Permanent resident travel to Croatia and back to us: best solution?

[AandD 20]

Hello,

I am a permanent resident living in New England. My Croatian Passport expired 4 years ago. I wish to travel to Zagreb for a week for personal reasons. I cannot determine the best way to do this from the New York Croatian Consulate website or other resources online.

I have a few ideas but not sure if they are accurate.

1. I can go to NY to get a "travel document" good for one entrance to Croatia at the Croatian Consulate. It is my understanding this document will not allow me entry back into the US. For this reason I will need to apply for my Croatian Passport in Zagreb and pay an extra fee to get it expedited (24 hours?). This will allow me to return to the US.

Is this accurate thinking?

Is there a better solution?

2. It is true that even when I get my US passport following citizenship I must have my Croatian Passport with me to be able to leave Croatia, because I will be a dual citizen?

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions...

Thanks

[rutabaga 209]

1) Yes, but is there any particular reason for not getting the consulate to issue you a passport (other than it probably being more expensive than doing it in Croatia)? (Since that seems simpler, at least on paper.)

2) I don't know for Croatia (or leaving it) specifically, but I'm assuming our laws are still similar in this area and I know that in Serbia there's a law that says you have to enter Serbia using your Serbian passport, even if you're a dual citizen (and when I think about it, this would, in practice, apply to exiting as well, since the other passport wouldn't have an entry stamp which might cause an issue if they look for it). I think it's actually similar for the US as well regarding entering the US with a US passport. In other words--yes, you'd probably still have to keep maintaining your Croatian passport current if you plan on going back to Croatia (unless, of course, you choose to renounce your Croatian citizenship at some point, but that would be a little drastic ).

Edited February 4, 2016 by rutabaga