LEGAL FRAMEWORK
Now that you know there is this cool visa designed specifically for digital nomads in Croatia you are probably wondering how to apply. Croatia bureaucracy was never known for its simplicity and user-friendliness but things are not so horrible in regards to this visa. Starting from January 1st, 2021 digital nomads residing in Croatia have a special dedicated legal framework concerning their residence and earnings. It includes amendments for two official laws which concern digital nomads: the Aliens Act and the Income Tax Act.
Aliens Act (Zakon o strancima)
The amended version of the Aliens Act now defines digital nomads as: “Digital nomad is a third country member who is employed by or works via information technology for a company or owns the company which is not registered in Croatia and does not work for or provides services for employees on the Croatian territory. “
The Income Tax Act (Zakon o porezu na dohodak)
The amended version of the Income Tax Act now exempts your earnings from taxation and puts them into a special category. It translates to something like: “The income earned by natural persons AND realized on the basis of performing non-independent work/activities for an employer not registered in Croatia on the basis of the acquired status of a digital nomad in accordance with a special regulation.
APPLICATION
The application for a visa (link is provided below) is handled by the Ministry of the Interior (Ministarstvo unutarnjih poslova). You may jump straight into it but prior to starting the application process, it is advisable to read all the official information provided by the Ministry which is available here. If you run into difficulties, illogical or incomplete explanations, or you simply want to know more information, check out these guidelines written by Sara from the website Expats in Croatia. Sara went through hell years ago when she was moving to Croatia so she really knows how to deal with local bureaucracy as a foreigner and she predicted and answered every frequently asked question. Good luck with your application and see you soon!
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