Expats who love a challenge will adore Croatia

Whilst Croatia isn’t as yet a major European destination for expats looking to work or retire, those who’ve made the leap find the country as rewarding as it’s challenging.

One major advantage of a move to Croatia for those with families is that it’s perhaps one of the world’s safest places in spite of its tumultuous past. Crime, kidnapping and murder are rarities in this 30-year new country, and it’s a place where children can play safely outside without parental supervision. Every village and town has its own strong sense of community, a rarity almost anywhere in the modern world.

For those willing to give Croatia a try, the first hurdle is its bureaucracy. Remembering it’s a recently formed country helps a little, but the major problem is that by-the-book rules are many, but enforcement is applied to less than half. If clarification is requested, the answer will depend on who’s giving it, as rules are frequently bent or entirely ignored. Long-term expats living in Croatia often decide no-one in officialdom actually knows these rules.

In fact, it’s Croatia’s bureaucratic confusion which bonds the expat community together, as asking someone who’s been there and done that gets much more information than any inquiry put to a federal employee. The only downside is that you’re likely to be either taxed or fined, but you’ll never know why.

If you’re one of those expats who thrive on relative chaos, Croatia is your dream destination, but it doesn’t offer dream jobs, corporate ladders or excessive salaries. Given that the cost of living is relatively low, salaries tend to match, although there’s plenty of tourism-oriented work to be had in the summer season and opportunities can still be found in the country’s capital of Zagreb. Outside the capital, there are chances for start-ups with innovative new ideas, and property investment is becoming popular.

One thing to remember is that Croatia is a textbook example of ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’. One way to get this right is to join a political party and go from there, but for those to whom politics is anathema, using social capital can work just as well. From every business to every village, everyone gets by with a little help from their friends. Life may be simpler and slower and include days where nothing makes sense, but in the end it’s all worth it.