Getting a Croatian 1 year “Temporary Stay” in Split: Part 2
In Part 1 of our experience in obtaining a 1-year Temporary Stay in Croatia, I covered: 1) the conditions for getting a prolonged stay, 2) finding an apartment in Split, 3) having a proper lease and getting it notarized, 4) obtaining your Croatian Identification Numbers (OIB).
Knowing and having all the above, you are now ready for filing the paperwork required for your Temporary Stay.
Please note: this post dates back to 2017. While procedures haven’t changed, fees and financial requirements have.
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Forms and required documentation
I’ve mentioned that you will have to file you application for Temporary Stay at the police station. Here are the forms and documentation required:
– The application form (we got it at the police station).
– health insurance showing your current coverage. Note: our coverage ends 4 months after our application date, which leaves 8 months uncovered. This doesn’t seem to be a problem though because, as we would find out, you are obligated to join the Croatian Health Care system once a temporary resident (note: prepare for a shocking cost if you are coming from a non-EU country. That will be covered further below).
– Proof of sufficient funds. We have savings and gave them a copy of our mutual fund statement. See the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for updated details of financial requirements.
– 2 photos
– our newly notarized lease (as detailed in Part 1)
– copies of the letters containing our Croatian ID numbers (OIB)
Note: although the application form is bilingual, we were told by our lawyer that the answers had to be filled out in Croatian. It was a bit funny: she used “wite-out” to cover my writing, then wrote out on a piece of paper what I had to write in Croatian. I rewrote my answers on the forms in Croatian.
Once filled out, and with all the documents in hand, we went to the Police station (with our lawyer Ana) and submitted our paperwork. You have to make sure all applicants show up in person with their passports in hand.
We were told at this point that it would take 30-35 days to get an answer on our Temporary Stay application and that, if we were refused, we would have 8 days to leave the country.
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Follow ups and opening a Croatian Bank account
A week after submitting our forms I received a phone call from the Police Station. The main question had to do with any dependents that we planned on bringing into the country. They seemed satisfied when we said we didn’t plan on bringing anyone over.
Two weeks later (ie. 3 weeks after submitting our application) we received a letter from the police asking us to come in for an interview and sign a declaration. We went with our lawyer and brought all our documents. After showing our passports and our marriage certificate, a form was printed out (in Croatian), which our lawyer checked before we signed. As I mentioned previously, you need a local lawyer to get you through this process.
The last requirement required by the police: opening a bank account with a Croatian Bank and depositing the “sufficient funds” stated above..
Our recommendation: go to PBZ bank. We first went to Zagrebačka banka (the largest bank in Croatia) and they had issues with their online form*. Our 30 minutes there were wasted. We then went to PBZ (Croatia’s 2nd largest bank) where we were treated very well by extremely competent staff (see Andrea at the branch in the old town – the nicest bank employee we’ve ever met anywhere). It took us about an hour to open up a bank account, requiring passports and tax numbers (US tax number for Lissette, Canadian SIN numbers for both of us).
*Note: If you are a US citizen, expect to have a harder time opening up a foreign bank account. Zagrebačka banka’s online form couldn’t handle Lissette’s info (for some reason I don’t understand) and even PBZ had issues. We were told that there are increased regulatory issues on American citizens opening up foreign bank accounts and that Lissette’s dual citizenship actually complicated matters.
With the bank account open, we deposited the required 33,000 kunas. We asked for a printout of the bank statement showing the amount and went to our lawyer’s office. They made copies. One of the lawyer’s assistants then went to the police station to submit the copy to the police.
Acceptance…and more paperwork
About 10 days later, a total of 34 days from the date we had filed our forms, we received notification from our lawyer that the police had approved our 1 year Temporary Stay in Croatia. Woo Hoo!
Once more, we went to the police station with our lawyer Ana. However, before being able to get our Croatian Identity cards we needed to:
1) Have photos done (for the cards)
2) Pay invoices given to us by the police, one for the issuance of the temporary residence certificate and another for the preparation of the biometric residence permit (ie.ID card)
Note: Croatian government departments don’t seem to be connected to each other, including to their Finance department. So when you pay for an invoice issued by the Police Department (the “MUP” as called in the local lingo), you have to take it to your bank (or pay online which is cheaper – Croatian banks charge a large commission). You then have to ask for a confirmation of payment from your bank which you bring back to the Police Station. We had to go through the same thing later when applying for our Croatian Health Insurance (at the HZZO).
A few days later, we came back to the Police dept with a) our receipts of payment, b) photos. We were then fingerprinted and given a receipt which was our Temporary ID card. It would take about 3 weeks to get our official ID card.
It felt pretty good to finally receive the card. My first identity card from anywhere outside Canada (with a few personal details blanked out).
Signing up for Croatian Health Care
We were told that we had to sign up for Croatian Health Care and that the cost would be 450 kuna per month (that $90 CAD or $65 US). What we didn’t know was that as non-EU citizens we had an introductory one-time fee of 5293 kuna (about $1000 CAD) each – this amounts to the fee for a whole year. Ouch!
The good thing about Croatian Health care (which reminds me in many ways of Canadian Health Care) is that it is valid in all EU countries. In addition to your Croatian card, you can get a free EHIC card (European Health Insurance Card) at any of the branches of the Croatian Health Insurance Fund (or “HZZO”). So if anything happens anywhere in the EU, we’ll be covered by Croatian Health Card just as if in Croatia. When travelling outside the EU you can get additional insurance at the HZZO (or at private insurers like Allianz) which is also backstopped by the HZZO.
For us that’s all a good thing: having travelled full-time over the last few years we’ve lost our Canadian Health Insurance and had to take out Expat Insurance (with Allianz) which is quite expensive. We won’t have to renew that.
The only thing that sucks is that one-time fee for non-EU citizens.
Anyway, how we signed up for Croatian Health Care:
– At about the same time that we received our Croatian ID cards we also received a letter from the HZZO (of course in Croatian) telling us to come to the HZZO to sign up and pay our invoices.
– We went to the HZZO building (on the waterfront below Marjan Hill) where they gave us the payment slips required to pay the invoices at the bank (for the above mentioned 5293 kuna each)
– We went to the bank, paid the invoices. They printed out a receipt of payment for us.
– We went back to the HZZO and the lady serving us filled out all the forms required. We signed. She then printed out a receipt which is also our temporary HZZO card until we receive the real thing (2 months we’re told). But we are now covered by Croatian Health Insurance.
Summing it all up…and costs
So, in the space of slightly over 2 months we’ve found an apartment in Split (which we love), have been granted a 1 year stay, have Croatian ID cards, and are now covered by Croatian Health Care. We’re all set.
Costs involved?
600 Euros – a month’s commission to the real estate agent for finding us that apartment
650 Euros – to our lawyer for advising us, handling the lease and filing our Temporary Stay documents. She also went with us countless times to the Police Station and translated all documents and letters sent us by different government offices. Well worth the money.
85 Kuna – for the notary ($17 CAD or $12 USD)
1180 Kuna (about $230 CAD or $170 US for both of us (for ID and certificate) once accepted
10586 Kuna (about $2100 CAD or $1500 US for both of us one-time fee for Health Care as non-EU citizens)
It might seem expensive but we now have a foothold in Croatia (and Europe). We are told that renewing our “Temporary Stay” going forward will be much easier.
For us it is an investment in the future. We couldn’t be happier 🙂 .
I hope our personal experience getting a temporary stay in Croatia helps anyone out there looking to do the same.
Update: Working towards Permanent Residency in Croatia as Non EU Citizens. And why we decided to give up on the idea.
Related: Croatia: Breaking up is never easy but this time we’re through
Related: Expat Life: Comparing Spain VS Croatia
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Hello Frank, I really like your blog and it’s very helpful! At first, I found your blog covering the best itinerary in Croatia in the FB group, and turn out I read a lot of blogs now. My wife and I planning to get DNV in Croatia and we will apply next week.
I believe there are tons of other blogs of yours we need to read :).
Keep traveling and sharing about your journey. Hope you and Lissette doing great wherever you go next.
Thank you Doan 🙂 If you ever need any help/advice feel free to write me personally.
Hello! I had this temporary stay as well last year. I’m looking into getting it again, but the woman at the police station told me you have to leave the country for 3 months and then reapply again. I am hoping not to leave the country for more than 2 months, so I can eventually convert my temporary stay into long-term residency (can’t leave the country more than 2 months a year over five years for that).
Did you have to leave the country after this? Or could you just renew the residency again with a continued housing contract and stay in Croatia?
Thank you!
Hi Nicole,
My advice is to contact the lawyer we used: Ana Marinović Tarabarić at [email protected].
Honestly, the problem in Croatia is that the story always changes. It’s the reason we now have residency in Spain. I wrote more on our own struggles renewing here.
Don’t waste your time talking to government officials because most are useless. Talk to a lawyer, at least they’ll known the “latest” version of what it really takes to renew.
Good luck!
I found your information very helpful. You did not mention needing a background check . However it is listed in the requirements. Did you have to provide a background check?
Hey,
I’m a Canadian moving to Croatia for about 8 months this upcoming February. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions, specifically about the health insurance stuff. Since I’ll be gone for more than 212 days, I’ll be giving up my OHIP (Ontario health insurance, not sure if you’re from Ontario).
Looking forward to hearing back
Hi Chris,
I wrote you personally but I’ll repeat here because it might help others.
You don’t necessarily lose your OHIP if you are out of the country more than 6 months. Have a look at this post: https://bbqboy.net/travel-insurance-canadian-travellers-sifting-facts-bs/ I wrote it a couple of years ago – but last I read Ontario has a two-years-in-a-lifetime-exception where you can keep your Health Care. We’re from Quebec, but we have a 1 in 7 year rule and we claimed that on our first full year of travel. Also depends on the dates – are your 6 months over a calendar year? Because how your dates fall also makes a difference.
All I’m saying is don’t assume you lose your coverage based on 6 months out of the country, inform yourself on your province’s rules because you most likely qualify for an exemption.
Anyway, have a look at that and let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
Frank
This is the single most clear, helpful and practical (photos included!!!) document I’ve ever seen on obtaining long-term stay permission for any country! Well done, you, and thank you! I only wish someone could do the same thing for elective residency in Italy, but it’s tough to get the same answer from any two different people, even –or especially– in govt offices.
During your residency in Croatia, are you allowed to work at all? I ask because I would like to earn a bit extra teaching English if that is possible.
Once again…I’m so very impressed with the thorough and clear information presented here….thank you!
Thank you so much Robin!
I always say this was OUR experience – it’s possible that there are mini-variations that occur. I’m a bit anal and had to document the process, as much for ourselves as for others.
Work? No. But let’s just say a lot of people in Croatia do what they want out of sight…and teaching English would fall in one of those categories.
Thanks again 🙂
Wow! Loved reading both posts about this process. I am so impressed that you got through all that to get what you wanted and that all the red tape was worth it. Do you have to go back to Canada to get your belongings shipped? And how worried were you that you wouldn’t get approved to stay after signing the lease?
Hi Patricia,
We weren’t actually worried too much, we were pretty careful to make sure that we met all the criteria.
Yes, I have to go back to Canada for a few weeks for some admin stuff as well as to see my mom in Mexico. Plan is to have our stuff shipped end May and it should be here before the end of June.
When you went to Germany did you have any belongings brought with you or did you guys start from scratch?
We did bring some things with us and then bought filler items at IKEA. One of the odd things about Germany is most houses have no closets, shelves or any other kind of storage space so we bought a lot of that type of thing. Thankfully the place we rented came with a kitchen so we didn’t have to install one. We did have to buy light fixtures for almost every room though. Strange.
No storage or light fixtures? Yup, that’s quirky. Yeah, I would hope it came with a kitchen! My god…do you have to build your own steps to get to the 2nd floor in Germany? 🙂
Two new European citizen! My congratulations!
I have read every word. Very useful information. I hope some day I will repeat your way, Frank, but it seems like it will be in Montenegro.
Already for a long time, I want to ask, do you started to learn the Croatian language?
Thanks so much Victor!
We’re planning to take classes in the fall…but honestly I don’t know how much we’ll learn. We’ll settle with just a few basics…
Having gone through a similar process ourselves not too long ago all I can say is … A huge congratulations. Whew! I rechecked my math twice on the required amount you need for a year’s income which comes to under 5,000 USD – staggering low. Is the cost of living that low or is it a matter of showing that you have means to meet the median income threshold? Here in Portugal we have to show an annual income of $12,000 for a couple but there’s really no way that you could live on that and maintain a (modest) North American standard of living. Your observation about foreign banking difficulties for US citizens is correct. The US is one of only a handful of countries that requires its citizens who live outside the country to report foreign income. Banks that allow US citizens to open accounts have to jump through a lot of hoops to deal with US banking regulations and are required to report foreign accounts to the US (money laundering? tax evasion? terrorism? paranoia?). Regardless, it imposes an huge amount of work on those banks and many just don’t want to deal with the hassle (or the US government!) And the situation definitely won’t get any better in the immediate future …
Hi Anita – thanks for confirming the banking aspect. You nailed it, they are imposing a lot of rules on these banks and they’re having a tough time coping. To a wider issue: A few years back Lissette’s US accountant (Lissette still has to file in the US) told me that I had to register with the US and get a US tax number, simply because I was married to a US citizen. I told her to f*ck off – I’m Canadian, I’m not going to be told by another country that I have to sign up to their system (just so they can spy on me). The frigin nerve.
Yes, the “sufficient funds”. I have no idea why so low. No, Croatia is not cheap and I would think costs pretty much at par with Portugal, maybe even a touch higher. I was surprised though that I actually had to deposit those funds in a bank account (as opposed to just proving the amount).
Thanks for the feedback Anita.
I totally get your response, Frank! It’s becoming more and more apparent that US citizens are happily giving up their rights of privacy and exchanging it for an elusive security in a country that’s rapidly slipping into authoritarianism. IMHO!
It’s good to know about PBZ after hearing and reading that Zagrebacka Banka is the official bank for us non-EU folks to deposit funds into. Choices, yay! We have friends in Split, a Canadian/American couple, who never indicated they had issues with opening their HR bank account so I’m wondering if this is a new development.
Thanks again for your public service, Frank. 🙂
I’m not sure Lucija – but they weren’t especially friendly and it seemed a big deal opening an account. I’ve actually gone to Zagrebacka before to pay for some bills and their commissions seem higher than PBZ.
It might just have been an issue of branches. But that PBZ branch is great, really nice, helpful people.
Cool, we’ll be sure to check out that PBZ branch when we’re back in Split. Again, the work you’ve put into outlining your experience is incredibly helpful and appreciated and I’m glad everything is falling in place for you both.
Thank you Lucija, much appreciate!