The Notaire and Police Registration 2

In order to complete the police registration process, my lease had to be notarized.  It is not the simple, inexpensive procedure we're used to.  The notaire in Europe is a functionary of considerable significance.  For example, in France all property sales must be handled by a notaire. Notarial positions are very lucrative and often handed down from one generation to the next.  Notaires came to Croatia with the fall of communism but they sure have learned fast.  We wanted 2 duplicate originals of the lease notarized, one for me and one for my landlady to give to the tax authorities.  Instead of notarizing both of them, they notarized one for 90 kuna, then made a photocopy of it, which for some reason then cost 160 kuna to notarize.  So, for about $50 U.S. we got two notarized copies of the lease.  But they are not just any copies, they are works of art.

Armed with my copy of the lease and all the other documents I had to obtain -- proof that my landlady owns the apartment (notarized), letter of appointment from the ministry (notarized), letter of appointment from the law school (notarized), copy of my FBI criminal record check with apostille (official U.S. State Dep't certification) translated into Croatian, passport, a photocopy of the picture page of the passport and a photocopy of the address registration form -- I went to the police station this morning.  The three of us who are in Zagreb went together with Marija from the ministry.  That smoothed the way quite a bit.  She showed us how to buy the 20 kn tax stamps that are required on the application.  Then we headed upstairs where we filled out the application form.  We didn't have to take a ticket for the line at windows 29 & 30.

Instead we went to another window where we handed in all our documents plus passports, tax stamps and passport size photos, then waited to be called for our interviews upstairs.  The interview consisted of being asked to repeat the same information we had put on the application forms.  After that the woman gave me a piece of paper saying that I had applied and said we'll see you in 2 or 3 weeks when you can pick up the sticker to put in your passport at which point I will be a legal resident.  Piece of cake.  Only 2 hours and, with any luck, only one more trip to the police station.