croam
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Posts: 71
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Post by croam on Oct 6, 2005 18:31:55 GMT 1
How long does the application process take once you file your documents for citizenship...assuming all the documents are in order.
anyone?
anyone?
I'm going through the Croatian Embassy in DC.
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Post by Ribaric on Oct 7, 2005 22:12:56 GMT 1
Hey croam, I've probably missed the point here but I think you can't even think about citizenship unless you've lived here for at least 5 years, that's how long it takes to get permanent residence - let alone citizenship.
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Post by gmh on Oct 7, 2005 22:24:31 GMT 1
Surely if you have a parent or grandparent that was croatia, there would be the potential to gain citizenship with greater ease.
Or go with iracs suggestion of befriending some politicians over here.
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croam
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Posts: 71
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Post by croam on Oct 7, 2005 22:24:38 GMT 1
i can get it through my parents. i have all documents necessary to send off the application. I was asking anyone with this particular process/experience.
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Post by Ribaric on Oct 7, 2005 23:01:38 GMT 1
Oh! right. It's us foreigners who have the problem.
Can anyone explain to me how a 90 day tourist visa is good for 6 months - even though they don't take into account how often you may leave the country and for how long. Is it me?
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Sue
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Posts: 47
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Post by Sue on Oct 10, 2005 13:48:39 GMT 1
my brother in law did this last year, British born to Croatian parents. Once he had all the documents relating to his parents in order he applied through the embassy in London and it took about4/5 months to go through.
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croam
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Posts: 71
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Post by croam on Oct 10, 2005 15:10:41 GMT 1
thanks sue!
Would anyone know the benefits of travelling to Croatia on a Croatian passport if you are a dual citizen US/Croatia ?? I'm filing my Domovnica papers this month but was wondering what the benefit of travelling there would be... I'm thinking I'm better off travelling on my US passport even if i have a croatian passport because I would think "they" would try to give me more problems if I had the HR passport than an American one.
If anyone has any information about that...please let me know! Thanks in advance!
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Post by z00ey on Oct 10, 2005 21:07:57 GMT 1
if you have dual (croatian) citizenship, you are not allowed to travel to and from croatia on ANY other passport than the croatian one... it's the law, and you are required by it to show your croatian passport on the croatian border.
so, no "better off" comes in the question
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croam
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Posts: 71
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Post by croam on Oct 10, 2005 21:34:56 GMT 1
yeah well i know people who do...i guess i should just ask them because there is a reason.
how would they know one way or the other unless you had both of them on you and they detained and searched you?
im pretty sure my dad always travels with his US passport. he's coming back today so I'll ask him why he does that.
thanks for helping out!
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Sue
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Posts: 47
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Post by Sue on Oct 10, 2005 21:51:05 GMT 1
My husband has both Croatian and UK passports. Born in Dalmatia but most of his life in the UK or Canada. He obtained a Croatian passport about 7 years ago and initially used it on all visits to the country, out of pride and novelty, until it became apparant that on every journey his Croatian passport was srutinised whilst the rest of the family with British passports were stamped and waved through. As a result for the last half dozen trips he has used his UK passport, we had no idea that he was required to use the Croatian one. Anyone know where we can confirm this?
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Post by gmh on Oct 10, 2005 22:15:55 GMT 1
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croam
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Posts: 71
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Post by croam on Oct 11, 2005 1:58:27 GMT 1
"until it became apparant that on every journey his Croatian passport was srutinised whilst the rest of the family with British passports were stamped and waved through. " GREAT POINT SO WHO CARES IF ITS ILLEGAL.
Technically, if you enter as a US citizen then you are a US citizen there...i don't see how they could legally screw with you....and the worst is they can deport you...but come on...its not like they will for entering on a foreign passport....unless your a criminal.
i guess thats why my dad does the same thing.
theres no way for them to pull up that you are a dual citizen from your foreign passport. they just make sure its not fake...if they even do that. Now if they find your other documents during a thorough search i dunno....
Its like anything else over there with government beuracracies..if you bend over for them they will rape you.
Don't tell them and they dont know. They just want to tax you or give you trouble because you get to travel and they don't.
My US passport gives me free reign anywhere that i would want to go(obviously not everywhere in the world)... They know every cavity has been checked and cleared for takeoff before I leave America. Croatian Customs guys joke with me asking if i have bazookas and bombs in my luggage and laugh at me when i get nervous.
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Post by gmh on Oct 11, 2005 7:23:27 GMT 1
Not sure if you read that link croam, but it says that US passport holders who are also croatian citizens will not have their US status recognised whilst in croatia, and will be treated as a croatian citizen. All it takes is a little trouble and a reason for them to check the records to find out you have croatian citizenship, and then your US embassy will be powerless to offer you any assistance.
I did some further research and it seems this is the case for any croatian dual citizen.
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Post by z00ey on Oct 11, 2005 10:24:56 GMT 1
if you get your USmpassport name checked, you would be found to be a carrier of a Croatian passport. in that case you'd be found breaking the law. i'm not really sure what could happen in that case, but obviously you'd be treated as a croatian citizen (as gav rightly observed).
maybe it's just a fine, but if you are carrying goods from abroad, you may be also in customs violation, and then it would probably be a much higher fine.
croatian airport customs guys are actually great idiots, a lot of people (myself included) had a lot of trouble with them (ie proving my 4 year old camera is actually OLD and bought in croatia, not smuggled through the customs)
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Post by gmh on Oct 11, 2005 14:09:03 GMT 1
I didn't realise it was actually a punishable offence to enter with your other passport if you are croatian. Seems a bit harsh considering they don't widely publicise the fact. That's the same with registering at the cop shop within 24hrs when you get here if you're staying privately. Not many people know this, and I saw someone arrested for it, fined, and deported out of the country last year, because they were on a bicycle tour through croatia, and thought that once they had crossed the border, that is all they need to do as far as paperwork went. They were wrong !
On a side not, after 1 year and 7 months of living here already, today I finaly got my 1 year temp residency permit. Looks pretty impressive in the passport too, and they say I can get one of those nifty plastic ID cards that everyone else has too. Of course, that would cost extra.
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