一時滞在許可証の申請 Filing of Request for Temporary Residence Visa

クロアチアでは、結婚式の前後5日間くらい有給とは別にお休みがもらえるみたいです。このお休みを利用して、地元警察に一時滞在許可証の申請をしに行ったんですが、行った日が悪かった・・・。次の日が祝日ということで、お昼で警察が閉まってたんです。聞くところによると祝日の前日はお昼でクローズ、という会社が多いみたい。で、お役所仕事も例外に漏れず・・・。クロアチアで書類を祝日の前日に警察とか役場に提出するときは、午前中に行きましょう。

  ところで、警察に一時滞在許可証を申請するのに、旦那の出生証明書(Birth certificate)が必要、ということで急遽Rijekaまで取りに行ってきました。住所が変わっても出生証明書は生まれた場所の役場に登録されていて、場所を変えることができないみたいです。なので、出生証明書が必要な場合は手紙で依頼するか実際にその場所へ行って取り寄せるかしかなかったみたい。でもRijekaの役場で「実は数日前から住んでいるところの登録所(Matični Ured)で取り寄せることが可能になった」と知らされて沈黙する私たち・・・。ガソリンを無駄にした、と思ったけど初めてRijekaに来ることができたし、霧に埋もれて寒いザグレブから太陽が降り注ぐ暖かいRijekaに来られたからいいことにしよう、ということに落ち着きました。私にとってRijekaはものすごい第一印象が良かったです。港町で陽気で明るい雰囲気っていうのもあるんだけれど、どっちかというとリベラルな考えが多いのがRijekaの特徴。Rijeka（リエカ）って名前も私の名前に通じるところがあって勝手に親近感を持ってみたり・・・。今度はもっとゆっくり訪れたいかな。

  祝日の翌日に書類（詳しくはこちら）をもって、地元管轄の警察署に、旦那と家のオーナーと一緒に出向きました。警察署では必要書類がちゃんとそろっているか確認して、一時滞在許可証の申請済み（ビザ発給手続き中）という内容の証明書をもらう、というとても簡単な手続きです。ちなみにこの時、私のアポスティーユ付の犯罪履歴書を開封して後日クロアチア語に翻訳したものをもってくるように言われました。

  警察署でもらった証明書(Potvrda)は外に出るときにはパスポートと一緒に持ち歩く必要があります。この証明書をもらえれば、最初に入国したときの3か月の滞在許可期間はキャンセルされて、ビザ審査が終わるまでクロアチア国内に滞在できます。ビザの審査中の出入国も問題ないです。でも、一時滞在許可証を提出してから日本に一時帰国して、日本からクロアチアに帰る際に航空会社のカウンターでビザの提示を求められました。このときまだ一時滞在許可証は持っていなかったけれど、事情を話したらこの証明書でOKでした。危うくクロアチアに帰れなくなるところだった・・・。

Certification of visa procedure

   I went to file the request for the temporary stay permit just before a national holiday. But unfortunately, all administrative services were closed before afternoon. My husband told me that usually before a public holiday, all of the administrative services and many companies close before afternoon in Croatia. So, if you need to file documents at any administrative services before a public holiday, do it in the morning.

  By the way, before we filed the request, we needed to get my husband's birth certificate. We didn't know that we could have obtain the birth certificate at any registration office (Matični Ured) in Croatia, so we went to Rijeka, where my husband was born, to get the birth certificate. This new system was implemented a few days before we went the registration office in Rijeka. It was a kind of waste of time and petrol to go to Rijeka from Zagreb just to get the birth certificate, but actually, I had a really good impression about Rijeka. Maybe because we visited Rijeka when Zagreb was buried in thick fogs for entire week while people in Rijeka enjoy lovely sunshine. Rijeka has a liberal-kind of atmosphere and people there are generally very friendly, although maybe Asian are still very rare to see for them (but this can be said to Zagreb, or other towns except for Split or Dubrovnik where lots of Japanese visit as tourists). But in fact, it seems like Rijeka is the most liberal city in Croatia. Also, "Rijeka" sounds similar to my name, so I feel a sense of affinity :)

  The following day after the public holiday, I went to the local police station to file the request for the temporary residence permit with my husband and the owner of the apartment (see here for documents you need to prepare). At the police station, the officer checked if we filed all necessary documents and then gave me a certification of visa procedure (a certification that says that visa examination is in process).  We were also told to bring the translation of my criminal record. So, we asked the court translator for the translation and filed it later.

  When you receive the certification of the visa procedure (Potvrda), keep it with you together with your passport when you go out. After you obtain this certification, the 3 months limits of stay you have when you entre Croatia for the first time as a tourist will be cancelled and you can stay in Croatia until the visa procedure is completed. While the visa procedure is in process, you can freely leave and re-entre Croatia.

 After filing the request for the temporary residence permit, I temporarily returned to Japan for 10 days. When I visited Japan, I travelled with the passport with my old name (without amending my name on the passport), because my name on the passport and the name of flight tickets need to match. Even with my passport with old name, I had no problem with re-entering into Croatia. But, when I checked in for the flight back to Zagreb, I was asked to show a valid visa. At that time, I didn't have the temporary residence permit, but the certification of the visa procedure. So, I told the person in charge at the check-in desk about my situation and the visa. They accepted the certification and let me checked in :). So, always bring the certification with you.