ACQUIRING PROPERTY (CITIZENS OF EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES)

·          On 5 December 2008, the Act on Amendments to the Act on Ownership and Other Real Rights was adopted, which has equalized citizens and legal persons from EU Member States with domestic persons by removing from the current Act special assumptions (reciprocity and consent of the Minister of Justice) for acquiring the right to real property ownership in the Republic of Croatia (article 60/2 SAA)

Therefore, when the Amendments to the Act enter into force on 1 February 2009, the citizens of the European Union Member States will acquire the right to real property ownership in the Republic of Croatia under the same condition as domestic persons.

·          (Concerning persons who are not citizens of EU Member States, but who plan on acquiring real property in RC, reciprocity and consent of the Minister remain as assumptions which must be fulfilled in order for a person to acquire real property)

·          Procedures which have been motioned  by citizens of EU Member State for acquiring real property ownership in the RC, but have not been completed by a final decision before the Act on Amendments to the Act on Ownership and Other Real Rights has entered into force, will be discontinued by official duty.

·          Legal transaction which was concluded before the Act on Amendments to the Act on Ownership and Other Real Rights has entered into force, has the aim of acquiring the right of real property ownership in the Republic of Croatia which a citizen or legal person from the EU Member States has concluded as the acquisitor, is considered valid if the general assumptions have been fulfilled for the validity of that legal transaction and if the legal transaction is completed (convalidation – retroactive enforcement of the Act on Amendments).

THE CROATIAN PARLIAMENT

4021

Pursuant to Article 88 of the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, I hereby issue the

DECISION

PROMULGATING THE ACT ON AMENDMENTS TO THE ACT ON OWNERSHIP AND OTHER REAL RIGHTS

I hereby promulgate the Act on Amendments to the Act on Ownership and Other Real Rights, passed by the Croatian Parliament at its session on 5 December 2008

Class: 011-01/08-01/166

No.: 71-05-03/1-08-2

Zagreb, 12 December 2008

President of the

Republic of Croatia

Stjepan Mesić

ACT

ON AMENDMENTS TO THE ACT ON OWNERSHIP AND OTHER

REAL RIGHTS

Article 1

In the Act on Ownership and Other Real Rights (“Official Gazette”, no. 91/96, 68/98, 137/99, 22/00, 73/00, 114/01, 79/06, and 141/06) in Article 35, paragraph 2, second sentence is changed and states:

“Authority for the disposal, management and use of things owned by the local self-government and regional self-government belongs to the bodies of local and regional self-government stipulated by the regulation on the administration of local and regional self-government, unless provided otherwise by a particular law.”

Article 2

In Article 86, paragraph 1, after point 7, point 8 is added and states:

“renting and leasing joint parts of the building, or creating other legal relations concerning installation, maintenance, and development of infrastructure for electronic communication and paying compensation to the owners in accordance with special regulations.”

Article 3

Following Article 358, Articles 358a and 358b are added and state:

“Article 358a

(1) Provisions of Article 354 to 358 of the Act on Ownership and Other Real Rights (“Official Gazette” no. 91/96, 68/98, 137/99, 22/00, 73/00, 114/01, 79/06 and 141/06) do not relate to citizens and legal persons from European Union Member States. These persons gain the right to property ownership under the assumptions which are applicable for acquiring the right of ownership for citizens of the Republic of Croatia and legal persons with the legal seat in the Republic of Croatia.

(2) Provision of paragraph 1 of this Article does not relate to property in excluded areas:

-          agricultural land regulated by a specific law,

-          protected areas of nature according to a specific law.

Article 358b

(1) Real property for which a foreigner has lost the right of ownership based on Article 358a, paragraphs 2, as well as real property which a foreigner can not inherit based on Article 358, paragraph 3 of the Act on Ownership and Other Real Rights become the property of the Republic of Croatia, which is obliged to provide compensation. Inheritor gains the right to compensation according to the provisions of expropriation, based on the final decision on inheritance which determines the right.

(2) Lien and other realproperty right insurance which have burdened the property, burden the compensation that the inheritor gains.

(3) Other real property rights of third persons which have burdened the property do not end.

(4) Provisions of this Article are applied to other real properties which foreigners can not acquire through inheritance.”

Article 4

In Article 391, paragraph 1 is changed and states:

“(1) Real property in the ownership of local self-governing units may be sold by bodies authorized for their disposal or they may be disposed of in any other ways only on the basis of a tendering procedure and with compensation established on the market value, unless provided otherwise by law.”

FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 5

Procedures which have been motioned in order to obtain consent for acquiring the rights of ownership according to the provisions of Article 356 and 357 of the Act on Ownership and Other Real Rights (“Official Gazette,” no. 91/96, 68/98, 137/99, 22/00, 73/00, 114/01, 79/06, and 141/06), in the interest of citizens and legal persons from the European Union Member States, but which are still not completed by the final decision until this Act is put into force, will be discontinued by official duty.

Article 6

Legal transaction which has the aim of acquiring the right of ownership of real properties in the Republic of Croatia which a citizen or legal person from the European Union Member States as the acquisitor has concluded until this Act is put into force, will be convalidated if completed and if the general assumptions have been completed for the validity of that legal transaction, but it does not concern real property from Article 358a, paragraph 2 of this Act.

Article 7

In the complete text of the Act on Ownership and Other Real Rights (“Official Gazette,” no. 91/96, 68/98, 137/99, 22/00, 73/00, 114/01, 79/06, and 141/06), the Croatian words: “telephone line, radio and television antennas” are replaced with the words “infrastructure for electronic communication,” and the Croatian word “telecommunication,” is replaced with the words: “electronic communication” in the appropriate case.

Article 8

This Act will be published in the “Official Gazette,” and will enter into force on 1 February 2009, except the provisions of Article 1 and 4 of this Act which will enter into force on 17 May 2009.

Class: 941-06/08/01-01

Zagreb, 5 December 2008

THE CROATIAN PARLIAMENT

President of the

Croatian Parliament

Luka Bebić

Informacije o postupku stjecanja prava vlasništva i o podnesenim zahtjevima za davanje suglasnosti daju se svake srijede u vremenu od 9,00 do 15,00 sati  u Ministarstvu pravosuđa, Upravi za građansko pravo, Dežmanova 6, Zagreb, ili na brojeve telefona:

00385  1 3710 636       

               3710 767      

               3710 618

               3710 638

                Dana 25. srpnja 2006. godine stupio je na snagu Zakon o izmjenama i dopunama Zakona o vlasništvu i drugim stvarnim pravima («Narodne novine», broj 79/2006.) u kojem je odredbom članka 3. izmijenjena odredba članka 356. stavka 2. i 3. Zakona o vlasništvu i drugim stvarnim pravima («Narodne novine», broj 91/96., 68/98., 137/99., 22/00., 73/00. i 114/01.), na način da je ovlast izdavanja suglasnosti stranim osobama za stjecanje prava vlasništva nekretnina na području Republike Hrvatske prenesena u nadležnost ministra nadležnog za poslove pravosuđa.

                Dakle, od dana stupanja na snagu navedenog Zakona prestaje dosadašnja ovlast ministra vanjskih poslova i europskih integracija za izdavanje naprijed navedene suglasnosti i ista prelazi u nadležnost ministra nadležnog za poslove pravosuđa.

                Budući se o davanju suglasnosti za stjecanje prava vlasništva stranih osoba na nekretninama u Republici Hrvatskoj odlučuje u upravnom postupku na zahtjev stranke, to se svi takvi pisani zahtjevi od 25. srpnja 2006. godine predaju neposredno pisarnici ili se šalju poštom na adresu: Ministarstvo pravosuđa Republike Hrvatske, Uprava za građansko pravo, Dežmanova 6, 10000 Zagreb.

                Pisanom zahtjevu mora se priložiti:

·    pravna osnova stjecanja vlasništva (kupoprodajni ugovor, darovni ugovor, ugovor o uzdržavanju ili sl.) u originalu ili ovjerenoj preslici;

·    dokaz o vlasništvu prodavatelja/otuđitelja predmetne nekretnine, odnosno izvadak iz zemljišne knjige, u originalu ili ovjerenoj preslici, ne stariji od šest mjeseci;

·    uvjerenje (original ne stariji od šest mjeseci) tijela jedinica lokalne uprave nadležnog za urbanizam i prostorno uređenje (županijski uredi) da se nekretnina nalazi u granicama građevinskog područja predviđenim urbanističkim planom;

·    dokaz državljanstva stranog kupca (ovjerena preslika putovnice), ili dokaz o statusu pravne osobe (izvadak iz sudskog registra), ako je kupac strana pravna osoba;

·    ako postoji punomoćnik tada je potrebno dostaviti punomoć u originalu ili ovjerenoj preslici i

                Napomena: Stranku će se pozvati da dostavi i druge isprave ili dokumente, ako su potrebni u postupku.

                Uz zahtjev je, pored nabrojenih dokumenata i isprava, potrebno priložiti i dokaz o uplaćenoj upravnoj pristojbi. Prema članku 21. Zakona o izmjenama i dopunama Zakona o upravnim pristojbama («Narodne novine», broj 163/03.), točnije, tarifnom broju 74.a, određeni su sljedeći iznosi za upravne pristojbe:

·    za podnošenje zahtjeva 50 kuna,

·    za rješenje o stjecanju nekretnine 100 kuna i

·    za svaku eventualnu nadopunu zahtjeva (u slučaju da nedostaju određeni dokumenti) 20 kuna.

                Napomena: Upravne pristojbe u iznosu od 100 kuna naplaćuju se u državnim biljezima, odgovarajuće novčane protuvrijednosti, dok se iznosi iznad 100 kuna moraju uplatiti putem opće uplatnice na račun Državnog proračuna Republike Hrvatske broj: 1001005-1863000160, upisivanjem broja 24 (model) u prvu kućicu uplatnice, i upisivanjem u drugo polje uplatnice broja 5002: u slučaju kada je riječ o uplati hrvatskog državljanina uz broj 5002 treba upisati i JMBG, a u slučaju kad predviđeni iznos uplaćuje stranac tad je iza broja 5002 potrebno upisati i broj 721. Tako ispunjenu opću uplatnicu (ili državne biljege) osoba koja podnosi zahtjev, ili njegov punomoćnik, mora priložiti uz svu ostalu dokumentaciju.

All information about the process of acquiring title over Real Property for Foreign Legal or Natural Entities in the Republic of Croatia can be given every Wednesday form 09:00 – 15:00 in the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Croatia, Civil Law Administration Department, Dežmanova 6, 10000 Zagreb or on the phone:

00385  1 3710 636       

               3710 767      

               3710 618

               3710 638

                 The Amendment to the Law on Ownership and Other Real Rights (Official Gazette no. 79/2006) entered into force on 25 July 2006 containing Article 3 that modified Article 356, paras. 2 and 3 of the Law on Ownership and Other Real Rights Official Gazette nos. 91/96, 68/98, 137/99, 22/00, 73/00 and 114/01) transferring the authority to give  consent for acquiring titles over real property in Croatia to foreigners to the minister in charge of legal affairs.

                Therefore, the current authority of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integrations to issue the afore-mentioned consent ceased on the day that the afore-mentioned Law entered into force and the authority has been transferred to the minister in charge of legal affairs.

                Since the decision on giving consent for acquiring titles over real property in Croatia to foreigners is made during the administrative proceedings at the party's request, all such written requests submitted since 25 July 2006 should be handed over directly at the court admission desk or mailed to: Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Croatia, Civil Law Administration Department, Dežmanova 6, 10000 Zagreb.

                The following documents need to be attached to the written document:

·          Original document or certified copy providing the legal basis for acquiring a title (purchase agreement, gift agreement, life-long support agreement, etc.);

·          Original document or certified copy, not older than six months, providing evidence of the title of the seller/abalienator over the real property in question, or rather: the original or certified copy of the land registration excerpt, not older than six months;

·          confirmation (original not older than six months) issued by the local self-government body in charge of the urban and physical planning (county offices) that the real property lies within the boundaries of the construction area envisaged in urban planning;

·          proof of citizenship for foreign buyers (certified passport copy) or proof of  the legal entity status (court register excerpt), if the buyer is a foreign legal entity;

·          if there is an authorized agent, it is necessary to submit the original or a certified copy of the power-of-attorney

                Note: The party will be contacted to submit other deeds or documents if necessary during the procedure.

                Apart from the documents and deeds listed, it is necessary to attach a proof of the administrative fee payment to the application. According to Article 21 of the Amendment to the Law on Administrative Fees and Taxes (Official Gazette no. 163/03), or more precisely: tariff number 74.a,, the following levels have been set for administrative fees:

·          HRK 50 for the application,

·          HRK 100 for the decision on acquiring real property, and

·          HRK 20 for any addition to the application (in case certain documents are missing).