important movements.
- Separate vehicles for the delegation and for staff, so that the principal’s car never waits for others.
- A van for luggage on arrival and departure days.
- The same vehicle class across the convoy looks more orderly and is easier for venues to manage.
3. Accreditation and access
Ask the transport company for driver names, ID details, vehicle make, colour and registration plates in good time. Ministries, the Parliament, airports and many hotels need them for access lists, and late changes cause delays at the gate.
4. Timing
- Plan buffers between movements; Zagreb traffic is heavy at morning and afternoon rush hour.
- Agree where the cars wait at each venue – entrance, side entrance or underground garage – and check it with the venue beforehand.
- For sensitive programmes, ask for a rehearsal drive of the main routes and pick-up points.
5. Communication on the day
- One coordinator on the transport side who follows the whole programme.
- A clear chain: protocol officer → transport coordinator → drivers. Drivers should not take instructions from several people.
- A shared contact list and a backup channel (phone and messaging).
6. Confidentiality
Drivers hear a lot. Ask whether drivers sign confidentiality undertakings, and whether the company will sign your NDA before you send the programme. Avoid sending the full programme to every driver – each needs only his own movements.
7. After the visit
A short debrief helps the next visit: what worked, which venues need a different approach, and the final invoice with the purchase-order reference your finance team needs.
How we can help
We provide vehicles and protocol-aware chauffeurs for embassies, international organisations and delegations in Zagreb and across Croatia, with one coordinator for the whole programme.
Diplomatic, protocol & VIP transport → · Diplomatski i protokolarni prijevoz (HR) →
Questions before you book?
Call or message us any time – you will speak to the people who drive you.