January 25, 2021 – Replacing the outgoing Andrew Dalgleish, Simon Thomas new ambassador to Croatia is an expert on security and counterterrorism

After five years in his position, the United Kindom's popular ambassador to Croatia, Andrew Dalgleish will move on to pastures new in July 2021. Britain has appointed Simon Thomas new ambassador to Croatia. He has a background in diplomacy and is an expert on security and counterterrorism.

Simon Thomas new ambassador to Croatia is a career diplomat but has held several positions outside of the diplomatic service. He joined the United Kingdom Diplomatic Service in 1997, after graduating with honours in Russian language and literature at the University of Birmingham. His first appointment saw him assigned to the Russia department of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office before he took up the position of Second Secretary in the United Kingdom Embassy in Warsaw, Poland.

Simon Thomas, the United Kingdom's new ambassador to Croatia © Simon Thomas

After over two years at this station, he spent time at the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York and the UK Representation to the European Union before being recalled to the UK to work in the field of counter-terrorism in the Cabinet Office.

After returning to the Russia department of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office for over two years, this time in a more senior position, he went back to New York for a couple of years to take up the First Secretary position of the UK Mission to the United Nations.

From there, he was promoted to Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he remained for over three years. Following another UK-based appointment, he again took up the position of Deputy Head of Mission, this time at the British Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe, where he spent over two years.

In the period since, Simon Thomas new ambassador to Croatia returned to education. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Royal College of Defence Studies where he spent a year studying strategy, leadership and international affairs alongside senior military and civilians from more than 50 countries. He has also been learning Croatian. He also holds a master's degree in International Security and Strategy from King’s College, London. He was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE ) for merit in foreign policy in 2008.

The Embassy of the United Kingdom in Zagreb © UK in Croatia

Simon Thomas new ambassador to Croatia tweeted “Delighted to be appointed the next United Kingdom British ambassador to Croatia, succeeding Andrew Dalgleish in July. Very much looking forward to getting to know Hrvatska and her people, and to deepening the great friendship between our two countries.”

The outgoing ambassador echoed his sentiments: “Excellent news of the appointment my successor, who takes over when I leave beautiful Croatia this summer,” tweeted the popular Mr Dalgleish, who will obviously miss the country he has called home for the last half-decade.

“Simon, get ready for one of the best jobs you could wish for!” furthered Mr Dalgleish. “Until then, I've still got so much to see and do!”

Mr Dalgleish will be transferring to another appointment within the United Kingdom Diplomatic Service. We wish him the best of luck and warmly welcome Simon Thomas new ambassador to Croatia.

The outgoing United Kingdom ambassador to Croatia, the popular Mr Andrew Dalgleish, pictured with a colleague from the Spanish Embassy at Zagreb Pride in 2019 © Andrew Dalgleish

As the majority of you will know, I've been writing articles to try to keep you up to date with Brexit and the unfolding situation over in the United Kingdom.

Numerous articles have been written to update, inform and attempt to answer your questions on what Brexit with or without a deal means for you as a British citizen with legal residence in Croatia. 

The first article, which can be read here, covers what would happen if Theresa May's deal (withdrawal agreement) is adopted by British Parliament.

The others cover the situation as it unfolded. As individual EU member states came forward with their proposals for UK citizens following the UK promising to protect EU citizens in any scenario (be it deal or no deal), and after a request for a ''generous and pragmatic'' offer from the EU, Croatia finally shed some light on the situation here, citing special measures.

With little else to go on, we wrote an article on the steps British residents in Croatia affected by Brexit can take to ensure they're secure. You can read that here.

Eventually, MUP spoke out and offered guidelines in the event of any Brexit scenario, this echoed much of what we had already written. It can be read here and also contains our advice written in italic font. Here is the original on their website.

For a breakdown of the legal jargon which surrounds this issue and what it all means in the real world, click here.

Given the fact that very little help is being offered to Brits living in the rest of the EU in general, a generous sum was allocated to help out those who are struggling with residence applications and registrations forms.

As Theresa May stepped down after her withdrawal agreement was rejected three times by parliament, Boris Johnson entered Number 10 and prorogued parliament. Until MPs managed to pass a law making no deal illegal, the threat of a no deal Brexit became very real once again. That is now unlikely again, and a further extension is expected, but just in case it happens, click here for all you need to know.

Please note that there is no need to panic as long as you are a British citizen correctly registered and with a valid residence permit of either type (privremeni boravak/temporary residence or stalni boravak/permanent residence). If you hold permanent residence already, there is nothing for you to be concerned about.

I keep seeing very concerning comments from various individuals about people being ''kicked out'' of countries, this simply is not true. Croatia has made it quite clear that it will protect its legal British residents regardless of the outcome of Brexit, through transitional arrangements that will have no end date. This will allow you to continue your life in Croatia exactly as you did before.

If there is a no deal Brexit, all you will need to do is exchange your residence card for another one, but its validity and type will remain exactly the same. If you hold permanent residence, it will still be permanent residence. Much more detail on that is provided here.

If you are a British citizen living in Croatia and you have not yet registered your residence, please do so as soon as possible in order to have your rights protected.

We'd like to announce that the British Embassy Zagreb will be holding an outreach meeting for British citizens living in Split on October the 12th, 2019, and then again in Dubrovnik on October the 14th, 2019.

The locations and times will not be shared publicly, but will be provided to all those British citizens living in Croatia who register that they'll be attending either the Split or the Dubrovnik outreach meetings by contacting the email address provided below.

You need to register that you'll be attending by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You'll then be provided with the exact times and locations of the meetings. Please specify which one you'll be attending, and remember to bring your British passport along with you as a means of identification and as proof of your British citizenship.

Make sure to follow our dedicated politics page for more information on Brexit as we get it, and much more.

MUP has finally spoken!

Where do things stand for you as British citizens lawfully resident in the Republic of Croatia? 

* When this article was first written, it was a draft law. This law was fully adopted in July 2019 and will come into force in the case of a no deal Brexit*

If you see a little * and italic font at the end of or underneath a sentence written by MUP, that's our little comment to give you our advice on the matter, too.

RESIDENCE:

Residence registration is very important in the case of any scenario for future relations between the European Union and the UK.
 
Therefore, all UK citizens and their family members residing in the Republic of Croatia are strongly recommended to register their residence as a British/EU citizen/apply for a residence card as a family member of a British/EU citizen.

Please click here and click on the following links: Form 1b, (for EU citizens, this needs to be clicked on for British nationals too) Form 2b (for family members of EU/British citizens who are third country nationals), of Form 3b for both EU/British citizens and his/her family members who want to apply for permanent residence.

* Please note that permanent residence can be applied for only after five years of lawful, uninterrupted temporary stay in the Republic of Croatia, you can have changed your address as many times as you like, but you must have been registered as legally living on Croatian territory for five years on an uninterrupted basis. Lawful, uninterrupted residency can be shown when applying for permanent residence with every ID card you've held, as the dates on them will attest to the five year time period. Some MUP officials claim you cannot apply for permanent residence until your temporary residence expires, others say you must be in possession of a temporary residence card which is still valid at the time of application. We advise you go to MUP and ask about your case individually, as they seem to alter this rule depending on who you talk to.

* According to EU law, the right to permanent residence ''after five years'' actually means five years + one day, but once again, MUP can misinterpret this and assume you need to come and start the process before the temporary residence expires. Don't leave it up to fate. At least go and ask in person before your temporary residence card expires.

* If you were not given an automatic five year residence permit when you first applied for some reason or another, and when you've renewed your temporary residence the official has taken your old ID card from you, there is no need to worry. Present the ID card you have and your legal residence will show up when a case worker checks you out to approve your permanent residence application.
 
Once the applicants have completed the registration of a temporary residence in accordance with the provisions of the Aliens Act (OG 130/11, 74/13, 69/17 and 46/18), they will be immediately issued with a Registration Certificate registration of a temporary residence in paper form, free of charge. If they wish, they can apply for a residence card (for which the administrative fee is to be paid in the amount of HRK 79.50).

* We strongly recommend you pay for the residence card, the white sheet of paper is merely confirmation of your residence/address, the residence card has your photo and details on it and acts as ID in Croatia. It is also weatherproof and easier to carry around on your person, which, just like nationals, you must and can be fined for not being able to present a form of ID if asked to by the police.
 
UK citizens who apply for permanent residence will be issued with residence cards (for which the administrative fee is to be paid in the amount of HRK 79.50).
 
Family members of UK nationals, who are not nationals of an EU Member State, are required to apply for a residence card/permanent residence card as a family member (for which the administrative fee is to be paid in the same amount of HRK 79.50).
 
UK citizens and their family members can register their residence at a police administration/police station according to their place of residence (The list of police administrations/police stations is available here).
 
The registration of residence and the relevant documents are a clear proof that their holder is a citizen of the United Kingdom or a family member [of said British national] who has already resided in the Republic of Croatia before the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union.
 
DRIVING LICENSES:
 
Starting from the day on which the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland leaves the European Union, UK driving licenses will be subject to regulations concerning foreign driving licenses.
 
UK driving licenses will be valid in the Republic of Croatia for up to one year from the day that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland leaves the European Union. After that, they will have to be replaced with Croatian driving licenses and the applicant will have to submit a certificate of medical fitness to drive.
 
UK nationals and nationals of other countries who are holders of UK driving licenses are advised to apply for the replacement of their driving licenses with a Croatian driving license as soon as possible.

Applicants who submit their application before the date on which the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland leaves the European Union will be able to replace their UK driving licenses under the conditions set for the replacement of EEA driving licenses in which case it is not necessary to submit a certificate of medical fitness to drive.
 
Both the EU driving licenses and the former paper driving licenses are equally recognised.
 
UK driving licenses are replaced with Croatian driving licenses without any obligation to take a driving exam/test, regardless of the category of vehicle listed on the UK driving license.

Border checks on persons at the EU external border (This section does not apply for travel in the Common Travel Area between the United Kingdom and Ireland):

EU law on border checks at the EU external borders on persons distinguishes between the control of EU citizens and of third country nationals. As of the withdrawal date, the control of UK nationals on entry and exit from the Schengen area as well as to and from Member States for which the decision on lifting internal controls has not yet been taken, but which apply Schengen rules at their external borders, will follow the rules for third country nationals.

(Please note that UK nationals who are members of the family of an EU citizen exercising their right to free movement are subject to the rules set out in Article 5 of Directive 2004/38 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of OJ L 158, 30.4.2004, p. 77.) On 29 April 2004, the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States, OJ L 158, 30.4.2004, p. 77.)

This means that they will no longer enjoy facilitations at the borders provided for EU citizens, nationals of the contracting states of the European Economic Area, and Swiss nationals ("EU / EEA / CH citizens") related to the free movement rights. In particular, UK citizens will not be entitled to use the separate lanes provided for EU / EEA / CH citizens to carry out checks at border crossings and will be subject to thorough checks of all entry conditions for third country nationals upon entry.

The entry checks for UK citizens will include verification of:
 
The possession of a valid travel document for crossing the border; the document must have a validity of no more than ten years, and shall remain valid for three months after the intended departure from the Member States; (Please note that UK national passports issued before the withdrawal date remain valid travel documents).
 
The duration of the stay:

For short stays in the Schengen area, UK citizens will be subject to restrictions on the authorised duration of stay within the Schengen area (with a maximum of 90 days in 180 days); for long stays, they will in principle require a residence permit or a long-stay visa issued by national authorities, under the national rules; The identity and the nationality of the third country national and of the authenticity and validity of the travel document for crossing the border, and in particular, if an alert has been issued in the Schengen Information System (SIS) for the purpose of refusing entry and checking potential threats to public policy, internal security, public health and international relations; the purpose (eg tourism or work) and the conditions of the intended stay (eg accommodation, internal travels); the existence of sufficient means of subsistence (i.e. having sufficient means to pay for the intended stay and return travel). ("Schengen-visa"), when the transitional period for the stay in the United Kingdom is reduced by the amount of the short-stay visa ("Schengen-visa"), on 13 November 2018 the Schengen area is 90 days within a 180-day period and it is now up to the European Parliament and the Council to adopt this proposal. - visa requirements, following the visa reciprocity principle.)

Travelers are advised to confirm, prior to travel, the validity of travel documents and to ensure that they fulfill all the above conditions before they travel to the EU. The non-fulfillment of any of the entry conditions may result in refusal of entry issued in accordance with the procedure laid down in Union law with respect to third country nationals.

Checks on exit include verification of:

The possession of a valid travel document for crossing the external border; verification that the person did not exceed the maximum duration of stay in the territory of the Member States; relevant databases similarly as upon entry checks.

WHAT DOES THIS JARGON ACTUALLY MEAN?

In short, this is nothing we haven't advised before and we applaud MUP for confirming things.

Make sure you're registered and in possession of a residence card which acts as proof of your lawful residence in the Republic of Croatia before the United Kingdom's withdrawal (if it ever happens) from the EU. In other words, these act as your acquired rights that you were entitled to before a law change, ie, your EU treaty rights.

Apply for permanent residence when you hit the magic five year mark.

Switch your driving license over to a Croatian one now, even though you don't need to right away, why bother with the headache?

You won't be able to use the EU lanes when arriving in an EU country using a British passport anymore.

Croatia is not in Schengen, but when travelling to and from Schengen, you might be subjected to more questions than you're used to.

If your passport is nearing its end, apply for a new one now to save you the bother.

We'd like to thank MUP, all sarcasm aside, for setting out some guidelines. This means that all Brits who have legally resided in Croatia, still live here, and have proof of that, will be fine even in the event of a No Deal Brexit. If May's Withdrawal Agreement manages to pass, then that will come into force. Click here to read that. If Brexit is delayed (likely), or Article 50 is revoked (unlikely, but possible), keep up with us for info.

Make sure to follow our dedicated politics page for much more on Brexit. Sign up to email alerts from the British Embassy in Zagreb for any alterations. Click here for MUP's post.

The British Embassy in Zagreb has released a video for British citizens living and working in Croatia in which UK Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia answered a few common questions from Brits worried about their futures in Croatia after Brexit.

The video, aimed at answering the questions of worried British residents in Croatia in the case of an unwanted and disorderly but still possible No Deal Brexit, saw Andrew Dalgleish sit down and respond to a handful of concerns put to the embassy by Croatia's Brits, of which there are well under 1,000 legally registered.

If you're a British citizen living in Croatia and you're concerned about your rights after the United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union, which, if all goes to plan, will occur at the end of next month, make sure to follow us as we bring you all the information you need, as and when it happens.

If Theresa May's deal is passed, this article will tell you in detail what that means for you as a British national in Croatia.

If an unwanted No Deal Brexit occurs, MUP (Croatian Ministry of the Interior) has assured both Balkan Insight and TCN that British citizens with a biometric residence permit (temporary or permanent residence/privremeni ili stalni boravak) should be able to continue their lives broadly as they do now, and that the proper measures for that will be introduced. Although Croatia hasn't yet delivered any public assurances like several other EU countries have, in the spirit of reciprocity, Croatia will follow.

MUP's statement to me can be found here, along with the direct translation.

For information on how you can work to prepare and thus further safeguard your rights in the event of Britain crashing out of the bloc at the end of next month, read this article.

Make sure to stay up to date and/or sign up for email alerts from the British Government's Living in Croatia page in case any changes to your rights do occur.

In the meantime, make sure you're registered with the authorities in Croatia and are in possession of a valid biometric residence permit before the 29th of March, 2019.

For more on Brexit and on Croatian politics, give our dedicated politics page a follow.

Andrew Dalgleish talks about the unwanted yet still possible No Deal outcome, what this means for Croats in the UK, what it could mean for Brits in Croatia, and how, if at all, Brexit will affect Croatia's tourist industry.

While many British citizens in Croatia remain worried for their future in the country, rest assured that we at TCN, along with the British Embassy in Zagreb, will continue to do our absolute best to keep you informed of any changes, should they occur at all, to your rights to residence, access to healthcare, the labour market, and your access to Croatia's social security system.

We have already written numerous articles on what Brexit is likely to mean when it comes to British citizens living in Croatia with regulated status (biometric residence permit of either temporary (privremeni) or permanent (stalni) residence (boravak), which was your right to claim as EU citizens. I'd like to preface this by saying that there is no need to do anything but remain calm despite the sheer lack of information provided to you, we're fully aware of your concerns and will seek to assure you as best as we can along the way.

MUP has assured TCN in private correspondence with me that British citizens, even in the unwanted event of a No Deal Brexit, who have a valid residence permit of some kind, will not be seen as illegal persons living on the territory of the Republic of Croatia on the 29th of March this year. Please click here for the full article on that, as well as ways to safeguard and prepare, here for MUP's statement to Balkan Insight, and here for Paul Bradbury's meeting with Andrew Dalgleish, the UK Ambassador to Croatia, which took place a few weeks ago. Should the UK leave with May's deal on the UK's Withdrawal Agreement, click here to find out what that means for you.

Although the following article doesn't talk quite enough about the rightful worries and fears of Croatia's resident Brits, the number of which is well under 1,000, Andrew Dalgleish sits down to discuss what a potential No Deal Brexit might mean should it occur, and sought to reassure that British tourists, who are among the most numerous European visitors to Croatia, will continue to come.

As Mark Thomas/Slobodna Dalmacija writes on the 19th of February, 2019, before Britain's (planned) exit from the European Union scheduled for March the 29th this year, we talked with UK Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia, Mr. Andrew Dalgleish, to find out what the future of the always positive relations between Croatia and the UK are set to become.

"Croatian citizens living in the UK shouldn't worry if Britain leaves the European Union without agreement because the [British] Government has taken all the measures to protect [EU] citizens [living in the UK at the time of exit]," the ambassador stated.

The British Government ''is making a huge effort to reach an agreement'', and the outcome of Brexit for Great Britain has two scenarios, at least in this phase of negotiations; the UK leaving the EU, should it continue to stand by its current position, either with or without agreement. Whatever the solution turns out to be, it will bring new questions, as well as new solutions, in terms of citizens' rights.

If Britain leaves the European Union on March the 29th, how will it affect the status of Croatian nationals living in the UK in the case of a No Deal Brexit?

Since the beginning of the negotiations around Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May has been very clear on this issue: Citizens should not be bargaining chips, the lives of people and their needs are what is really important here. Then, when we came to the end of the negotiations, the prime minister said that regardless of what would happen [regarding the UK's withdrawal from the bloc], Croats and other citizens of European Union countries (EU27) who are legal residents of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will basically hold the same status and enjoy broadly the same rights as they did before the 29th of March, 2019.

Croats should not immediately see any change in their current status in the UK. This is a real indicator of how much Britain truly does appreciate the citizens of other European Union countries living in the UK. No matter what other EU members do in return, the prime minister has been very clear on this matter.

After March the 29th, EU citizens will be able to live normally in the UK, enjoying continued unimpeded access to all the social, health and education services just as they have until now, and the direction further negotiations will take is yet to be seen. There will be procedures to explain to citizens what the futre will look like after Brexit and we want to let them know that we do care about everyone.

At this point there are two possible Brexit scenarios, "Brexit with an agreement" and "Brexit without an agreement", and whatever option is accepted will affect what will happen on March the 29th...

Yes, the British Government is absolutely devoted, with all of its efforts, to reach an agreement. How exactly this arrangement will look remains to be seen. However, it is crystal clear to the government that reaching an agreement is the best way to leave [the EU].

Also, we as the government are highly responsible, which means that we have to prepare for this second scenario [No Deal Brexit] that we wouldn't want, but which could happen. That's why we want to reassure Croatian citizens living in the UK that they don't have to worry if Britain does leave without a deal, because the [British] Government has taken measures to reassure them that they do care about them.

Agreement or not, how will Brexit affect your role as [UK] Ambassador?

Of course, it's already influenced my ambassador's role. I was all set to be the ambassador before the referendum was actually held, I actually arrived in Zagreb three weeks after the referendum. Of course, that means all my preparations changed overnight. But Brexit is real and we've got to face it.

Relations between Great Britain and Croatia have lasted longer outside the European Union than they have within it. Brexit will certainly be a challenge because many of the questions related to our two peoples are being solved at a table in Brussels.

Since we [Britain] will not be sitting at the table in Brussels again, we will make even more of an effort in the future to get London and Zagreb to directly negotiate, more than we did before, so there's a chance there.

How are the negotiations with the Croatian Government progressing, if an agreement [between the UK and the EU] is not reached, and what about the rights of British nationals in Croatia?

Prime Minister May was very clear at the very beginning of negotiations that the [British] Government would take care of the rights of European Union citizens in the UK after March the 29th, so we hope that other [EU] Member States will act in the same way.

The European Commission has stated that it hopes that, after Brexit, all EU member states will be ''generous'' and offer British citizens good conditions, however, each of them will do so in their own way. Discussions are being conducted not only with Croatia, but with other EU member states. Of course, the Croatian Government, as well as the British Government, is hoping for a scenario in which the UK withdraws from the EU with a deal.

It's very important to point out that in the case of a No Deal Brexit, there are many technical questions that require answers, some of which are what it will mean to be a legal citizen (resident) here, to gaining the right to health care, and many other issues.

All of this requires very demanding preparation and this is what we're doing at this moment with the Croatian Government.

Do you think Croatian tourism will suffer a sort of shock after Brexit?

"There is no intent on either side of causing problems in people's lives, going on holiday is a natural thing that people need. No government in these negotiations has said that obstacles should be put in place in order to make things for the tourist industry more difficult in the future. Of course, if there's an agreement, then every side and every country knows where their place is.

In the event of a No Deal Brexit, we must take care to resolve all of the technical issues and that the British [continue to] come to Croatia on holiday, which is the intention of both Croatia and the UK. I don't see the probability of any problem, as long as we're all doing our jobs in the meantime.

Make sure to stay up to date with everything you need to know about Brexit and Croatia and what might alter for you by following our dedicated politics page.

Click here for the original article by Mark Thomas on Slododna Dalmacija

Theresa May's withdrawal agreement with the European Union suffered a historic defeat recently. The British prime minister had delayed the vote which was due to take place back in December 2018 when she realised she was set to suffer the aforementioned historic defeat. Why she thought simply delaying the inevitable was a good idea is beyond me, but so is the entire notion of Brexit itself.

My political views aside, let's get to the point of this article. Point number one is that the article I wrote a while ago about what Theresa May's former withdrawal agreement means for British citizens living in Croatia is now likely void for the most part. We all love wasting our time, don't we?

The second point is that you don't need to worry about anything, well, no more than you would already anyway. You may have noticed that many EU countries have publicly declared their plans for making sure British citizens don't become Brexit's collateral damage (anymore than already, that is), and don't fall victim to the United Kingdom's bizarre desire to enact Brexit and leave the world's largest trading bloc. You're likely wondering why Croatia hasn't done so yet, at least not publicly. As Lance Corporal Jack Jones would have said: Don't panic.

Belgium, Italy, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands are just some of the EU countries to have come forward and assured Brits living and working in their countries that plans are firmly in place to make sure their lives go on undisrupted by this utter mess. That's a little too late for many after years of inexcusable limbo, but it's very welcome for many nonetheless.

But what about other countries, you might ask? What of, let's say, Romania? Romania has been eerily quiet on the matter despite having been given assurances that Romanian citizens living and working in the United Kingdom will remain protected and have their rights enshrined into UK law regardless of the Brexit outcome. The same assurances, with all due respect to Britain, have been given repeatedly to all other EU citizens legally residing in Britain. A new system has been set up which promises to be simple and as recent announcements have confirmed - totally free.

The UK has dropped its former demand for £65 for ''settled'' and ''pre-settled'' status after listening to the concerns of many, and EU citizens in the UK now have a very clear way of securing their rights before June 2021. The UK hasn't done much right since the non-binding referendum delivered a shock Leave result, but in making sure to put citizens and their acquired EU treaty rights first, it has been firm.

Everyone knows Croatia likes to drag its heels. It doesn't mean anything bad by it really, that's just what it does. That being said, it will gladly bow to whatever the EU asks of it, but in its own time. What do I mean by this? Well, to put it simply, MUP (Croatian Ministry of the Interior) has stated when asked (probably repeatedly) by Balkan Insight that there will be ''special rules'' in place for British citizens who have legal residence (biometric permit) in Croatia.

As Balkan Insight writes on the 22nd of January, 2019: ''The Interior Ministry in Croatia, which joined the EU in 2013, told BIRN that “special rules will be applied UK citizens who, on March 29, 2019, have regulated status of foreigner in the Republic of Croatia, which will allow [them] to maintain the right of residence.” But the ministry said it was “still developing in details the modalities of residence” of British citizens in Croatia after Brexit and how new documents would be issued.

The goal, it said, would be to allow British citizens and their families who have regulated status continued access, without restrictions, to the Croatian labour market. According to official data, currently 659 British citizens have regulated status in Croatia – 277 permanent residents and 382 with temporary residence.

The British embassy in Zagreb said it expected Croatia to reciprocate the commitment London made with regards the rights of citizens from the EU residing in Britain in the event of a no-deal scenario.''

So, what does this actually mean? It means that British citizens in Croatia can expect forthcoming reassurances like those which have been provided by a growing number of EU countries about their status, but the details must be finalised first. MUP knows it needs to do something. In any case, with assurances pouring in from other EU countries confirming the legal residence status of British citizens living in their countries, Croatia is sure to follow, just in its own time. Ever the lover of red tape and miraculously turning one sheet of paper into ten, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Croatia is dragging its heels. 

In any case, although the majority of what I wrote in my last article is now void (cheers, Theresa), what remains to be true is that as long as you hold a residence card and are known by the system, you don't need to worry.

You can apply for permanent residence when you've reached five years as you normally would for now, and if you're nowhere near that five year mark yet, just make sure you're properly registered and have a residence card that is valid.

Nobody wants to punish anybody for acting on their EU treaty rights, least of all Croatia after having the rights of its citizens guaranteed and set to be enshrined by London long ago, so make sure to follow us for any updates as we'll be sure to bring them as soon as we're informed of any, should the UK ever actually leave the EU at all.

Make sure to follow our dedicated politics page for more.

The British Embassy in Croatia meets Vuk Vuković of Oraclum Intelligence Systems in their new series "What Links Us Together".