Residency in Croatia

Read up about Croatia HERE

British citizenship you can stay in Croatia for 3 month without visa.. you just have to visit local police in 8 days from arrival to notify them

Thank you so much! That seems to be nice and easy!
Tina

Before your 90 days expire, you need to go to the main police station & apply for a temp residents visa.
You'll need a photocopy of your passport, your proof of health cover (for UK residents the European Health Insurance Card)  an address in Croatia where you reside, proof of funds to support your stay & the phone number of a Croatian contact to vouch for you.
I received mine 3 days ago & it's very simple!

Thanks so much. That is very helpful.
Tina

Hi Tina,
When I applied for my resident visa, I was asked to give a Croatian phone number of a contact, this has to be a Croatian number & was written across the top of the application form rather in a specified box, I put my Croatian friends mobile number which they never called.
You don't need to wait until your 90 days are almost expired to apply for a residents visa & can get one straight away, what you're actually given is an A4 sheet of paper with an official stamp & an OIB Croatian Identification number, you tear off the bottom slip & need to carry that wherever you go, if you take along a passport sized photo you can ask for a plastic ID card ..... I didn't have a photo with me so going back on monday.

Thanks. And you get this form at the police station where you register? I'll remember to bring a photo with me. Will probably have s Croatian number as soon as I arrive because I currently live in Australia so only have an Aussie number which is too expensive to use over there. Thanks so much for all the advice. Where are you planning on living? I have chosen Pula in Istria.
Tina

I drove here from the UK & didn't register when I first arrived, just didn't get around to it.
When I called into a large police station after being here for almost 3 months to enquire about a visa, I was given the address of a larger police station in Split which had what seems to be a government office inside. I queued up, told the lady behind what I wanted & she gave me all the info & a form to fill in, even pointed me in the direction of a store where I could photocopy my passport.
The question of "reason for visit" needed an answer of "other" as I was told its impossible to have a vacation of more than 3 months ?!?!
The phone number I gave as a contact was a friends number, I was told it didn't matter who's it was as long as it was a Croatian number.

I use my British mobile here, it's the same conditions as using it in the UK, so calling any number within the EU is included in my normal rates..    Free!!!
I can also use my mobile data here too.

I'm staying just outside Split, been here 3 months & renting an apartment from a friend of a friend ..... who you know rather than what you know is the Croatian way.
My plan is to buy a property a bit further inland from the coastal area I'm now in, it's too touristy for my liking here & property is expensive.

What made you decide on the north?

Split is lovely but way too many tourists so looking for a property inland is probably a good idea. I chose the Istrian peninsula because my greatest love is Italy but the cost of living is a bit lower is Croatia from what I can see but Istria is very Italian and also close to Italy. Also it's a very beautiful region. I will rent for a while and if I like being there I will buy an apartment after a year or so. Stay in touch. Would love to hear how things are going for you.
Tina

My first choice is Italy, spent lots of time there & even know quite a lot of the lingo ... but it's way too expensive!
I'm looking at property inland from Split, got my eye on one already so fingers crossed. I've been here since January & it's far too cold up north, I came here to escape the cold winters! The ferry from Split to Ancona drops me in a good place to access all of Italy, so that suits me well. I drove here from the UK via Milan & that highway from Istria to the Dalmatian coast is long one.

Here's an update of my visa application..

Went to the offices this morning with my photo & little slip of paper they'd given me, turns out the slip of paper needs taking to a bank or post office for a fee to pay, so 60kuna & a 9kuna handling fee later I was back in the queue in the offices. Handed over my paperwork & photo, had both my index fingerprints scanned & another piece of paper given back to me, that's my proof of residency receipt & in 2 weeks time I should have a bone fide ID card waiting to be collected .... unless they lose my paperwork again of course!!

The concluding post...
The Croatian police did indeed call the number of my friend which I had written on the application form, this was to verify who I was & to ask if I was working.
I went to the government office today & collected my ID card, all easy enough, just lots of queuing & time .... my 90 days actually expired 15 days ago!

@Pyewacket Hi! Long shot, but did you end up purchasing property in Croatia? Or are you still looking?

I'd love to hear more about how you found life in Croatia & the difference between touristy spots vs inland.

Hopefully, speak soon!

Naomi

@TinaDonovan Hi!! I have a similar question for you as the other poster on this chat.

Did you end up purchasing a property up north?? I absolutely love Italy, and hearing that northern Croatia is similar but less cost-wise sounds amazing.

If you have a few mins, I'd love to ask you more on how you found moving across with a British Citizenship.

Hopefully talk soon,

Naomi!