CAN FOREIGNERS BUY REAL ESTATE IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA? 22.02.2019.

By joining Croatia in the EU, citizens of EU member states can purchase real estate in the Republic of Croatia.

However, there is an exception regarding the acquisition of foreign nationals' possessions in relation to excluded areas:

• agricultural land, whose acquisition is determined by a special law.

According to the Law on Agricultural Land, Article 2. paragraph 2., holders of ownership rights on agricultural land may NOT be foreign citizens or legal persons, unless otherwise provided by a special regulation or international agreement. Given that ,there is no special regulation or international agreement defined, for now, foreign citizens can not acquire the right to own agricultural land in the Republic of Croatia by legal business.

According to the provisions of the Treaty on Accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union, foreign nationals can not acquire agricultural land from the date of accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union for the next 7 years with the possibility of a ban for another 3 years.

Foreign nationals who are not from EU member states can purchase a property if a reciprocal rule applies.

List of countries, in which reciprocal rules are defined by agreement or is in preparation, is in the attached link: https://pravosudje.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/6186

Foreign nationals and legal entities subject to a reciprocity rule and listed on the list must submit a request for approval to the Ministry of Justice . The request is submitted directly to the Registrar or sent by post to:

Ministry of Justice of the Republic of CroatiaDirectorate for Civil, Commercial and Administrative LawUlica grada Vukovara 49, 10000 Zagreb

The written request must be enclosed with:

• the legal basis for acquiring ownership (purchase contract, gift contract, maintenance contract etc.) in the original or certified copy,

• proof of ownership of the seller / estranger of the real estate concerned, ie land register extract, in the original or certified copy, not older than six months,

• the conviction of the administrative body responsible for urban planning and spatial planning, according to the place where the real estate is located, on the legal status of the real estate (whether the real estate is within the boundaries of the construction area as foreseen in the urban plan)

• Proof of citizenship of the acquirer (certified copy of the passport and simmiliar) or proof of the legal status of the legal person (extract from the court register), if the acquirer is a legal person

• In case the applicant is represented by a proxy, power of attorney must be submitted in the original or a certified copy, 

• If the applicant did not designate a representative who will represent him, and he is situated in abroad, he is obliged to designate a person authorized to receive document by post in the Republic of Croatia, 

• Proof of payment of the administrative fee in the amount of HRK 35.00 according to Tar.br. Point 88, item 1. of the Administrative Fee Regulation. 

You can find more about acquiring ownership rights for foreign citizens on the link below:

https://pravosudje.gov.hr/stjecanje-prava-vlasnistva/6183