Yesterday Split Tech City participated in an interesting online event. As representatives of Split, we took part in the Digital Nomad Reflection Day hosted by Digital Nomad Association Croatia.

Nationwide communities get together

Together with representatives from Bjelovar, Dubrovnik, Osijek, Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, and Zagreb, as well as the team from DNA Croatia, we used this great opportunity for everyone who is in any way connected with digital nomads in Croatia to reflect upon the past year, as well as plan and partner for 2022.

We all got to share our experiences and initiatives from 2021, as well as future plans about to be realized throughout this year.

Apart from the communities already mentioned above, we also learned about upcoming plans that are in motion in Labin, Pazin, Rovinj, Samobor, Šibenik, and Trogir.

Aside from the locals who all had their insights to share, important feedback was provided by digital nomads in attendance: Anna Maria Kochanska, Stephania Ramirez, and Steve Tsentserensky.

Overall, this meeting of minds was excellent in terms of bringing together individuals from the public, private, and civil sectors who all had something to contribute to the discussion, as well as something to learn from each other.

Digital nomad residence permit as the first of many steps

As many already know, Croatia made great progress by introducing its digital nomad residence permit. This permit, which celebrates its first birthday this January, currently numbers 206 approved permit holders. This number will keep growing and this permit will also keep improving. Yes, you’ve read that right!

We who are into digital nomads, as well as the government, are well aware this permit is not perfect, so the permit itself and its application are being updated – to be more transparent when it comes to relevant information about it, as well to ease the whole application process.

And while having a digital nomad visa is an amazing thing, that is just a first step, and it should definitely not be the only one we make.

Digital nomads are first and foremost people. And people have needs and desires.

In fact, every single one of us is different, so those needs and desires reflect that. That’s one of the strengths Croatia has: due to the variety our country can provide in terms of geolocation, heterogeneous city sizes, differing surrounding nature, as well as diverse communities and local culture that can offer unique authentic experiences.

The true richness of Croatia and what it can offer

The fact remains that in Croatia you can go olive picking with villagers from a small island town or visit a startup that turned into a unicorn; you can live by the sea in Split or surrounded by mountains and snow in Gospić; you can thrive in the hustle and bustle of a large city like Zagreb or chill in the serene city walls of Korčula; you can come here to enjoy the perks of health tourism or adrenaline tourism, etc. And we didn’t even scratch the surface of all the possibilities!

The point is, considering its multifariousness, Croatia can truly offer different things for different people.

Digital nomads in attendance have stressed this immense potential Croatia has. This is something they have obviously recognized even before coming here and their stay in Croatia only solidified that fact. Now it is up to us to do everything in our power to realize that potential, both in our local communities and nationwide.

So, here’s to an amazing 2022: may we continue to ace what we do well, improve what needs to be changed for the better, and continue to grow together!

Cover photo by Bruno Dubravec for Split Tech City

If you’re interested in digital nomad lifestyle in Split: Digital nomads in Split; Crash course to life in Split; Update on coworking spaces in Split; Good places to get coffee and do some work while you’re at it; “Locals’n’Nomads” meetup