November 25, 2020 - Croatian bureaucracy 2.0, as changes to the Aliens Act to accommodate the Croatian digital nomad visa sail through Parliament. We are close, but not there yet.
Split-based Dutch entrepreneur Jan de Jong was back doing what he did so effectively back in July this afternoon, as he penned one more open letter to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic via his LinkedIn profile, this time a note of thanks.
Back in July, de Jong sent Plenkovic an open letter asking him to introduce a Croatian digital nomad visa. The response - during the summer holidays - was stunning. Just 44 days later, Plenkovic tweeted a photo with de Jong promising to do just that. By chance, changes to the Aliens Act were due to be introduced to Parliament the next day, and the nomad visa was added to those changes.
Those changes were today ratified by Parliament, leading de Jong to head to his keyboard once more:
Dear Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic,
On the 11th of July, I kindly asked you to consider introducing a digital nomad visa in Croatia ?? through my open letter here on LinkedIn.
Today, on 25th of November - with acceptance of the new Alien Act - you have truly delivered, making Croatia among the first countries in the world to welcome digital nomads by regulating their temporary stay.
Thank you Prime Minister for your support from the moment this opportunity was presented to you.
I would also like to thank Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Interior - Mr. Božinović and State Secretary of Interior Ms. Terezija Gras for your efforts and support.
Last but not least, I would like to thank the 5.269 people here on LinkedIn that supported my open letter in July and all the thousands of other people that supported this initiative from the beginning.
Hvala svima! - ❤ -
Jan de Jong
Follow me on #LinkedIn
Ps. Required changes to tax law and health insurance are expected until 31.12.2020.
#wfh
#Croatia
#DigitalNomads
#livingthecroatiandream
So it would appear that Croatian bureaucracy CAN run rather smoothly.
My understanding from another source is that the issue of digital nomads and tax will be discussed during a government session tomorrow. The ministries involved are all making good progress, and the final issues are expected to be ironed out by the end of the year.
My understanding is that the changes approved today come into effect on January 1, 2021, so IN THEORY, the Croatian digital nomad visa could be available then. Experience in The Beautiful Croatia, however, has taught me to believe it when I see it, and I would be more confident in the prediction that sometime in the first quarter of 2021 is likely.
But if a motivated Prime Minister can move from a LinkedIn post to a change in the law in just over four months, who knows?
Not only is de Jong a successful entrepreneur, he is now rivalling his YouTube star wife Slavica as the family's top multitasker. When I called him for a quote and more info, he not only sent me a link to the parliament decision, but also screenshotted the relevant sections, all this without dropping the Baby de Jong he was holding.
Here is the full parliament decision - it is a riveting read. Google Translate is your friend. The relevant sections are in the screenshots below.
One more hurdle has been overcome. Congrats to all.
For the latest news on this and other digital nomad news in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.
