Croatia info

Language and writing
Croatian language is the official language of Croatia. It is a South Slavic language along with Slovenian, Bosnian, Serbian, Montenegrin, Macedonian and Bulgarian. Apart from original Croatian words, there is a great influence from other Slavic languages and from Greek, Latin, Italian, German, English and Turkish.

Religion
Most of the population are Catholic, while minorities are mostly Orthodox and Muslim.

Currency
National currency is Croatian kuna (KN). There are banknotes of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 kn, coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 lipa and 1, 2 and 5 kn. 1 kuna = 100 lipa. Foreign currency can be exchanged at authorized currency exchange offices (banks, hotels, tourist information offices, travel agencies) in accordance with the valid exchange rate (with or without commission fee). Cashless payment: paying in shops, restaurants and everywhere where you can see credit cards labels marked (Diners, American Express, Eurocard/Mastercard, Visa).

Public holidays in Croatia which are also non-working days
Jan 1st New Year’s Day – Sunday
Jan 6th Epiphany – Friday
Apr 8th Easter – Sunday
Apr 9th Easter Monday – Monday
May 1st Labour Day – Tuesday
Jun 7th Corpus Christi – Thursday
Jun 22nd Anti-Fascist Resistance Day – Friday
Jun 25th Croatian National Day – Monday
Aug 5th Victory Day and National Thanksgiving Day – Sunday
Aug 15th Assumption of Mary – Wednesday
Oct 8th Independence Day – Monday
Nov 1st All Saints’ Day – Thursday
Dec 25th Christmas – Tuesday
Dec 26th St. Stephen’s Day – Wednesday

Tourist tax
The ones who pay tourist tax in Croatia:
• local and foreign citizens using the service of overnight accommodation, outside of their residence, in an accommodation facility (hotel, motel, boarding house, marina and nautical centre, resort for children and youth….)
• owner of the vessel situated in a berth in a port of nautical tourism when he stays aboard, and by all the persons staying aboard that vessel.

The tourist tax is paid per person for each realized overnight stay. The amount of the collected tourist tax is being purposefully used for promoting Croatian tourism and for improving accommodation conditions for tourists in accommodation facilities. Tourist tax in 2012 is 7.00 kuna in high season and 5.50 kuna in early-season and late-season per person, per overnight stay. The amount of tourist tax is established by the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

The tourist tax is not paid by:
• children under age twelve,

• blind and deaf persons and persons with disabilities,

• participants of school trips organized by a school institution,

• persons sent to a sanitarium for medical treatment by a health institution,

• many-year permanent guests in a tourist settlement having contributed to the improvement of tourism, at the proposal by a local committee, and according to a special decision by the Tourist Board Council,

• members of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense, when they stay in an accommodation facility while performing official duties,

• seasonal workers with registered stay in a tourist settlement,

• passengers on a passenger ship in international navigation when the ship is anchored or moored in a port,

• owners of an original old family home, acquired by inheritance from a person with permanent residence in the tourist settlement and members of his immediate family when they stay in such home.

Persons from 12 to 18 years of age pay the tourist tax reduced by 50%.