ZAGREB, Dec 15, 2020 - Speaking to reporters after his release from custody on Tuesday afternoon, the former CEO of JANAF oil pipeline operator, Dragan Kovacevic, said he had not stolen "a single penny" and that he would prove his innocence in court.

"I come from a relatively wealthy Slavonian family, I didn't grow up poor. This is not an easy thing to go through when you know that you are not responsible, but I will prove my innocence in court," Kovacevic said.

Speaking of what the media have described as his club in Zagreb's Slovenska Street, which was frequented by numerous state officials and business people, Kovacevic said that it was not a club but an association called "Slavonska ravnica" (Slavonian plain), where people hailing from Slavonia used to gather.

"It is a room measuring 25-30 square metres whose visitors brought food with them. Everyone went there, your colleagues as well, it was a place for socialising, it was not an elite club," Kovacevic told reporters, adding that nobody had brought money to the facility.

President was telling the truth

Kovacevic also dismissed media reports that before his arrest he had thrown his mobile phone into the Sava River, stressing that he could not have even imagined that he would be arrested.

He explained that the million euros found in his garage was the money of his business partners intended for the purchase of 250 hectares of land in Slavonia.

"I was supposed to go to Slavonia and exchange the foreign currency... In order to buy such land, you must buy a lot of small plots from a large number of people for €1,000 or so," Kovacevic said.

Asked about the nature of his relationship with President Zoran Milanovic, Kovacevic said that their relationship was correct and that "the President spoke the truth."

He added that he would continue his legal battle to prove his innocence.

"In Croatia, success is the biggest sin. I had to be destroyed because I was a successful manager who carried out reforms," said Kovacevic.

ZAGREB, Dec 15, 2020 - Ignoring the legitimate representation of the three constituent peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina as defined by the Dayton Peace Accords "would be a serious mistake," Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Tuesday at a conference on the occasion of the accords' 25th anniversary.

Speaking at the "25 Years of the Dayton-Paris Peace Agreement" conference, he said its Annex 4 stipulates legitimate representation for the three peoples in BiH institutions, which "was decisive for the successful conclusion" of the Agreement.

"Overlooking this crucial part of the Agreement or, worse, deliberately ignoring it, would be a serious mistake," Plenkovic said at the start of the conference in which the participants in the negotiations on the Agreement, signed on 14 December 1995, will also take part.

Plenkovic said a "false dilemma" was being imposed today between a Dayton-based BiH and a BiH "of all its citizens, going beyond ethnic boundaries."

"The principle of equality of the three constituent peoples, and the principle of equality of all citizens, do not exclude each other," he said, adding that insisting on equality "is not backward nationalism" but "sound constitutionalism."

Plenkovic said nothing could justify the practice seen three times already, in the 2006, 2010 and 2018 elections, to eliminate through outvoting the political representation of Croats in BiH, which "does not contribute to the cohesiveness of the country and the normal functioning of its institutions."

He said the equality of the three peoples existed from the very start od BiH's statehood, recalling that the 1992 referendum on its independence saw a 63.7% turnout and 99.7% of the voters in favour, and that it described the country as "a state of equal citizens, the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina - Muslims, Serbs, Croats and members of peoples living there."

Revising Dayton?

Plenkovic went on to say that there was universal consensus that the Dayton-Paris Agreement ended the war in BiH but that there was a difference of opinion on its success in achieving a functioning BiH. In this context, he welcomed today's international conference.

He said a revision of the Agreement was "open for debate" but that "any change...must come from within," from citizens, political parties and institutions.

He once again called for changing the Electoral Law without further delay, calling it "an investment in the political stability of the country" that was also important for Europe.

Plenkovic said BiH's stability was of "strategic importance" for Croatia, which he said was the "staunchest supporter and best advocate" of BiH's EU path, knowing what that "would bring to a country which has already suffered too much."

Unification on EU path

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said in a video message that the path to EU integration had helped his country, Spain, to overcome divisions in society after a civil war and 40 years of dictatorship.

The EU helped on that path, it can help BiH too as well as all of Europe, he said.

Difficult but necessary reforms await BiH, he said, adding that its politicians must create an environment which advocated cooperation and reconciliation instead of undermining them. He urged politicians in BiH to avoid the temptation of identity politics.

Three panels

The international conference, organised by the Croatian Foreign Ministry and the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, will have three panels attended by participants in the Dayton negotiations, EU and BiH political representatives, and legal and scientific experts.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are expected to address via video.

Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said ahead of the conference that its goal was to "mark the historic achievement and offer views on what the peace agreement meant a quarter of a century ago and what it means for BiH's present and future."

He said the agreement "recalls the importance of responsible leadership in difficult times" and that it was one of the biggest achievements of international peace-building.

Updated on December 21, 2020 - With travel rules changing, nothing beats real-life experiences for the latest info - feedback from the Total Croatia Travel Info TCTI Viber community. 

One of the biggest challenges in this most challenging of years has been to source accurate and reliable current travel information. 

With the pandemic wreaking havoc on travel plans, restrictions and new rules have come into force all over the world. These rules are often interpreted in different ways by different officials, and what one reads on official websites is not necessarily the reality on the ground. 

As I wrote recently, the fact that Croatia is currently officially closed for tourism to non EU/EEA/UK nationals is not the same as saying that nationals from these countries are not arriving. 

In such uncertain times, one of the best sources of information are the real-time travel experiences of recent travellers. TCN and partners started the Total Croatia Travel INfO TCTI Viber community in May, with the aim of helping tourists with the latest travel information. It quickly became clear that the community would also be helping us. The feedback we received from community members as they crossed the borders into Croatia was invaluable in building up a true picture of the current realities on the ground. 

After going a little quiet in the autumn, the TCTI Viber community has come to life again after the new border rules of November 30. And once again, people are posting their recent experiences, which at times are ingenious and very different from the official advice. In an article which will be constantly updated as more post their experiences, here are some of the recent ones since December 1, posted anonymously but in full. If you would like to join the TCTI Viber community, you can do so here (you will need to download the Viber app). 

December 21 - I successfully entered Croatia today at 6 pm. LAX>AMS>ZAG.

Documents I printed but not necessarily used :

-Negative Covid Test less than 48 hrs
-Enter Croatia Form
-Public Health Passenger Locator Form
-Business Invitation Letter from my hotel in Croatian and translated in English
-Itinerary showing return trip in Jan
-Hotel bookings showing amount paid
-Bank statements showings I have sufficient funds to cover my stay
-IATA guidelines specific to Croatia
-Email from Border Police

In total, around 45 pages. I brought two copies.

Here is what I actually used.

LAX: Neg Covid Test, Enter Croatia Form, Business Invitation Letter
AMS: Nothing
ZAG: Neg Covid Test which they kept a copy. They did not look or take anything else.

The key is to be prepared. Have your paperwork in order with the negative covid test at the top of the stack because they will keep it. Obviously say the purpose of your trip is business or economic. DO NOT SAY TOURISM, unless you like stressful situations. They stamped my passport and that was it. Total time was less than 2 mins.

At both LAX and ZAG I put my passport w/boarding ticket on top of the first page of documents which should be your negative covid test. Be prepared and there's a low likelihood they will flip through the rest.

I really want to thank all the contributors to this group. I wouldn't have made it w/o your bravery and openness. Cheer and let's end the year on a high note.

December 17 - on transfers:

I travelled to Hungary through Croatia last week, my situation was similar to yours. I landed at Zagreb and was immediately leaving Croatia. I did not have a test. At the passport control I was asked if I had one, but once I said I was transiting they immediately let me through, so you should be fine!!

December 15 - Good news! 

I am a U.S. citizen and I just entered Croatia! I flew from the west coast of the United States and had a layover in Amsterdam (KLM). No trouble boarding in us or Netherlands. In Croatia just show negative COVID test. I entered for tourism.

December 15 - I messaged MUP this morning around 8 am Croatian time and they responded in about 20 minutes. 

I wrote them that my fiancee, an American national will enter Croatia on December 21st via flight Chicago-Washington-Amsterdam-Zagreb and that she will have her US-issued passport, a printed document which confirms our reserved and paid for hotel accommodation, printed out Enter Croatia document, and proof of a negative PCR test which will not be older than 48 hours. I didn't write what the purpose of the trip was.

They responded that, with all those documents, my fiancee will be granted entry into Croatia.

December 11 - Update on American traveling from the US: I’ve passed the first hurdle: getting on the plane. Before you go to the airport, be sure to review the IATA guidelines (google: IATA map covid - this is what the airlines will review when you get to the airport). Right now, it says that passengers are not allowed into Croatia until the 15th, with some exceptions. This may change by the 15th, or it may be renewed ?‍♂️. In any case, be sure that you fall into one of those exceptions - traveling for business, urgent personal matters, or transiting by land to a third country, etc. you’ll need to show them something at check-in to document this. I will give you guys an update when I reach the border. I took a covid test yesterday morning, hoping the results will arrive by the time I get there!

Greetings from Croatia! I have successfully crossed the border. This is how I did it: the IATA guidelines say that no passengers are allowed in Croatia until December 15th, with a few exceptions. One of those is passengers transiting to a third country via a land border. So, I booked a car to be picked up in Zagreb and returned to Belgrade. I also booked a hotel in Belgrade. When I got to the airport, I told the people at the check in counter that I was planning to enter Croatia and then proceed to Serbia by car. I showed them the car and hotel reservations and that was enough. Everything else went very smoothly. At Zagreb airport, the immigration officer asked only for my covid test. I gave it to her, she stamped my passport, and that was it! No other questions, no other documents were asked for. Now, I didn’t lie to airlines. I’m here for a 10 days vacation, but if the Croatian border police didn’t buy the “economic interest” argument, I was fully prepared to rent that car, drive to Serbia, and then spend the next 10 days exploring that country, Albania, and Macedonia. Luckily , they didn’t even ask about that at all. They were only interested in the Covid test.

December 11 - Hello again, just passed Zagreb inmigration and all I showed was out PCR test results and the entry into Croatia. The officer only asked if he could make copies of our results and he kept the entry document. The process took no more than 60 seconds. Best of luck to all of you! Don’t forget to print your documents! So many people were stuck because they only kept copies in their phones!!

December 10 - I just went through the Slovenian - Croatia border (driving) along with my 15 year old son. I had a travel order from my company and it went smoothly! They didn't required the Covid19 test.

December 7 - We made it into Croatia from the US today (US citizens). The biggest hurdle was getting onto the plane in the US. Everything else was easy. We had a letter from a Croatian lawyer as a guarantee we were going for urgent business. We would not have made it on the plane without this letter.

December 5 - And I’m IN! My flight landed briefly in Split, (where I am still for a few minutes) before continuing on to Zagreb. In Split, we had to leave the plane and there was a separate customs line for anyone continuing onward—we had to clear border control and then get back on the plane. I don’t speak much Croatian so I didn’t know what was being said between the MUP officers, but there were 2 extra officers in the booth and they were all talking up a storm and pointing at the computer screens and asking each other questions and showing each other our PCR tests. I kind of think they may have been having some trouble with the computer and entering the info—but who knows. My agent took my passport and immediately asked for my COVID test. I also placed the enter Croatia form in front of her, and held my additional docs in clear view, but the only thing she had any interest in was the test. She kept the copy. I even asked her if she wanted the enter Croatia form after she stamped my passport and she said no.

OK, I had printed:
• Enter Croatia form confirmation (the 1-page PDF you receive once you successfully submit the form)
• Printed negative COVID PCR test result from Italian lab (translated to English), swab taken 34 hrs before my arrival in Croatia
• letter from Zagreb dentist stating that I have an urgent appointment (and the date of the appt)
• invoice showing my acoomodation for duration of stay
• print out of the complete rules for entry, found here: https://mup.gov.hr/uzg-covid/english/286212
• print out of my flight to Croatia and my onward flight

That’s it—and again, the only things the Croatian border police wanted to see were my passport and my test result.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages.

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

ZAGREB, Dec 15, 2020 - During the next local election in May 2021, Croats will elect 568 fewer deputy mayors than there are now and about 10% fewer councillors which, for example, means that the Zagreb City Assembly will have 47 councillors instead of the current 51, the parliament decided on Tuesday.

Lawmakers, by a majority vote, adopted amendments to the law on local and regional government (77 yeas, 55 nays), the law on local elections (78 yeas, 47 nays, 3 abstentions) and on the City of Zagreb (78 yeas, 51 nays).

Even though the government originally proposed to reduce the number of deputy mayors by 618, the final law will mean that the position of 568 deputy mayors will no longer exist after an amendment was lodged by the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) caucus which stipulates that cities with more than 10,000 residents can have a deputy mayor while the previous threshold was more than 35,000 residents as initially proposed.

However, smaller towns will be allowed to appoint an acting deputy who can replace mayors for longer absences. That decision can be changed during the term in office.

Saving of almost half a billion kuna in four years

The law also includes a provision that ethnic minority lawmakers insisted on, whereby mayors can appoint their deputy from an ethnic minority or Croatian deputy in municipalities with a larger ethnic minority population.

Fewer deputy mayors, fewer councillors and limiting the amount of their salaries will lead to a saving of HRK 115 million kuna a year, Justice and Public Administration Minister, Ivan Malenica has said and in four years at the end of this government's term that saving could amount to almost half a billion kuna.

Two opposition parties -- the Bridge and the Homeland Movement -- regretted that the government, that is, the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration, failed to introduce some novelties and the originally announced reforms.

What we have been witnessing in the past is a farce as far as reforms are concerned, because by the time the government, parliament, public consultation is completed, we no longer even have the 'r' of reforms, Bridge leader Bozo Petrov said calling out Minister Malenica for 'giving in' and returning deputy mayors. You could have saved on salaries which now account for one-fifth of their revenue, cut them by 15% and in that way done away with those looking only to feather their nests, said Petrov.

 Miroslav Skoro of the Homeland Movement recalled that a few days ago the ministry presented a wish list, however in the meantime these "amendments appeared," which sends everything back to the start. The public should know that the ruling coalition as it is now cannot implement reforms because the government is compelled to make concessions and Croatia will hibernate and stagnate for the next three years, said Skoro.

December 15, 2020 – Young Croatian innovator from Samobor Matija Hržić won third place for his innovation Smart bee scale at the Fair of Innovations and Entrepreneurship in Sarajevo.

As Večernji list reports, after conquering the ARCA international exhibition. together with colleagues Lovro Stipanović and Josip Oroz, young Samobor innovator Matija Hržić won third place and the Special Award "Sarajevo 2020" in Sarajevo at the first virtual Fair of Innovations and Entrepreneurship "Sarajevo 2020".

His mentor was a teacher at the Vocational High School Samobor and innovator Ivan Vlainić. The award was presented to him by Croatian entrepreneur Mate Rimac, who was also one of Vlainić's students.

Almost two decades ago, professor Ivan Vlainić encouraged Rimac to apply for the first student competition, which he won. A few months ago, he also encouraged Matija Hržić to apply for the Innovation Entrepreneurship Fair "Sarajevo 2020".

Thanks to the award, Hržić's innovation Smart bee scale will bear the International Federation of Inventors' Associations' logo, better known by the acronym IFIA.

What exactly is a smart bee scale? Namely, beehives are often a hundred kilometers away from the beekeepers' residence, making it impossible to monitor them regularly. The scale is therefore equipped with many sensors. Thus, by placing the hive on the scale and implementing its sensors inside the hive, all important data can be available to the beekeeper in real-time. Therefore, the beekeeper can act on time and apply solutions to the observed problems in order to potentially prevent swarming, starvation, or death of his bee community.

Matija was one of the 36 innovators who competed at the Sarajevo 2020 Fair. From one of the best-equipped exercise laboratories in Croatia, Matija's presentation was followed live by students of his Vocational High School and cheered for his best placement.

Matija's innovation was exhibited at the Vocational High School in Samobor, which was also attended by Matija and Mate. Today, many students pass by it who, in addition to professors Ivan and Mate, now have another role model.

To read more news about Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, Dec 15, 2020 - The Croatian parliament on Tuesday amended the Identity Card Act, whereby the new identity card will contain biometric identifiers in the form of a facial image and two fingerprints and be valid for five years.

The exception to this rule is ID cards issued to persons aged 70 and above, which will have a validity of 40 years.

Identity cards without a validity period that do not meet the minimum security standards will no longer be valid.

The amended law makes it possible for a parent, as their child's legal representative, to apply for and collect their child's identity card, and it also regulates the obligation to obtain an identity card for a person who has turned 16 and has been allowed by a court of law to marry and who has permanent residence in Croatia.

Technical prerequisites are also being created for the use of electronic functionalities of the ID card on mobile phones and tablets and not just computers.

Citizens will be able to use their new identity cards instead of passports and will be able to use them in all countries and not just the EU, officials of the Ministry of the Interior have said.

The amended law was supported by 124 MPs.

December 15, 2020 – As indicated by figures on migration and population growth, Sveta Nedelja is becoming increasingly attractive destination where more and more people want to move in. Recently voted one of the five best Croatian towns for quality of life, Sveta Nedelja offers its citizens excellent living conditions.

As Gradonačelnik.hr reports, based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, Sveta Nedelja is one of the ten leaders in Croatia in terms of migration balance, which in absolute terms amounts to 228 in 2019, meaning that 228 more people immigrated than emigrated from Sveta Nedelja.

At the same time, Sveta Nedelja is among the leaders in terms of migration balance in relation to the number of inhabitants, which is 1.3 percent. According to the Bureau's estimate, in 2019, compared to 2018, the City had 1.02 percent more inhabitants, i.e., about 188.

Pleasant for both living and smart business

Apart from being among the leaders in terms of the number of immigrants, Sveta Nedelja is the most prominent in its economic strength. It won this title at the recent competition for the best city. Sveta Nedelja was named as the best city in the economy category for the third year in a row and is among the top five best Croatian cities for quality of life.

"The city of Sveta Nedelja is the youngest in Zagreb County. With extremely favorable geo-traffic and geo-strategic position, economically and demographically, it is one of the most stable smaller cities in Croatia. For years, Sveta Nedelja has been recording positive demographic trends. Unlike most Croatian cities, mostly young families who come for work and good living conditions are immigrating. High economic development, entrepreneurial zones, and natural beauties are just some of the recognizability that makes Sveta Nedelja attractive and pleasant for living, but also for smart business," they say in the City, adding that Sveta Nedelja is adorned with cultural, historical, and monumental heritage.

Lake and park Kipišće / Photo: Sveta Nedelja Tourist Board

Intensive work on improvement

Sveta Nedelja carried out the largest tax relief of the local self-government unit in Croatia.

"With the abolition and reduction of fees such as utility contributions for various activities and housing, fees for issuing taxi licenses, and reduction of flat taxes for small renters, the surtax was abolished, which so far amounted to 6 percent, and now is 0 percent. The utility fee has also been reduced for most citizens ranging from 2 percent to 30 percent," said a Sveta Nedelja official.

Sveta Nedelja is also doing intensive work on improving public infrastructure, pedestrian and bicycle paths, construction of capital projects, children's playgrounds, and increasing kindergarten capacities. This year, they introduced free city transport.

Children are the most important

Sveta Nedelja keeps track of its children from birth to the end of schooling, so they raised the amount of benefits for newborns by 1000 kunas, from the previous 2000 to 3000 for the first baby. This ranked them among the cities with higher amounts of benefits for newborns. Besides, they have provided the price of kindergartens up to 550 kunas, while private kindergartens are co-financed with 1000 kunas per month per child.

Photo: the City of Sveta Nedelja

Students who reside in the city area are provided free online preparations for the state graduation exam this year.

They provide scholarships to high school and university students, for which they set aside over half a million kunas a year. They are one of the few cities that still provide cash prizes for their best students. Depending on the prizes won, the amount ranges up to 4,000 kuna, which is also among the highest amounts in the country. Scholarships are awarded based on criteria of excellence, deficient occupation, and socioeconomic status for students.

They subsidize their students by 25 percent of the monthly transport ticket, while the remaining 75 percent are financed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia. It means that primary public transport is entirely free for students, while other forms of transport are financed by 50 percent. They subsidize full-time university students 75 percent of the price of a monthly transportation ticket.

The City recognizes and rewards effort, work, and achieved results, so it awards public recognition and cash prizes for exceptional achievements and the contribution of special importance for the development and reputation of the City.

To follow the Sveta Nedelja story, check out the dedicated TCN section. 

December 15, 2020 - The Croatian digital nomad visa is getting closer, and the news is getting better. Especially regarding taxation, as KPMG Zagreb explains.

Four months to the day after Dutch entrepreneur Jan de Jong sent an open letter to Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic asking him to introduce a digital nomad visa, Narodne Novine (National Gazette) published confirmation of the latest concrete step towards the realisation of that visa on December 11 - a change in the Croatian tax code to include the tax obligations of digital nomads. 

Recall that 44 days after that LinkedIn post, Plenkovic met with de Jong and then tweeted his intention to introduce the digital nomad visa for Croatia. A proposed amendment to the Aliens Act was introduced to Parliament the following day, which soon resulted in a change in the law, effective January 1, 2021. The framework for the visa was in place in terms of legislation. 

But we were (still are) not there yet. There were plenty of details to be ironed out. What would be the conditions of the visa, how to apply, what about tax obligations etc? As all these things had not been ironed out, it is understandable that further official announcements are pending all the final details being worked out. The most important of these I would summarise as:

Will the visa be physically available on January 1, 2020, or just in terms of legislation framework?

What are the conditions of the visa, for example minimum income requirement?

How much will the visa cost?

How to apply for the visa?

What about tax obligations in Croatia for digital nomads living there?

Big questions, and until we have the answers to them all, we will not have a full picture. But details are emerging, as the various ministries put into place the legal framework. And here is a big one to announce - a law change to reflect the tax obligations to Croatia for digital nomads. Rather than me trying to explain it, the news and explanation would carry a little more weight and authority if it came from a tax authority. Kristina Grbavac, Director of Taxation Services at KPMG Croatia kindly agreed to speak at our recent Digital Nomads for Dubrovnik conference, and I asked her to keep me updated on any update in the tax law for digital nomads. Here is what she sent me:

From 1 January 2021, anyone who is not a citizen of the EU, Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway or Switzerland could be eligible for a Croatian digital nomad visa of up to one year, as long as the person does not work for or provide services to a Croatian company.   The digital nomad could extend this visa for another one year after a six-month physical hiatus out of Croatia.

Coupled with the change in the immigration legislation there has also been a change in the tax legislation:  from 1 January 2021 anyone working in Croatia under a digital nomad visa will be exempt from paying Croatian tax on income earned from activities directly related to the status of being a digital nomad.

The legislation passed voting in the Parliament on 4 December 2020, it was approved by the President of Croatia and published in the National Gazette (138/2020) on Friday, 11 December 2020. 

Here are the links to:

• the document approved by the Parliament
  
• The National Gazette
  

Relevant is Article 2:

26. primitke fizičkih osoba ostvarene po osnovi obavljanja nesamostalnog rada ili djelatnosti za poslodavca koji nije registriran u Republici Hrvatskoj temeljem stečenog statusa digitalnog nomada sukladno posebnom propisu.".

Translation - The income earned by natural persons realised on the basis of performing non-independent work or activities for an employer who isn't registered in the Republic of Croatia on the basis of the acquired status of ''digital nomad'' in accordance with a/the special regulation.

Further changes in the tax legislation are expected which would relieve digital nomads from tax reporting obligations in Croatia. Given the tremendous changes in legislation made for digital nomads, it seems to us that it is only a matter of time until this will be confirmed.

With all of this, Croatia is becoming one of the top countries of choice for digital nomads

For those of you with any questions about tax and digital nomads, I recommend you ask Kristina, rather than me. You can contact her on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

So what do we know about the visa for sure, what about unofficially, and what do I expect the answers to those remaining unanswered questions to be? 

What we know for sure.

The legislation has been passed to allow for the digital nomad visa from January 1, 2021. This is NOT the same thing s saying the visa WILL be available - more on that below.

The Croatian tax code has now been legally amended to reflect digital nomad tax status - see above. 

What we know unofficially from Jan de Jong's latest update on LinkedIn.

Having initiated the visa story with that LinkedIn post, de Jong has played an active role in pushing things forward, holding several meetings with ministries to sort out all the details. While not exactly the same as an official ministry announcement, his regular LinkedIn updates on the subject have come with the authority of someone at the heart of the discussions.  And yesterday's update gave some information on two of the key unknowns - when will the visa be available, and how to apply?

Currently the Ministry of Finance is working on making the changes to the tax laws - which shall be completed by the end of this year.

Ministarstvo turizma i sporta / Ministry of Tourism and Sport and the Ministry of Interior shall together make efforts to develop an official website where digital nomads can find all information about Croatia’s visa program. On this website it shall also be possible for digital nomads to apply for the visa.

The objective is to have this website live by March, 2021.

You can see the full post on Jan's LinkedIn.

What do I expect from the remaining key unanswered questions?

I refer you to an article I wrote last week regarding the foundation of the Croatian Digital Nomad Association and a visa update. For those without the time to read, my thoughts were that there would be no tax obligation in Croatia (see above), there would be an online application process (see above), and that while technically it could be available on January 1, sometime in the first quarter was more likely (see above). The other things I would expect - but yet to be announced - are:

Minimum income in the region of 1,500 to 2,500 euro a month.

I would expect the visa to cost a maximum of 100 euro. 

Guidelines on what constitutes a digital nomad to quality for the visa will be published in due course. 

Health insurance will be required.

No criminal record will be required. 

No working with Croatian companies or inside Croatia under the terms of the visa. 

Please note, these are my opinions, we are still waiting for the official announcements.

None of these things have been officially announced yet, but as the tax law change shows, things are moving forward. Perhaps not quick enough for digital nomads used to instant gratification, but in terms of changing Croatian law, this is cutting edge. 

I am sure that when all the details are finalised, the full initial guidelines will be published. We will, of course, bring those to you as soon as we have them, and you can follow the latest on the dedicated TCN digital nomad section.