Border Crossing Croatia-Slovenia and Vignette Purchase

The best way to buy the vignette for Slovenia is online https://www.si-vignette.com/en/

Croatia has been part of the Schengen zone since 2023. Therefore, there should be no border controls. However, there is always the possibility that countries will carry out increased border controls at short notice.
Our experience September last year was, that we crossed the Croatian-Slovenian border without any waiting times.

Buying a vignette online requires the registration number of the car, which isn't possible until we get our rental car. Surely vignettes can be purchased at the Slovenian border.

In the past, before availability via internet, vignettes were for sale in gas stations close to the border.
Probably this is still the case, but I have not crossed that border for a while, so cannot say for certain.

If the car rental company does not already provide the Vignette, it can be bought at post offices and gas stations.

There are gas stations at the border crossing where you buy the vignette. It is obvious, large signs. There will be officials at the border waving you through - these are police officers and they won’t be the ones selling vignettes. I make this border crossing about once per month.

I'm back from my holiday and can update everyone on the Vignette information.
• The rental car's license plate number and country are required to buy one so it can't be purchased before leaving home.
• They are easily bought in person at several authorized gas stations listed on the DARS website. These include gas stations in Croatia. There's no need to purchase online unless that's your preference.
• As well, they are always sold at the first gas station after the border crossing when entering Slovenia.
• If you buy the Vignette before entering Slovenia, have the attendant post-date the Vignette to start on your entry day, when they enter the information on the DARS website for you. We bought ours at an authorized gas station in Rovinj, Croatia a few days before entering Slovenia and the attendant was very familiar with how to post-date it.
• Buying a Vignette at the gas station was a simple process that took about 5 minutes. I showed the attendant a photo of our car's license plate rather than just saying it to him, so that we could make sure everything was correct. The toll cameras in Slovenia do a license plate match and if it's wrong, you may be dealing with a hefty fine. And there's no way, driving down the toll highways, to know if you got it right.
• When you return home, keep your receipt with the license plate and dates of the Vignette for reference in case you suddenly get a fine in the mail and need to prove you had the Vignette.

Also, the border crossings were all very quick going into and out of Slovenia. There were no lineups. We basically slowed down as we approached and were waved through.