“Coming to Croatia was my largest mistake in life,” said Louis Peeters in his house in Bilice near Šibenik on the Dalmatian coast. Since 2008 the Croatian system and individuals did everything to harass them, take their money, play with their fate and finally deliver them to the operating table, where the man ended up saving his heart from the stress and injustice provided by the Croatian state. “I am not worried. Karma will provide for us in the end. In fact, it already has”
I don’t know where to start from. Here, for example: the Croatian state is seeing 79.000 kuna in VAT from Louis and Elke for a boat the man purchased in 2001 and in whose papers it is clearly stated that VAT has been paid in Belgium. They threaten to confiscate his assets and claim his pension income. They live in a 90 square metres village home they paid 190.000 euro for, and the house they found waiting was, despite the arrangement, without water, power, insulation, nothing beyond a façade barely sticking to the naked brick. To date they have had to invest another 50.000 to make it somewhat adequate to live in. Some guy named Mikulandra who sold them this real estate scarecrow tried to sell it again to other people soon after. The trace is in the cadastre.
But let’s head to the beginning.
The Belgians aimed for Croatia nine years ago. They toured it several times before, love the sea, wanted to sail, the decision was made. Louis knows about Croatia since the homeland war. He used to work in NATO air forces. It was clear to him, he said, that our system was quite broken down, but there was a strange connection to these lands: “I love the sea and sailing. We could have gone to live in Spain, but there are no islands there. You can go only left or right when you set sail.” The couple sold their amazingly wonderful home in Belgium (pictures prove this), packed their belongings into a truck and made it to the Croatian border. The problems begin. It was after 16h, the freight office was closed, customs can’t do anything without them. They were told they have to stay at the border and wait for the next day. It was cold. No bars or bathrooms. Just a German shepherd watching their vehicle. They slept in it.
But what’s a night time freeze in the car to this: “Back in 2007, a year earlier, we began to fill out all the forms in Brussels to have the paperwork ready for the coming year when we were due to move to Croatia. And what? On the day of our departure we learned the man in the Croatian embassy lost our documents and all the effort was in vain. The house was sold, belongings in the truck and we were missing half the papers. Although I diligently reported all my items upon exiting Belgium, I was told to pay customs fees for everything we imported – clothes, furniture… the truck was confiscated, taken to the TLM factory warehouse in Šibenik and held for five days. They counted the items… For five days we had nothing, except the clothes we came with. We had to stay in the second apartment of the man who sold us the house. In the basement.”
Wow. Welcome to Croatia. Dear Belgians, or whoever, don’t worry, this was just the opening. We have plenty more to come…
Chapter two – the house. Through the Kroatien-Spezialist real estate agency hey arranged with the owner to have it ready by October 1: “Nothing, absolutely nothing was done. No water, no power, no heating, no floors, not legalized. Our arrangement and contract with the agency and owner stated our deposit would be returned in double amount if the provisions were not met. I decided to give up on the purchase and buy another, but a neighbour warned me I will never see my deposit if I do so. The owner did not only fail to complete the legalization, he never submitted papers for the procedure. I found it strange when we paid the deposit. The agency gave the money directly into the hands of the owner. Nobody does that. Anywhere in Europe, if you are buying a house, the deposit stays with the notary until conditions are met for the final sale.”
There, 190 thousand euro. For 90 square metres. For a building that began to fall apart before it was even functional. Louis showed me pictures of the house after only a year. Mildew on all the walls. New kitchen furniture began to fall apart in the back. Walls cracked. No insulation. Tiles were laid directly on concrete. The stone fence on the staircase bent by 30 centimetres. The Belgian moves on to pictures of the home they sold in Belgium. Uh. I felt like screaming at him for doing so.
OK. Winter of 2008. The Belgians moved in. Without anything. Freezing. Water. How to get water? The village roads had new asphalt, locals didn’t feel like drilling. All other pipes are on private plots. They arrange with a neighbour to make a small extension to their house. Sure. But the neighbour mandates they split the water bill. They have eleven tenants, Belgians two. As fair as it gets. As they have no choice, Louis and Elke agree. During negotiations they heard the son of Bilice Mayor saying they won’t get water until they learn Croatian. They already knew some Croatian.
They soon strike a deal with another neighbour for water. The man spends most of the year in Switzerland, so it’s easier. But his pipe is only 20 centimetres below surface and froze two years ago. The counter broke. The local water company came to fix it, but Louis says he saw they tightened the small pipe too hard. It broke soon, 3.000 cubic metres of water was lost. Although the water company could have concluded the water lost was not used and it happened through their fault (no evidence though), they charged the Belgians all they could. 24.000 kuna.
The real show is only coming. Before Croatia entered the EU foreign nationals had to renew their residence permit each year. The request had to be filed at least a month before the current expired, and in 2010 Louis and Elke filed it three days after the deadline. Bam. A 500 kuna fine each. As a request cannot be processed in 27 days, it takes exactly 30. With military discipline and superior sense of fairness, Louis paid the fine the same day. He showed me the date on the fine and slip.
Since then every time he crosses the border the Croatian police takes him aside as a red light goes off in their system. Twice he missed a flight as the police took him over for questioning. It’s always about the 500 kuna, whose settlement was obviously not entered into the system. And every time Louis takes out the slips, proves he paid, after which he is released: “And t’s become unpredictable. For example, twice I’ve crossed the border without any questions and then the next time I am taken away as a criminal. Croatia is not capable to delete one item, a 500 kuna debt, in seven years, paid on the same day. I can’t believe it.”
Compared to the following, waving to planes you have a ticket for seems like relaxing aerobics. Before we even crossed the border in 2007 Croatia instructed Louis that his car, scooter and boat need to be returned to Belgium within six months. Without explanation: “I registered all of those items at Belgian customs. I can’t understand why. Then someone told me I can register them in Croatia once I get a permanent residence permit. Great, so in 2013 we can fix all that. What happened next? In December 2012 a customs officer came to my door. He asked about the boat in the bay. I told him it serves me as a toilet when we’re out of water. He said I have to get a berth in a marina the next time I return to Belgium as the boat cannot be left unattended. Which is what I did.” To shorten the story, the man received a fine for keeping the boat in the bay close to his home, 600 euro. Louis asked the customs officer if all will be well after he pays the fine. The answer was affirmative. But the officer looked puzzled when Louis came with the payment slip. It’s not over, but only beginning – he needs to pay VAT on his boat in the amount of 79.000 kuna.
Louis went to Split customs for consultations. He took an interpreter with him. Presented his case. The customs lawyer, or deputy customs chief, Louis can’t remember, turned to the interpreter and said in Croatian: “There is a law that says if something is not registered with customs, after three years it is no longer liable for customs duty, but don’t translate that.” Also, there is a law that VAT is not paid for boats older than eight years. Louis’ boat is from 2001, VAT was paid, and Croatian customs never requested the Belgian to provide proof of paid VAT, never placed its stamp on ship documents, so the man, if and when he pays Croatian VAT, can get a tax refund in Belgium, not to mention the attempt to charge VAT on a boat 16 years old with a broken down engine. They estimated the value at 37.000 euro, looking at a catalogue, while on the market it would go for five to seven thousand. “Oh don’t write of such detail, it’s unimportant now as the court will reach a verdict, just write how I wasn’t allowed to explain how the situation came about, present my documents and was denied an interpreter.”
Louis ended up in heart surgery last year. He says the only reason is stress. He was due to be operated on in Split, but was kept in the Šibenik hospital in a small room without any possibility to summon a nurse. Indefinitely. Until it as his turn for surgery in Split. He left and had surgery in Belgium. The only thing holding him together is to finish the court litigation, sell his house in Bilice and wave to us with a smile as he no longer has to live in Croatia. He has a message to all other foreigners: “Don’t buy in Croatia. At all. Either rent or get the hell out. There are only tricks and manipulations here. The mailman dropped a registered letter in my mailbox the other day with an eight day response deadline and I was in Belgium. Is that normal? Isn’t the point of a registered letter for it to be delivered to the recipient’s hands? We really tried. There are wonderful people here. A lot of the locals helped us out. We even tried to learn Croatian… but coming here was the biggest mistake I ever made.”
To sum it up – Croatia? Thank you, but no thank you.
For the original written by Krešimir Dujmović for Tportal, click here.
