August the 28th, 2025 – Croatia has joined Japan as a top digital nomad destination according to nomads.com, with nomads from around the world staying an average of 69 days.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Josipa Ban writes, remote work from any country in the world, or digital nomadism, is a trend that shows no chance of slowing down. Across the pond in the USA, the country in which the largest percentage of the population decides to work in this way, there were just over 18 million digital nomads last year. That’s 4.6 percent more than in 2023 according to a report by the American platform MBO Partners. Data from the nomads.com portal, the largest platform that brings together a community of those who work remotely from other countries, indicate an even higher number. According to this data, as many as 47 million digital nomads come from the USA, or 43 percent of their total number.

croatia has become a top digital nomad destination

Americans, along with Russians and Ukrainians, are the most numerous digital nomads in Croatia. Croatia has transformed into a top digital nomad destination since the introduction of the digital nomad “visa” (residence permit) not so long ago. The nomads.com platform shows that with a score of 4.6, Croatia is an impressive second most favourite digital nomad destination in the entire world, right behind Japan, which was rated 4.8. In addition, gorgeous Dubrovnik is the 6th top destination that digital nomads most want to go to in the whole world.

However, according to official statistics from the Interior Ministry (MUP), which has been approving temporary residence applications for digital nomads since 2021 through amendments to the Foreigners Act, the number of such applications in Croatia is currently falling. Compared to the current record year of 2023, when 1,485 applications for temporary residence for digital nomads were submitted, last year that number fell by 25 percent, to 1,114. Although more were approved than in 2023 (626 compared to 532), it is still less than it was back in 2022, when 780 out of 1,223 applications were approved. Since Croatia introduced its famed digital nomad “visa”, Russians, Ukrainians, Americans and Brits without post-Brexit rights have shown the greatest interest in becoming a digital nomad for any period in Croatia.

slow island internet represents a burden

The Digital Nomads Croatia (DNA) association, headed by Dutchman Jan de Jong, pointed out that the number of applications for temporary residence by digital nomads doesn’t actually give a true picture of their total number in Croatia.

“Not all remote workers who come to Croatia apply for a visa because many stay there for shorter periods than they’re legally allowed to. According to data from the nomads.com platform, digital nomads stay in Croatia for an average of 69 days. This means that the country may have fewer applications for temporary residence, but also a stable flow of remote workers who just aren’t part of the statistics,” DNA Croatia explained, adding that nomads are very mobile and tend to combine their time in Croatia with destinations across the region, such as Serbia, Montenegro, Albania and Greece.

“This flexibility is part of their way of life,” according to the association, which works to connect digital nomads with the local community. They also added that Split, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Rijeka and Zadar continue to attract digital nomads, while Istria and the islands of Brač, Hvar and Korčula are also slowly becoming very popular.

Milana Martinović Koprivnjak is the founder and director of the OnsiteHub platform, which organises business gatherings for companies whose employees work from different destinations around the world. She is therefore well-versed in the topic. She has warned of the downsides that digital nomads face when in Croatia. She believes that the reason for the relatively small number of digital nomads in Croatia can be found in connectivity, infrastructure and the general availability of content.

“Unfortunately, Croatia doesn’t offer too much in the way of interesting content besides the sea, sun and nature, especially not content such as networking that popular destinations that are digital nomad hubs provide,” Martinović Koprivnjak pointed out, noting that in order for Croatia to remain a top digital nomad destination, all of this needs work.

“All of Croatia’s airports near the coast are catastrophically poorly connected in the off-season, while on the islands we don’t even have the infrastructure for quality work, such as proper optics or fast internet. Furthermore, inflation has definitely removed Croatia from the list of accessible destinations, so even that is no longer a benefit that otherwise existed for a long time,” she said. She also cited Croatia’s infamous bureaucracy as the reason for the decline in the number of applications for digital nomad visas.

“I heard from people in my network, many of whom are digital nomads who had a Croatian visa, that it just wasn’t “worth it”, that is, that the bureaucracy was too demanding for such a short visa duration,” she noted.

wider benefits for the community

Until March this year, when amendments to the Law on Foreigners came into force, the digital nomad visa could be obtained for a year. The aforementioned amendments made it possible to obtain it for 18 months (a year and a half) with the possibility of extending it for an additional half a year, if the first visa was approved for less than the maximum 18 months.

DNA Croatia says that they welcome these legal changes. Will they affect a greater number of applications from third-country nationals? Current statistics don’t show this. Data from the Interior Ministry for the first six months of 2025 show that 672 applications were submitted, of which 220 were approved.

A stronger attraction of them would certainly be welcome, because digital nomads bring numerous advantages. In addition to economic benefits, they also bring social benefits. The DNA Croatia association emphasised that digital nomads, in addition to economic influence, create a cultural exchange and international connections that strengthen the image of Croatia as a hospitable and innovative nation. The founder of OnsiteHub added that they also bring new perspectives and reflections.

“Digital nomads are among the more proactive groups, so in the places where they come and spend time, they very often start communities, think tanks, exchanges and gatherings that contribute to the betterment of society,” she concluded.

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