ken
New Member
Posts: 2
|
MAF
Feb 19, 2004 14:37:30 GMT 1
Post by ken on Feb 19, 2004 14:37:30 GMT 1
Hi Peter
Congrats on this service. I am planning to buy a proerty in Croatia next week. (I ordered the book 'How To Buy property In Croatia' by Martin Westby on Croatia Holidayand Home website. But, unfortunately it has not yet arrived.) My wife is Croatian.I am English. If I put both of our names on the sales contract, will it help things to move more quickly at the MAF? She would be registered as joint owner with myself. I wonder if you perhaps have any contacts at the Ministry who could advise on this. Many thanks Best wishes Ken
|
|
|
MAF
Feb 19, 2004 21:46:38 GMT 1
Post by Peter Ellis on Feb 19, 2004 21:46:38 GMT 1
Hi Ken
I had the same situation. I'm British and my wife is Croatian. At the time, it was better to register it in her name as that way the MAF weren't involved and add my name later. I've since got dual Croatian British nationality, so it is no longer a problem. However, I will ask my wife about this.
Kind regards
|
|
|
MAF
Feb 20, 2004 0:32:39 GMT 1
Post by Peter Ellis on Feb 20, 2004 0:32:39 GMT 1
My wife confirms that if you want to buy in joint names you will definitely need MFA approval. If only a Croatian name shows you will not need it.
|
|
ken
New Member
Posts: 2
|
MAF
Feb 20, 2004 1:48:56 GMT 1
Post by ken on Feb 20, 2004 1:48:56 GMT 1
Hi peter
Thanks for getting back to me.
If I took the route of registering my wife as owner to avoid MAF issues, how would I then register my co-ownership in the land book? Did you ever do this yourself, before you got dual nationality? (I imagine I'd need to live in Croatia to get that??)
best wishes Ken
|
|
|
MAF
Feb 22, 2004 9:48:47 GMT 1
Post by Peter Ellis on Feb 22, 2004 9:48:47 GMT 1
Hi Ken,
The advantage would seem to lie in the fact that if you did it initially in your wife's name, at least your family would have full control of the property right from the beginning, rather than it remaining with an outsider while you waited for MFA permission. She can gift to you any part or all of the property. However, the Land Registry would only accept a foreigner, e.g., you, as a co-registrant if you have MFA permission, so doing it this way doesn't remove the need for an MFA approval. You would still have to apply for it for your own name to go on the book, even though initially you could easily and legitimately register it in your Croatian wife's name..
|
|
|
MAF
Feb 22, 2004 10:28:11 GMT 1
Post by Peter Ellis on Feb 22, 2004 10:28:11 GMT 1
Sorry, I didn't answer your second part. No, I didn't try to register before getting Croatian citizenship. Yes, I think you would need to be resident to go for that. Once you've got it, obviously you don't need MFA approval for any house purchase. For anyone else reading this, both the questioner and I are British, married to Croatian wives. He is in the UK but I live in Croatia. Getting citizenship is not particularly difficult, if you satisfy the criteria, although it is protracted. There is a series of stages that need working through and if you persevere, you get there in the end. Having had to satify the criteria (both civil and religious) for getting married in Croatia, I was already attuned to the bureaucracy!
|
|