Practice areas
Buying Property in Croatia
Croatia has become one of Europe's more sought-after property markets. But for international buyers, the process has its own logic, and a few specific risks that only become apparent once you're already in it.
We handle the full legal process for international buyers purchasing property anywhere in Croatia, with particular depth of experience in Istria. That means everything from the first title check to completed land registry entry - one lawyer, one file, no handoffs.
Before any contract is signed, we check the land registry and cadastre for ownership, encumbrances, easements, and discrepancies. We verify building permits, legalisations and permits of use, establish the status of any unpermitted structures, and confirm that the property can actually be transferred in the way the seller is proposing. For non-EU buyers we manage the Ministry of Justice consent process alongside the transaction.
We draft and review preliminary contracts and purchase contracts, structure the payment and registration sequence to protect your position, and handle the registration itself once the conditions are met.
This typically involves:
- Title and encumbrance search (land registry extract)
- Cadastre review and cross-check
- Building permit and permit of use
- Legalisation status assessment
- Ministry of Justice consent (non-EU buyers)
- Preliminary contract and purchase contract drafting and review
- Payment and registration sequencing
- Land registry entry
- Escrow account
- Preliminary registration of ownership
- Subdivision of ownership and condominium title issues
- Tax advice on property transfer and VAT