Money and Banks

Daniela Rogulj

Need a bank in Inland Dalmatia?

Banks and ATMs

There might not be many reasons to visit a bank during a vacation in Croatia, with all the online banking, mobile banking and credit cards available these days. However, if you need one, here is where to look for one in Inland Dalmatia. 

Banks in Sinj

Erste banka

Put Petrovca 12

Phone: 072 374 775

Hours: Mon-Fri – 8am-5pm, Sat-Sun – Closed 

Splitska Banka d.d.

Banski pro. 1

Phone 021 821 312

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat 8am-12pm, Sun Closed

Addiko bank

Splitska ul. 37

Phone: 01 6030 000

Privredna Banka Zagreb

Glavička ul. 4

Phone: 0800 365 365

HPB Hrvatska Poštanska Banka

Put Petrovca 13

Phone: 021 823 133

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-2pm, Sat 8am-12pm, Sun Closed

Zagrebačka banka d.d.

Trg Franje Tuđmana bb

Phone: 021 350 550

Hours: Mon 8am-2:30pm, Tue-Wed 9am-6pm, Thurs-Fri 8am-2:30pm, Sat-Sun Closed 

ATMs in Sinj

Hrvatska Poštanska Banka

Vrlička ul. 50

Zagrebačka Banka d.d.

Vrlička ul. 48

Phone: 0800 00 24

Hrvatska Poštanska Banka

Livanjska ul. 19

Zagrebačka banka d.d.

Ul. Miljenka Buljana 5

Phone: 0800 00 24

Splitska Banka

Šetalište Alojzija Stepinca

Banks in Imotski

OTP banka

 Šetalište Stjepana Radića 9, 21260, Imotski

Phone: 072 201 358

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-3pm, Sat 8am-12pm, Sun Closed 

Splitska banka d.d.

Šetalište Stjepana Radića 22, 21260, Imotski

Phone: 021 841 235

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat 8am-12pm, Sun Closed

Hrvatska Poštanska Banka

Šetalište Stjepana Radića 11, 21260, Imotski

Phone: 021 555 280

Hours: Mon/Wed/Fri 8am-2pm, Tue/Thu 8am-4:30pm, Sat/Sun Closed

Zagrebačka banka d.d.

Šetalište S. Radića 18, 21260, Imotski

Phone: 021 350 575

Hours: Mon/Thu/Fri 8am-3pm, Tue/Wed 8am-6pm, Sat/Sun Closed 

ATMs in Imotski

Reifaissen Bank

Šetalište Stjepana Radića 12, 21260, Imotski

Croatian Postal Bank

Šetalište Stjepana Radića 19, 21260, Imotski

Zagrebačka banka d.d.

Glavina Donja 336, 21260, Imotski

Closes 9pm

Zagrebačka banka d.d.

Put Gaja 19, 21260, Imotski

Open 24 hours

Privredna Banka Zagreb

Ul. kralja Tomislava, 21260, Imotski

Banks in Trilj

Splitska banka d.d.

Ul. Kralja Tomislava 1, 21240, Trilj

Phone: 021 831 055

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-3pm, Sat-Sun Closed

PBZ

D220 14, 21240, Trilj

ATMs in Trilj

Hrvatska Poštanska Banka

D60 8, 21240, Trilj

Zagrebačka banka d.d.

Ul. Bana Jelačića 1, 21240, Trilj

Open 24 hours

Banks in Dugopolje

Splitska banka d.d.

Leopolda Mandića 18, 21204, Dugopolje

Phone: 021 656 016

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-3pm, Sat-Sun Closed

Banks in Vrlika

Splitska banka d.d.

Bana Berislavića bb, 21236, Vrlika

Phone: 021 827 044

Hours: On-Friday 8am-2pm, Sat 8am-12pm, Sun Closed

Banks in Vrgorac

Splitska Banka d.d.

Ul. Tina Ujevića 1, 21276, Vrgorac

Phone: 021 674 225

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-2:30pm, Sat 8am-12pm, Sun Closed

OTP banka

Ul. Hrvatskih velikana 10, 21276, Vrgorac

Phone: 072 201 357

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-2pm, Say 8am-12pm, Sun Closed

ATMs in Vrgorac

Zagrebačka banka d.d.

Ul. Hrvatskih velikana 36, 21276, Vrgorac

Open 24 hours

PBZ Bankomat

Ul. Hrvatskih velikana 31, 21276, Vrgorac

OIB: The Personal Identity Number 

For any kind of financial dealings in Croatia, including holding a bank account, you need a Personal Identity Number or OIB. 

Croatians and foreigners alike who have any financial dealings in Croatia must have a Personal Identity Number, called ‘Osobni identifikacijski broj’ or OIB (pronounced oh-eeb) for short. The OIB consists of eleven random numbers. From January 1st 2009 it replaced the previous form of Unique Identity Number (Jedinstveni matični broj građana or JMBG, MBG), which had thirteen numbers starting with one’s date of birth.

So if you have a bank account, or own a property and pay taxes and utility bills, you need an OIB. Even if for some reason you have been issued with the number itself automatically, you still need to obtain the OIB certificate, as sometimes you may have to show it.

The OIB is fully explained on the Finance Ministry website, in Croatian. The Finance Ministry previously published a brochure with full details about the OIB for foreigners, again in Croatian. In honour of Croatia joining the EU on July 1st 2013, the Finance Ministry website now has an English version. This deals especially with tax issues and the Double Taxation Agreement, but does not spell out the details of the OIB in English.

Applying for the OIB is simple: you just need the application form and a photocopy of your passport details or other identity documents.

The application form is in CroatianEnglish, and German and can be downloaded from the internet.

 If you are given an application form in Croatian, this is how to fill it in:

The Form

Zahtjev za određivanjem i dodjeljivanjem identifikacijskog broja

         – Application for an OIB to be allocated and supplied

An individual applicant (Fizička osoba) should fill in part 1.

If you have an old Croatian identity number, enter it on the line MBG.

Then you have to fill in the first three boxes and the last one.

Box 1.1 Osnovni podaci – Basic information

Line 1. Ime: put in your first or Christian name

         Prezime: put in your surname

Line 2: Spol (sex): enter muški for male, ženski for female

         Rođ. Prezime: (for married females) enter your maiden name

Line 3: Datum rođenja: enter your date of birth (dd/mm/year)

         Mjesto rođenja: enter your place of birth (city, town, village)

Line 4: Država rođenja: enter the country where you were born

         Državljanstvo: your nationality

Line 5: Adresa prebivališta: enter your home address in full.

Box 1.2 Podaci o identifikacijskom dokumentu – details of identity document

Line 1: Broj osobne iskaznice: enter the number of your Croatian ID card, if you have one, otherwise leave this blank

         Datum važenja: expiry date of the ID card

Line 2: Broj putovnice: enter your passport number

         Datum važenja: enter the passport’s expiry date

         Zemlja izdavanja: country of issue

Box 1.3 Podaci o roditeljima – parents’ details

Otac – father, majka – mother

Lines 1 & 2: enter the Croatian OIB and MBG numbers if your parents have or had them.

Line 3: Ime: enter the first / Christian name for your father, then your mother

Line 4: Prezime: enter your parents’ surname (mother’s married name)

Line 5: Rođ. prezime: enter your mother’s maiden name (below ‘majka’)

Box 3: Popis priloženih isprava – list of supporting documents

If you are submitting a photocopy of your passport entry, put in: preslik putovnice

Potpis podnositelja zahtjeva – applicant’s signature

Datum uručivanja potvrde – date of receipt of application

The OIB is issued by the Finance Ministry’s Department for Taxes. You can take your application or ask a friend to take it to your nearest tax office in person. If you go in person, take your original supporting document (usually your passport) and a photocopy to leave with the application. The OIB may be issued immediately, prepared for you to collect later, or posted out to you.

The OIB Certificate

The OIB document is in two parts. The upper part contains a system code (numbers) and explanatory statements:

1. the confirmation slip carries the weight of an official ID;

2. the slip is proof of your OIB;

3. the slip is issued free of charge by the Tax Department;

4. if you lose the original document, you can apply for a duplicate;

5. for all official purposes requiring identification, you can produce the slip or any other official document showing the OIB;

6. the OIB is used for any business activities involving accounts etc;

7. Below is the statement of the OIB (which should be detached along the perforation).

The lower part forms a slip containing your number, which you should detach and keep in your wallet or in a safe place, as it is the official proof of your OIB. File the upper part of the document for reference. 

Be prepared to quote your OIB in any official transactions.

If you lose your original OIB document, you should apply to replace it as quickly as possible. 

Exchange Rates 

Banks and post offices publish their official exchange rates every day. In this section are the links to find the daily exchange rates at the National Bank and the main banks which operate on Hvar. 

You can also check changes over past periods on each bank’s site.

It’s probably best to buy Croatian currency in Croatia, as buying in other countries can be a poor deal with high fees. There are ATMs (bankomati) and exchange offices in most international airports.

You can now use credit and debit cards for cash withdrawals and to make payments in a wide number of outlets, which was not the case a few years ago. However, for most foreign cards you pay significant charges to use them abroad. It’s worth checking out which banks offer the best deals in this respect, especially if you are a frequent traveller.

Many places, particularly restaurants, do not accept plastic. Always check first, and make sure you have enough cash for your likely expenditure. One tip: if a Croatian bank note is torn, even a small corner missing reduces its face value. Don’t accept torn notes. If one happens to come your way, you have to change it at a bank, which will refund you a part of the face value. 

To check the current exchange rates (tečajna lista) at the Croatian National Bank, click here. The rates are quoted for cash exchange of foreign currency  (‘devize’), and non-cash or cheques (‘efektiva’), up to a value of 200,000 kunas: ‘kupovni’ is the buying rate, ‘srednji’ the middle rate, and ‘prodajni’ the selling rate. For values above 200,000 kunas you have to contact your bank manager in person.

For the current rates at the Splitskabanka, click here.

For the current rates at the Privredna banka Zagreb, click here. On its English page, PBZ gives the current exchange rate, and there is a useful rate calculator called Exchange Office in the PBZ Tools listed on the right. 

For the current rate at the Zagrebačka banka, click here.

The Kuna: A Guide to the Croatian Currency

The unit of currency in Croatia is the Croatian kuna, which was introduced to the newly independent country in 1994, replacing the Yugoslav dinar at a rate of 1 kuna for 1000 dinar. Kuna literally means ‘marten’, a throwback to earlier times when the currency of the region was animal skins and marten pelts were considered valuable. One kuna is sub-divided into 100 lipa (which means linden tree).

Foreign Currency Exchange and Buying Kuna

Planning a holiday to Croatia requires some currency management. Kuna can be purchased in foreign banks and at selected bureaux de change prior to travel, but the exchange rates tend to be worse than those available on arrival in Croatia.

Croatian banks dispense kuna to foreign cards from their cash machines, but a slightly better rate is sometimes obtainable by buying the currency over the counter with a card. Cash withdrawals per ATM transaction vary from bank to bank, but are in the region of 1,600 – 2,000 kuna. Dollars, Euro and Pound sterling are all widely accepted in the banks for cash exchange.

The most common foreign currency in use in Croatia is the Euro, which can be used instead of the local currency in many cases, especially in the tourist areas on the coast, where bars, restaurants and even supermarkets will accept Euro on request. The exchange rate tends to be slightly lower, however, with 1 euro converted at 7 kuna, whereas the normal exchange rate fluctuates between 7.1 and 7.5.

Using Kuna Outside Croatia

Although the Croatian kuna is not a ‘hard’ currency as such, it is widely accepted in Western Bosnia, in the ethnically Croat region of Herzegovina. This includes the coastal town of Neum, through which travellers from Split to Dubrovnik must pass – with prices lower in Bosnia, Neum is a good place to stock up on supplies. The generally accepted exchange rate is 4 kuna to the Bosnian Mark, about 10% higher than the rate in the bank.

Croatian Kuna Exchange Rates

The kuna is closely aligned to the euro and the exchange rate between the two currencies rarely moves more than 5% from 7.3 kuna to the euro. The weakening of the pound is reflected in a 2002 exchange rate of 11.5 kuna dipping to below 8 kuna in 2010. It is currently around 9. The US dollar fluctuates between 5 and 6 kuna to the dollar.

Croatian Coins and Banknotes

Croatian coins coming in the following denominations – 5, 2 and 1 kuna, and 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 lipa. A mildly interesting curiosity about Croatian coins is that those minted in odd years are named after plants and animals in Croatian, whereas those in even years are named in Latin.

Bank notes reflect glorious characters of Croatian history, with towns of Croatia on the back (in brackets below):

• 1000 kuna Ante Starčević (Statue of King Tomislav and Zagreb Cathedral)

• 500 kuna Marko Marulić (Diocletian’s Palace in Split)

• 200 kuna Stjepan Radić (The army buiding in Tvrdja, Osijek)

• 100 kuna Ban Ivan Mažuranić (St. Vitus Cathedral in Rijeka)

• 50 kuna Ivan Gundulić (Old City of Dubrovnik)

• 20 kuna Ban Josip Jelačić (Eltz Manor in Vukovar)

• 10 kuna Bishop Juraj Dobrila (Pula Arena and Town Plan of Motovun)

• 5 kuna Fran Krsto Frankopanand Petar Zrinski (Old Town Fort in Varaždin)

A good starting point is to use comparison site MyTravelMoney.co.uk to find the best Croatian kuna exchange rates. The site compares live exchange rates from many of the leading UK travel money suppliers  – check here for buying Croatian kuna online. 

 

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