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How to Buy Real Estate in Croatia

Croatia is becoming one of the more desirable parts in Europe to purchase real estate. Croatia has a relatively low cost of living. An above minimum wage income allows anyone to live comfortably and foreigners with enough purchasing power would be happy there. Croatia also sports plenty of beautiful sights and properties available in the surrounding area.

Is it easy for foreigners to purchase real estate? Croatia’s answer is yes. Foreigners are allowed to purchase real estate in Croatia, especially if they’re members of the European Union. Any limitations and requirements will depend on where the buyer is from, if they are from outside the EU. Below are some rules when buying real estate in Croatia (https://www.bluehomes.com/Immobilien-Kroatien/HR/de/debut.html).

First thing’s first, look up the records of your candidate properties, and they can be acquired from public records such as: the name of the owner, size and purpose of the property, the registered address and the owner’s OIB (similar to social security). Watch out for any debts that the property has.

Know zone status of the real estate. Croatia zones properties as residential or agricultural. Until 2023, foreigners aren’t allowed to purchase agricultural land. But if the investment purpose is agriculture, it can be purchased through a Croatian company that the foreigner owns.

Unlike in other European countries like Norway, Croatia has two contracts. The pre-contract and the sales contract. The pre-contract is mainly the buyer’s intent to buy, It’s possible to have just one contract but the pre-contract is recommended for the protection of both the buyer and the seller. We will continue with the more important parts of this process on the next post.

As always, when purchasing real estate from unlikely locales, it’s important to transact through reputable local real estate agencies, with a lawyer guiding all the proceedings. It’s possible without a lawyer but an agency is a must and the buyer must be committed.