These are early days in Croatia’s digital nomad tourism journey. It is less than a year since a Dutch entrepreneur sent an open letter to the Croatian Prime Minister, requesting that the introduction of a digital nomad visa for Croatia.
Since then, a lot has happened. Both the Foreigners Act and the tax code were amended, and the visa (actually a permit) came into force on January 1, 2021, with the first successful applicant getting her permit some 3 weeks later. (Meet Melissa Paul, Owner of Croatia’s First Digital Nomad Visa). The online application form was launched on March 1, and there have been several other milestones to note as well. The Digtal Nomad Association Croatia was formed by Jan de Jong, that Dutch entrepreneur, Tanja Polegubic, and Karmela Tancabel.
The first digital nomad conference in Croatia was held last October in Dubrovnik, and it was followed by the world’s first Digital Nomad-in-Residence program (also in Dubrovnik), which has already been copied by a destination in Spain.
The next significant milestone will start in the Croatian capital later this month, with Zagreb Digital Nomad Week 2021 (ZDNW) & Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador Project beginning at Canopy by Hilton on June 21. Apart from bringing together nomads both physically and virtually, ZDNW will also look at some of the biggest issues and unknowns in the Croatian digital nomad story.
The week will consist of 7 days and 7 themes – cyber security, online presence, career advice, tax + finance, wellbeing, explore Zagreb, and the future of work.
Te full programme will be published shortly, and you can find the latest version on the Saltwater Nomads website – this is where it will be updated.
Thursday, June 24, is dedicated to tax and finance, with a key session led by Kristina Grbavac from KPMG. Kristina and KPMG have been enthusiastic supporters of the whole digital nomad initiative, and they are working closely with and supporting the Digital Nomad Association, as well as participating in both Dubrovnik projects above. She has also been kind enough to write a couple of great articles about digital nomads and tax for TCN.
While bearers of the digital nomad permit do not have to pay income tax in Croatia for the duration of their stay, the tax issue is a lot more complicated than that. For a start, not all nomads will be here on a permit (EU/EEA citizens, those on a less than 90-day stay, for example). And income tax is just one type of tax that faces us.
In an attempt to add a little clarity to the thorny issues of taxation and digital nomads, Kristina has kindly agreed to host an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session on tax and digital nomads. We will shortly be publishing details on how to submit questions in advance.
For the latest information on ZDNW – and to apply to be a Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador – follow the latest version of the programme here.
You can contact Kristina about KPMG services here.
For the latest news and features regarding digital nomads in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.
