Bosnians Give Birth in Croatia for Citizenship

Frequent reasons for giving birth in Croatia are acquiring citizenship and, in some cases, child’s allowance.

In 11 months of last year, 216 children were born to citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Croatia, says the State Bureau of Statistics of the Bosnian Federation. 

One of the reasons for giving birth in Croatia is acquiring Croatian citizenship, and in some cases, child’s allowance.

-- Most of these people have real-estate in Croatia, frequently houses on the Adriatic. They register their stay in Croatia and unregister it in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Sometimes they have two identity cards, that is, they have dual permanent residences. The motive is child’s allowance and childbirth allowance. They can ger Bosnian citizenship at a later date – said Damir Tadic, head of the registry office in BH’s Livno.

In Bosnia, allowances are minimal 

The reason for such manipulation is financial – in Croatia, child’s allowance is much higher, so parents who have Croatian citizenship use this privilege. In the registry office in Siroki Brijeg, they have a special book for such cases.

-- Child bearing mothers usually go to Imotski or Split, so their children have the right to citizenship. This year we registered 63 persons born in Croatia – said the head of the Siroki Brijek registry office.

Interior Ministry: it is illegal to have two identity cards, but it happens 

The Interior Ministry of the West-Herzegovina Canton in Bosnia-Herzegovina says it is aware of the situation, which Croatia approves of tacitly and tolerates.

-- It is illegal to have two identity cards and two permanent residences, but it happens. I, myself recently had two identity cards – said a ministry official.

According to statistics, most babies, 53 of them, born to BH citizens in Croatia, were from BH’s Posavina Canton, followed by Hercegovina-Neretva Canton, the so-called Canton (Livno), and West Herzegovina Canton.

A mother from Siroki Brijeg who gave birth in Croatia and was granted childbirth allowance, told us this was not as frequent as it had been during the 1990’s.

-- During the war, most women gave birth in Croatia, but for safety reasons. Then, until the delivery hospital in Ljubuski was built, the closest hospital in BH was in Mostar. And Imotski is closer than Mostar. What is happening lately is that women register and give birth in Croatia and so get the right to childbirth allowance, but actually live in Bosnia-Herzegovina – said the mother, aware of the fact that this was seeking for loopholes in the law. She believes Croatia should take more care of Croats in Bosnia-Herzegovina, so people in BH do not have to acquire allowances in such ways.

This is, in fact, legal 

Officials at the Croatian Family, Homeland War Soldiers and Inter-Generation Solidarity say they have to records of such cases.

-- In actual fact, the law is not violated. If the mothers have permanent residency in Croatia and the children were born here, then they have the right to childbirth allowance, said the ministry spokesman, Berislav Zivkovic.