クロアチアでチップは必要? Custom of Tipping in Croatia

レストランで食事が済んだら、次はお会計。お会計は基本的にテーブル会計です。お会計をお願いするときは、

Račun, molim! （らチュン　モーリム！）

とウェイターさんに言うと、レシートを持ってきてくれます。これはとても丁寧な言い方になります。ウェイターさんがフレンドリーだったら、こっちの言い方のほうがいいかも。

Može račun!　（モジェ　らチュン！）

これだと砕けすぎだし、あんまり丁寧すぎてもなぁ、という場合は、最後に「molim (モーリム)」を付けて、Može račun, molim!　（モジェ　らチュン、モーリム！）でOK。ウェイターさんもゆっくりしていてなかなか来てくれない場合もありますが、のんびり待ってみましょう(^ ^;)　

さてさて、クロアチアにチップの習慣があるか、とクロアチア人に聞いてみると義務じゃないけれど暗黙の了解みたいなのがあって、合計料金の5～10%くらいをチップとしてテーブルに置いていくらしいです。チップはそんなに厳密に計算しなくてもよく、例えば合計が57Knのとき、60Knに切り上げるという形で十分。そんなとき、お会計でウェイターさんに「おつりは取っておいて！」という意味の

Sve u redu! （すヴぇ　うレドゥ！）

と言えば、にっこり笑って「Hvala! (フヴぁ―ら！）」と見送ってくれると思います。"Sve u redu"は直訳すると"全てOK"。英語で言えば"Everything is fine"で、例えば食事中ウェイターさんに何か必要なものがあるか、もっと食べるか聞かれたり、あるいは追加注文があるかどうか聞かれたりしたときに、「いや、このままで十分です。」という意味でも使えます。"Hvala"はクロアチア語で「ありがとう」の意味です。

ホテルに宿泊したときのチップは、というとフランスやアメリカのように枕元にチップを置く習慣はありません。

Payment at restaurants in Croatia is "pay-at-the table" system. On the other hand, in Japan, we pay at a cash reｇister at most restaurants and Izakaya. When we dine at Izakaya with friends, we usually split the bill. So, we ask our waiter to bring us the bill first, and then pay at the cash reｇister. When you want to ask the waiter to bring the bill to the table, say "Okaikei, Onegai-shimasu! お会計、お願いします!", meaning "the bill, please". In Croatia, you would say,

Račun, molim!

This is very polite and formal way of asking the bill. If your waiter is very friendly, you can also way in this way:

Može račun!

I've heard that many Croats use this way. This has a meaning similar to "bring me the bill". If you want to be a bit more polite, you can add "molim" to the end of sentence: Može račun, molim! By the way, this letter "č" is pronounced "ch" of "church".

I asked my husband if Croatia has the custom of tipping. He told me that the tipping is not mandatory, but many people leave about 5 to 10% of the total bill on the table when they left the restaurant or cafe if they are happy with the food and the service. You can also round up to the nearest number when you pay. For example, if the total amount is 57Kn, you can round up to 60Kn when you pay to your waiter. To tell the waiter to keep the change, you would say:

Sve u redu!

meaning, "everything is fine". This is very useful sentence and you can use this words in various situations. This words can be used as "everything is fine as it is" when your waiter asks you if you need anything additional while you enjoy your plates, or when you are asked if you want to eat more at your friend's dinner party or something.

As for the tipping at accommodations, I've heard that there is no custom of leaving tips on a side table of a bed. So, you don't have to worry about the tipping on hotels.

料理の量が多いとき・・・ Food portions in Croatia

クロアチアはレストランで食事を注文すると、ものすごい量のものが運ばれてきます。オーストラリア（メルボルン）のレストラン以上の量に、最初はびっくりしました。女の子2人なら1人分を頼んでシェアしてもおなかいっぱ いになるくらい。私と旦那がピッツァリアに行くと、サラダ1人前、ピッツァのミドルサイズ1枚かラザニア1人前をシェアします。それでも残さずに食べ るので精一杯くらい。これにケーキをシェアするとお腹がはちきれそうになる。

Half lasagna of Capuciner

  以前、2人でレストランに入って、お互いに1人前頼んだら、半分でギブアップ。それを見たウェイターさんに「どうしたんだ！元気がないなぁ～。もっと食べろ！」と言われてしまった・・・。「全部食べるまで帰っちゃだめだよ」って言われたこともあるなぁ。クロアチアはモノにあふれている国だ、と身をもって知りました。

  レストランで注文するときに、料理をシェアする、と言うとラザニアもピッツァも半分ずつに分けて持ってきてくれることが多いです。親切。料理をシェアしたい場合、注文するときに

Može ..., po pola, molim. (モジェ (料理の名前、指差しながら 'to' でもOK)、ぽ　ポーラ、モーリム).

と言いましょう。意味は「半分ずつでお願いします。」。「to (ト)」はクロアチア語で「これ」という意味です。「pola (ポラ、ポーラ)」は「半分」、で「molim (モーリム)」は英語で言うpleaseにあたる言葉です。または、先にピッツァなりを頼んで、「Može po pola, molim.」でもOK。ちなみに「molim」はつけると丁寧な感じになるけれど、別に言わなくてもウェイターの人は気を悪くしたりはしないらしい。反対に「molim」をつけないほうが早くフレンドリーな感じになれるからいい、と思うクロアチア人もいるみたい。

  そうすると、上の写真みたいにきれいに半分にされたラザニアが運ばれてきます。これはザグレブの聖母被昇天大聖堂の目の前にあるCapucinerというレストランのラザニア(35Kn)。ラザニアは今のところ、ここが一番かな。


The food portions at restaurants in Croatia are huge when comparing to Japan. I think the food portions here is as much as, or could be bigger than Australia. So, when I ordered food (a plate of meat :)) at a restaurant in Zagreb for the first time, I was so shocked to see them and I barely finished one third of them...

  When my husband and I eat at a restaurant, we usually share a bowl of salad, a middle-size pizza or a lasagna. Even though, we barely finish them all... I must admit that I eat less when comparing to my female friends, and my husband also eats less than average Croatian men. Waiters here in Croatia are generally very friendly, and one time, when our waiter saw us struggling with food, he said "Hey, what's wrong? Eat, eat!". And other time, a waiter jokingly told us "you can't go home until you finish it!" :P

Pizza from Eataly Daikanyama (Tokyo)

  So, anyway, since we learnt that we can't eat a full portion of meal, we mostly share plates. Usually, when tell a waiter that we share a plate when we order, a restaurant split it on two plates, like a photo above :) When you want to share a plate, say the following words to your waiter when you order:

  Može (name of food), po pola, molim.

This means "half and half, please". You can use the word "to" instead of the name of food. "To" means "it", and be careful not to pronounce it like English "to", which I often did it until I get used to the Croatian letters. "To" should be pronounced as "to" of "toy". You can also say, "Lasagne. Može po pola, molim."

  The word "molim" means "please" in English. But, I've been told that I don't have to say "molim" when I order at a restaurant. As a Japanese, I think I prefer to be polite even to waiters, but in Croatia, people prefer to be friendly. Using the word "molim" may sound too formal, and people may think it sounds more friendly without using that word. When you are friendly to your waiters, he/she would be friendly and even share some jokes with you ;)

  By the way, I wrote "lasagne" in the sentence above, because in Croatian language, one lasagna is called lasagne, and lasagna is plural.

  The half lasagna on the first photo is from Capuciner, which is located in front of the Cathedral. One lasagna costs only 35 kn and I think they serve the best lasagna in Zagreb :)

クロアチアのレストラン Restaurants in Croatia

クロアチアは、大きく肉料理中心の地域と地中海料理の地域とに分かれています。オーストリアやハンガリーに近いスラヴォニア地方やザグレブなどクロアチア中心部は肉料理、海岸沿いのイストリア地方やダルマチア地方は魚料理とかイタリア料理が中心です。クロアチアはイタリアに近いこともあって、ここザグレブでもおいしいピッツァとかパスタ料理のお店がたくさんあります。しかも安い!

　普通に地元の人が行くピッツァリアとかレストランになりますが、ザグレブでは、日本で言うLサイズのピッツァ1枚がこちらではミドルサイズでだいたい35Kn (2012年2月時点で1Kn＝約13.5円）くらいと日本に比べたらだいぶ安いです。飲み物も、コーラ250mlで約12Kn。ラザニアが約35Kn。トリュフソースのパスタが約80Kn。　日本で食べると高価なトリュフも、さすがトリュフ生産地だけあって、お安く食べることができます。でも原型をとどめないトリュフの粉（?）が黒い点々として見えるくらい・・・。普通レベルのレストランでは過度な期待はしないほうがいいかも。トリュフのパスタは大体クリームソース。たま～にオイルベースのソースをみるくらい。

  スプリットやドゥブロブニクのレストランは観光地だけあって、ザグレブよりも20%～30%くらい割高。

　下の写真はBaschieraというピッツァリアのメニュー表。ザグレブ内に3店舗構えているけれど、どこも中心からはちょっと距離があるかな。一番近いのは3号店でザグレブ中心のイェラチッチ広場から東にJurišceva通り、Martićeva通りを歩いていって突き当たるŠubićeva通りを南に数メートル行った所にあります。インテリアがモダンで、おしゃれで開放的な雰囲気のピッツァリアです。味も地元の人お勧めだけあって、おいしいです。

Menu of Baschiera

The Croatian cuisine is diverse depending on regions. For example, the cuisine in the region called Slavonija and around Zagreb, which are located closer to Hungary and Austria, have influence of Austrian and Hungarian cuisines. On the other hand, the cuisine in the coast region has influence from the Mediterranean and Italian food. So, in Croatia and here in Zagreb, you can find really nice Italian restaurants and pizzerias. And they are very cheap! Much much cheaper than in Japan, definitely.

  For example, at a standard pizzeria where local Zagreb people go, you can buy a middle size of pizza for about 35Kn, a 250ml bottle of coke is about 12Kn, and a small size of salad for about 15Kn. The middle size of pizza in Zagreb pizzeria is actually the same size as, or could be bigger than, a large size pizza in Japan. And a large size pizza in Japan costs over 30 euros!

  Many people think that everything in Japan is extremely expensive. But, it actually is not true. In Japan, you can find cheap food at Japanese-style pubs called Izakaya, on the other hand, you can also find high-end restaurants. Izakaya is a pub, but offers verious types of food in small plates, so you can try many different Japanese domestic food there. When I have dinner at an Italian cafe/izakaya with 3 to 4 female friends of mine, I spend about 25 euros on average including 2 glasses of alcohol beverage. Maybe it's not common outside Japan, or more broadly outside Asia, but we usually share plates. So, when I have dinner with my friends at the restaurants, we order a salad, a few appetizers, some small plates of chicken, a medium size of pizza (meaning, a small size of pizza here :)) and a past to share, and drinks and cakes for each.

  In Japan, usually, restaurants offers different menu between lunch and dinner. Prices for lunch is much cheaper than dinner even at a relatively expensive restaurant. Lunch at standard restaurants is in a range between 8 euros to 15 euros. You can also find a cheaper option at a chain Gyudon restaurant, such as Yoshinoya and Sukiya, where you can eat Gyudon (a bowl of rice topped with beef and onion) for less than 4 euros :) Gyudon is something like, pizza for Italian and hamburger for Americans.

  Anyway, going back to Croatian restaurants, I think prices of food at tourist destinations, such as Split, Dubrovnik and so on are higher than Zagreb by 20 to 30%.

  The menu on the photo above is from a pizzeria called Baschiera. The pizzeria was recommended by local people and they do have really good pizza! They have 3 branches in Zagreb, but I think the one on the Šubićeva street is the closest from the centre of Zagreb. How to get there? Well, walk along the Jurišceva street and the Martićeva street from the Jelačića square to the East, and when you reach the Šubićeva street, walk to the South for a few meters, and you will find the pizzeria. It also has very nice and modern interior design :)

クロアチアの税金と扶養者登録 Taxes in Croatia and Registration of Dependent

食べ物つながりで、クロアチアの税金のお話。クロアチアの消費税は0%, 10%, 23%に分かれています。パン、ミルク、一部の薬品なんかは0%、宿泊施設や新聞なんかは10%、それ以外は23%です。でも、この消費税率、2012年の3月から25%に引き上げられる見通しです。25％はEUが規定する消費税率最高値。EUの規定する標準消費税率は15%から25%です。消費税5%の日本から見たら、ものすごく高い消費税率。それでも財政困難に陥るのだから、単に消費税を上げただけでは財政がよくならないのは立証済み (-"-;)。

　ちなみにクロアチア政府は、消費税を上げると同時に、議員年金をカットするということも発表しました。その途端、何人かは選挙直後だというのに、現行の年金額を得るために辞任を申し出たとか・・・。クロアチアでは2年間議員をやっていれば議員年金満額もらえるそうです。どこの国も他人（国民）には厳しいけど、身内（議員）にはめちゃくちゃ優しい。

  気になるのは給料から引かれる所得税率。日本は、年間の総合所得によって6段階の所得税率が設定されていますが、クロアチアはちょっと違います。クロアチアの所得税は4段階に分かれています。税引き前の毎月の給料が20,000Knの人を例にとって説明しますね。

  非課税率は一律1,800Knで、次の3,600Knに対して12%、その次の10,800Knに対して25%、残りに対して40%の所得税が課せられます。つまり、 毎月20,000Knもらっている人は：

20,000Kn　　　－　　 （1,800Kn　　×　　0%）　　　　                ＝18,200Kn
18,200Kn       －     （ 3,600Kn    ×   12%　  ＝   432Kn）　  ＝14,600Kn
14,600Kn       －      (10,800Kn   ×    25%   ＝ 2,700Kn)     ＝3,800Kn
  残り　　　　　　　    　3,800Kn    ×     40%   ＝ 1,520Kn

となり、合計4,652Knが給料の20,000Knから引かれる計算になります。これに健康保険料や、年金、市民税が加わります。

  結婚して扶養者が増えた場合、扶養者（配偶者）に対して900Kn分が非課税枠に追加になります。つまり、1,800Knが非課税だったものが、扶養者がいれば2,700Knが非課税になります。一人目の子供は900Kn、二人目の子供は1260Kn、3人目の子供は1,800Kn分非課税枠に追加になります。ちょっと計算が面倒・・・。

  扶養者として登録するのはものすごく簡単です。会社なんかにTax Card（Kartica Poreza)が保管してあると思うのですが、それを持って地元の税務署に扶養者申請書を提出するだけです。申請書は地元の税務署に置いてあります。この時もOIBが必要になるので、番号を控えておくのをお忘れなく！扶養者の名前とOIBをTax Cardに記入してもらったら、それを会社に変換します。ここらへん、日本だと会社がやってくれるから便利ですね。

Currently, VAT in Croatia is 23% and which is expected to be increased by 2% in March, so VAT in Croatia will be 25%.  Except for baked bread, milk, some medicines, educational books and so on, which are not taxed. And 10% tax rate is applied to accommodations and newspapers and so on. On the other hand, VAT in Japan is 5% for everything. So, comparing to Japanese VAT, the Croatian VAT looks very high. Actually, 25% VAT rate is the highest in the EU standard. The EU defines that standard VAT should be in a range between 15% to 25%.  Now, the Japanese government tries to increase the VAT to 8% by next May, but many Japanese are against it and criticised the government that they should cut their salary, a number of parliament members and so on before implementing new VAT rate.

  In Croatia, the new government also announced that the parliamentary pension would be reduced. And the moment the new government mentioned about it, a few parliament members announced their retirement in order to obtain the full pension even thought it was just after the election.

  Anyway, taxes in Croatia... let's see income tax in Croatia. The income taxation system is a bit different from Japan. In Croatia, four different tax rate is applied. For example, if a person earn 20,000 Kn every month, the first 1,800 Kn is tax free. Then, the next 3,600 Kn is taxed with the rate of 12%. The next 10,800 Kn is taxed with the rate of 25%, and 40% tax rate is imposed to the rest.

20,000Kn　　　－　　 （1,800Kn　　×　　0%）　　　　                ＝18,200Kn
18,200Kn       －     （ 3,600Kn    ×   12%　  ＝   432Kn）　  ＝14,600Kn
14,600Kn       －      (10,800Kn   ×    25%   ＝ 2,700Kn)     ＝3,800Kn
The rest　　　　　　　    3,800Kn    ×     40%   ＝ 1,520Kn

  So, the person who earns 20,000 Kn every month will pay 4,652 Kn from his salary. Of course, fee for the health insurance, the pension and the city tax are deducted from the salary.

  In Japan, six different income tax rate is applied depending on how much you earn.

Income	Tax rate	Deduction
Less than 1,950,000 Yen	5%	0 Yen
From 1,950,000 to 3,330,000 Yen	10%	97,500 Yen
From 3,330,000 to 6,950,000 Yen	20%	427,500 Yen
From 6,950,000 to 9,000,000 Yen	23%	636,000 Yen
From 9,000,000 to 18,000,000 Yen	33%	1,536,000 Yen
Over 18,000,000 Yen	40%	2,796,000 Yen

  The calculation of the income tax in Japan goes like this: if you earn 2,000,000 yen per year, the amount of tax you should pay is 2,000,000 yen × 10% - 97,500 yen = 102,500 yen. In addition to the income tax, we also pay city tax (resident tax), which is equivalent to 10% of your income, the pension, the health insurance and the employment insurance.

  Going back to the Croatian tax system, if you have a dependent, 900 Kn will be added to the non-tax amount. I mean, 2,700 Kn will be not taxed. The deduction for the first child is 900 Kn, the deduction for the second child is 1,260 Kn and the deduction for the third child is 1,800 Kn.

  To register a dependent family on the tax card is very easy. You just need to bring your tax card（Kartica Poreza), which is usually kept at a company if you work for the company, to the local tax office together with a request for modification of the tax card, which you can get at the local tax office. You need the dependent family's OIB, of course.

クロアチアの物価 Prices in Croatia

クロアチアに旅行するにも生活するにもやっぱり気になるのは物価じゃないでしょうか。その前にクロアチアには十分に物が手に入るの、なんて思っている人も少なからずいるかもしれませんね。聞いた話によると、ザグレブでは戦争中もスーパーで十分に食べ物を手に入れることができていたようです。

  ザグレブと東京の物価を比較するのに便利なサイトがこちら。大体この通りで正しいかな、と思います。生活必需品で挙げてみると、ミルク１Lは6Kn（2012年2月の時点で1Kn=13.5円)、バター250gは14Kn、リンゴ1Kgあたり12Kn、みかんは1kgあたり12Kn、ジュース2Lで16Kn、コーラ2Lで12.5Knくらい、と食品は日本に比べてだいぶ安いかな。もちろん、果物などは季節によって値段の変動はありますが・・・。ちなみに、こちらでナシも売っていました！１ｋｇあたり14Knだったかな。見た目がどうみても洋ナシで、日本のナシには程遠い感じですが、食感と味はナシでした。あと、クロアチアでは塩入バターを探すのがものすごい大変。売られているバターの95％は無塩バターなんです。たま～に塩入バターを見つけるとうれしくなる。

After New Year Party

  ちなみにザグレブの平均月収は税引き後で大体7万円。 日本の平均年収を約300万とすると、日本の平均月収の半分以下です。クロアチアの所得分布は、いわゆる中産階級が一番少なく、高所得者と低所得者がほとんど、ちょっと特殊な構造です。

 　クロアチアはガソリンが高く、1Lあたり10Kn（約135円）と日本とあまり変わらない値段です。クロアチアの平均月収からしたらかなり高い。でも、みんな運転するのを控えたりはしないみたい。

 　ザグレブ中心でアパートを探そうとしたら、最低でも4万円くらい。そんな状況でザグレブで生活していくには、夫婦共働きでないとやっていけません。なので、女性の社会進出という点では日本よりもものすごく進んでいます。

 　そしてもう一つ、クロアチアで驚いたことは、結構みんないい車、比較的新しいに乗っているということ。レクサスのディーラーを見つけた時はものすごい驚きました。こんなところでも、そんなに高い車を買える人がいるのか、と・・・。あと、意外にルイ・ヴィトンとかブランド物のバッグを持っている人も、ザグレブでは見かけます。クロアチア人は意外と見栄っ張りなところがあるのかも・・・。

Everyone left food for us

 Comparing prices (especially, food at a supermarket) in Zagreb with Japan, I think prices of most food here is almost half of Japan. I think this website shows relatively accurate data about prices in Zagreb and Tokyo. I would say, vegetables and fruits are much much cheaper than in Japan. But, I found that petrol here is extremely expensive. I've heard that the average monthly salary in Zagreb is about 700 euros after tax, whereas, the average monthly salary in Japan is about 1,700 euros after tax. It's hard to get the average monthly salary in Japan, because it largely varies depending on cities. Of course, people in Tokyo have higher monthly income, on the contrary, people in Okinawa and Aomori have nearly half salary of people in Tokyo. But, let's say, average monthly salary in Japan as broad is 1,700 euros after tax, which is calculated from an official data saying that the average yearly salary in Japan is about 29,000 euros.

  Anyway, petrol..., here in Zagreb, petrol is 10Kn (about 1.32 euro) per liter, whereas in Japan, petrol is 140 yen (about 1.35 euro) per liter. So, almost the same price! But, people in Croatia tend not to cut spending on petrol, and still enjoy driving their cars. It's like Japanese people pay 3 euro per liter or more for petrol from their income. I think if that would ever happened, many Japanese would give up their car and use alternate transportation such as trains and buses.

  Also, I found that renting a decent apartment in the centre of Zagreb is quite pricey. I think one bed room apartment in the centre of Zagreb costs at least 400 euros. So, I think it is very hard for an average salary person to rent an apartment, own a car and buy groceries. Therefore, most of families in Croatia are double-income households. I think this is one of the reasons why so many women participate in society.

Nashi (Japanese pear)

  On the contrary, in Japan, it's very hard for women to pursue her career. Many women quit their jobs when they get married or when they have babies. Of course, we do have maternity leave, but still, many women find it is very difficult to balance their career and parenthood and decide to leave their companies. I think many women in Japan wish to return to work when their children start going to school, but finding a company who employs them. Even if they do find a job, it's not something they can establish a career.

  Anyway, I was also very surprised by Croatian people's buying power (or better to say, willingness to buy). I didn't expect to see the Lexus dealer in Croatia. And I didn't expect to see some women holding brand-name bags such as Louis Vuitton. I was wondering, to be honest, how come they can afford those luxury things. Well, I know it sounds a bit rude for people in Croatia, but still many Japanese people think Croatia is a poor country and had a bad economy, and people in Croatia live in a poor living condition as in a Soviet Union... So, yeah, I hope I can change their wrong image of Croatia through my blog :)

クロアチアの古いことわざ Old Saying in Croatia

最近、ギリシャの財政危機から始まってユーロ危機、ひいてはユーロ圏解体かなんて叫ばれている今日この頃ですが、クロアチアを含む旧ユーゴスラビアにこんな古いことわざがあります。

Dužan kao Grčka (ドゥジャン　カオ　グルチュカ）. ギリシャ人のように借金にまみれる。

なんてタイムリーなことわざ、じゃなくて、昔からギリシャ人は借金をものすごくするという悪い評判が旧ユーゴスラビアにもあったんですね・・・。クロアチア人は（たぶん他の旧ユーゴスラビア諸国も似たような感じかも）目いっぱい借金できるところまで借金する国民性（?!）なんだとか（旦那談）。そんなクロアチアから見てもギリシャ人の借金癖はひどいということなんでしょうか・・・。

ギリシャでは脱税と高い年金が財政を圧迫したことが今の財政危機の発端とのことですが、クロアチアも結構ギリシャに負けず劣らず。1991年から95年の独立戦争のときに軍に従事した人はいろいろな手当＋高い年金がもらえるんですが、なんと手当＋退役軍人年金受給者は実際に戦争で戦った人以上にいるらしい・・・。そんなに軍人いたんだったら、クロアチアは簡単に独立戦争に勝っていたんじゃ？というくらい。2011年12月の選挙で政権交代したクロアチア。新政権は退役軍人が実際にどこに配置されていたのか確認作業をするらしい。というか確認作業なしに手当とか高い年金を支払っていたことが信じられない。やっぱり適当な国クロアチア。EU加盟も決まったし、新政権になったし、EU並の政治・法秩序が確立されることを願うばかり。

Croatia and other former Yugoslav countries have the old saying:  Dužan kao Grčka, meaning "indebted like Greek".

  This is not new saying created recently because of the Greek debt crisis, which led to a serious crisis of Euro currency. But, it seems like this old saying exists since long time ago. I laughed when I heard this saying, but this means that Greek has a bad reputation when it comes to debt even in Croatia.

  According to my husband, Croats tend to be in debt as deep as possible and don't stop spending. Many Japanese think that Croatia is in a serious economic crisis (I guess it is true though...) because of recession in EU. But, actually, the shopping malls outside of the centre of Zagreb are always full of people and don't feel like that the economy of Croatia is bad. So, this saying shows that Croats and people in other former Yugoslav countries consider the Greek habit of debt is even worse than them. Very interesting...

  In Japan, we feel very unsafe if we don't have savings. One reason is because we think that Japanese pension system will be sooner or later bankrupt. Well, the Japanese government itself is in a massive debt and when the big recession hits Japan, the government won't be able to help us. So, it is very important to have some savings to survive. Even young people in 20's have already started worrying their life after retirement and started saving money. Young people in 20's only know Japan in recession and spent most of their life in such economic situation. So, they tend to take more careful and serious attitudes to their way of spending and their life.

クロアチア国民健康保険に加入 Enrollment in Croatian National Health Insurance

一時滞在許可証もOIBも取得して、残るは国民健康保険（Hrvatski Zavod za Zdravstreno Osiguranje: HZZO）に加入するのみ。住んでいる地元の国民健康保険の事務所に警察で発行してもらった紙と、パスポートの顔写真のあるページ、住所が記載してある最後のページと一時滞在許可証が貼ってあるページのコピー、OIBのコピーを持っていきます。

　ちなみに、警察に発行してもらった証明書、読んでみると「一時滞在許可証の審査中」である旨が書かれていて「一時滞在許可証授与」ということではないらしい。つまり、一時滞在許可証が下りるのを待たなくても国民健康保険に加入できたかもしれない・・・。そうするとひょっとしてOIBも一時滞在許可証を申請した時点で取得が可能だったかもしれない・・・。
　

  ここでの話、クロアチアの公務員は自分の仕事以外については知らないので、聞いても分からないと言われることが多い。あるいはあいまいで間違った情 報をくれるか・・・(´Д｀) =3　実はOIBを取りに行くのに、事前に地元の税務署に電話で外国人がOIBを取得するにはどうしたらいいのか聞いたら、その時の回答が地元の税務署で できるから来るようにとのことだったけれど、実際に出向いたら「ここじゃなくて、ザグレブの中央税務署に6か月前から変わった」と伝えられるという悲劇 が・・・。電話でちゃんと確認したのに・・・。そんな感じで結構いい加減。どんな手続きでも、1回は何かしら理不尽なことに遭遇する、と心しておいた方が いいかも。

　国民健康保険の加入は簡単で、上に挙げた書類を窓口に持っていくと受付の人が2種類の加入申請書類に記入してくれます。あ とはそれにサインするだけ。外国人は例え国際結婚だったとしても永住権を取得するまでは（最低5年間は）配偶者の扶養者として保険に入ることはできず、個 人で加入という形になります。月々400Kn。そして、この健康保険は一時滞在許可証の有効期限間のみ有効です。つまり、来年一時滞在許可証の更新をした ときに健康保険も更新しないといけないのです。

　そして、健康保険の窓口でもらった加入受領書を警察署に持って行ってすべての手続きが完了です！



Now, what I had to do was only to enroll in the Croatian National Health Insurance （Hrvatski Zavod za Zdravstreno Osiguranje: HZZO）after obtaining the temporary residence permit and the OIB. To enroll in the HZZO, you need to bring a certificate issued at the police station when the temporary residence permit is granted, a copy of your passport (photo page, address page and the page where the permit is attached) and a copy of the OIB.

  By the way, the certificate issued by the police station reads that the examination for the temporary residence permit had been entered (Note: not completed). So, technically, maybe I could have joined the HZZO before granting the visa. And maybe, I could have obtained the OIB before granting the OIB, but not sure...

  Anyway, enrolling the HZZO was a very easy process. I just had to hand in all the documents I mentioned above at the local health insurance office, and then a person at the office filled two application forms. What I had to do was just to sign those papers. Then, I received copies of those two forms, so I brought them to the police station. That's it. Now, all the necessary processes were done :)

  The monthly fee for the health insurance is 400 Kn. It doesn't matter if you depend on your spouse after the marriage. Until you obtain the permanent residence visa, you won't be able to enroll in the HZZO through your spouse. Also, I was told that the HZZO is valid until the temporary residence permit is valid. That means, when I renew the temporary residence permit next year, I also need to renew or re-enroll in the HZZO.

  So, through those procedures, you may encounter with irrational and inefficient bureaucracy, which you might feel like your patience is tested (and you may get nuts :P). But in the end, you will get what you need, if you patiently follow instruction of people at the office. And again, remember, different people may give you different advice and information in Croatia, so always better to contact them (preferably, the person in charge) to check before you actually take action (it could fail though...).