At the Airport

Some suppliers do offer after-hours pickup, but it comes at a cost. After-hours pickup is available at certain desks at Zadar Airport, but customers must provide their flight number and arrival time in advance, and an additional charge of €50 applies for pickups outside standard opening hours.

Not all suppliers at ZAD offer this – if your flight arrives late, confirm the policy before booking and choose a supplier that supports it explicitly.

Yes, returning the vehicle outside the supplier’s operational hours is possible. For after-hours returns, confirm the key drop procedure with your supplier at the time of booking. An out-of-hours surcharge of approximately €32–50 typically applies. Return the hired vehicle to the same on-site car park adjacent to the terminal, and if booked with an off-airport supplier, return to their branch location (not the terminal).

Remember to photograph all panels and the dashboard fuel level before handing over keys. Keep all fuel receipts. This will help dispute any false missing-fuel claims later on. 

There are two petrol stations in Zemunik Donji — the village the airport sits within — both on Ulica V, roughly 2–3 minutes by car from the terminal. Refuel here rather than elsewhere; it is the last practical stop before the rental return bays.

Neither is operational 24 hours, so if returning the car very early or very late, refuel the evening before. Do not rely on refuelling at the terminal itself — no fuel station is located within the airport boundary.

A full-to-full fuel policy is commonly followed by most companies, wherein you receive the car with a full tank and must return it full. Sometimes a same-to-same policy is used, in which you get the car with a certain amount of fuel and should return it with the same amount as at pickup. Returning the car with missing fuel can incur higher-than-market fuel prices and a service fee from the supplier. A full-to-empty option may also be available, but there are no refunds for unused fuel at drop-off.