Buyer's due diligence checklist for Croatia
Buyer's due diligence checklistProvjere prije kupnje nekretnine
The documents and checks a buyer of a home in Croatia should complete before paying earnest money: the land register and cadastre, the seller's title and capacity, building legality, the energy certificate, building charges, occupants, foreign buyer consent and taxes.
Use it from the first visit until you sign the preliminary contract, and check the land register again on the day you sign the sale contract. A notary who only certifies signatures checks identity, not the property. Ask a lawyer if you want a full title check.
Reviewed October 28, 2026. Not legal advice. Have a notary or lawyer check your case before you sign.
Key facts
- Applies to
- Whole country
- Land register sheets
- A: property description. B: owners. C: charges such as mortgages and easements (ZZK art. 20).
- Registration of ownership
- Needs public deeds or private deeds with notarially certified signatures (ZZK art. 57).
- Notice of intended sale
- Reserves land register priority for 1 year from entry (ZZK art. 77 and 79).
- Energy certificate
- Valid 10 years. The seller must show it to a prospective buyer and hand over a copy (ZEUZ art. 13(4) and 14(2)).
- Transfer tax
- 3% of the market value, paid by the buyer within 15 days of the tax decision (ZPPN art. 12 and 26).
- VAT instead of transfer tax
- 25% if a VAT-registered seller sells a new building, one within 2 years of first use, or building land (Tax Administration guidance).
- Annual property tax
- EUR 0.60 to 8.00 per m², set by the municipality. Not due on a permanent home or one let 10 months a year or more (ZLP art. 26 and 27).
- Minimum reserve fund
- 0.54% of the benchmark construction price per m² of the flat per year (ZUOZ art. 29(3)).
- Buyer from outside EU, EEA, Switzerland
- Needs the minister's consent. After a refusal, a new request for the same property waits 5 years (ZV art. 356 and 357).
- Change of owner
- The new owner must inform the co-owners' representative within 30 days (ZUOZ art. 41(1)).
The checklist
Land register and cadastre
Full land register extract, printed on the day of signing and again on the day of paymentZemljišnoknjižni izvadak
Check for a plomba on the extractPlomba
A plomba shows that an application to change the entry is pending. A new owner or charge may be registered ahead of you.
Cadastral data and plan of the parcelPosjedovni list, kopija katastarskog plana
For a flat, check that it is registered as a separate unit with its own sub-folioEtažno vlasništvo, poduložak
Without condominium registration the buyer gets a co-ownership share of the whole building, not a defined flat.
Ask the seller to request a notice of intended saleZabilježba prvenstvenog reda (namjeravanog otuđenja)
Seller, title and capacity
Seller's identity document and OIBOsobna iskaznica ili putovnica, OIB
The registration document must name every party with their OIB. The notary checks identity at signature.
The deed by which the seller acquired the propertyIsprava o stjecanju (ugovor, rješenje o nasljeđivanju)
It shows the chain of title. A seller who is not the registered owner must prove an unbroken chain of acquisitions from that owner.
Signatures of every registered co-owner
A sale of the whole property needs every co-owner. One co-owner alone can sell only his or her share.
Power of attorney, if someone signs for the sellerPunomoć s ovjerenim potpisom
For a company seller, an extract from the court registerIzvadak iz sudskog registra
It shows that the company exists and who may sign for it.
Building legality and energy
Use permit, or a legalisation decision for a building built without oneUporabna dozvola, rješenje o izvedenom stanju
It shows the building may lawfully be used. Banks ask for it before they lend.
Building permit and main design for a recent buildingGrađevinska dozvola, glavni projekt
Energy certificateEnergetski certifikat
Building charges and running costs
Confirmation from the building manager that no reserve fund contributions are owedPotvrda upravitelja o podmirenoj zajedničkoj pričuvi
Co-owners' agreement and the latest annual maintenance programmeMeđuvlasnički ugovor, godišnji program održavanja
For tourist or other short lets, written consent of two thirds of the co-ownersSuglasnost suvlasnika za kratkoročni najam
For short lets, written consent of every owner whose flat shares a wall, floor or ceiling with itSuglasnost suvlasnika za kratkoročni najam
Latest utility bills and proof of paymentRačuni za struju, vodu, plin, grijanje, odvoz otpada
They show running costs and that no debts remain at handover.
Municipal property tax statusPorez na nekretnine
A home that is neither your permanent home nor let for 10 months a year pays an annual tax per m².
Occupants and leases
Any lease in force, with its term and rentUgovor o najmu
Who is registered as living at the address
Occupants who are not on any contract may need to be moved out before handover.
Buyer status and taxes
Consent of the justice minister, unless you are a national of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or SwitzerlandSuglasnost ministra za stjecanje prava vlasništva
Without it, the purchase is void. Agricultural land follows a special law.
Swiss national: proof of registered temporary residence in CroatiaSuglasnost ministra za stjecanje prava vlasništva
Whether the sale bears transfer tax or VATPorez na promet nekretnina / PDV
Budget for notary, land register and agent costs
The buyer usually pays certification and registration costs. Agree the agent's fee in writing before you visit.
Formalities
A due diligence list is a checklist by nature. Croatian law sets no standard due diligence form.
- You do not sign this checklist. Keep copies of every document you check.
- Print a fresh land register extract on the day you pay any money.
- A person who relies in good faith on the land register is protected.
- That protection covers only what the register shows and applications already lodged (shown by a plomba).
- Documents for registration must give the OIB of every party and must be typed or printed.
Common mistakes
- Relying on an old or partial land register extract. Print a full extract on the day you pay, and look for a plomba, which shows a pending application.
- Assuming the cadastre and the land register agree. Compare the parcel number, area and building in both before you sign.
- Buying a flat that is not registered as a separate unit (etažno vlasništvo). You may acquire only an undivided share of the building.
- Ignoring building legality. A building without a use permit or a legalisation decision can block a loan and a later sale.
- Forgetting the tenants. A buyer takes over an existing lease and cannot end it before its term.
- Paying earnest money as a buyer from outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland without a written promise that it comes back if the minister refuses consent.
Legal basis
- Zakon o zemljišnim knjigama (NN 63/19, 128/22, 155/23, 127/24), art. 8 (protection of trust in the land register), art. 20 (sheets A, B and C), art. 46 (chain of off-register acquisitions), art. 49 (form of documents), art. 58 (power of attorney) and 57 to 59 (documents for registration), art. 77 to 80 (notice of priority), art. 108 (plomba)
- Zakon o vlasništvu i drugim stvarnim pravima (NN 91/96 ... 94/17, 52/25), art. 354 to 358.a (purchases by foreigners)
- Zakon o energetskoj učinkovitosti u zgradarstvu (NN 155/25), in force from 1 January 2026, art. 13 and 14 (energy certificate)
- Zakon o porezu na promet nekretnina (NN 115/16, 106/18), art. 5, 6, 12, 18, 19 and 26 (transfer tax)
- Zakon o lokalnim porezima (NN 115/16, 101/17, 114/22, 114/23, 152/24), art. 25 to 27 (property tax)
- Zakon o upravljanju i održavanju zgrada (NN 152/24, correction NN 47/26), in force from 1 January 2025, art. 28 and 29 (reserve fund), art. 34 (short-term letting consent), art. 41 (co-owner duties)
- Zakon o obveznim odnosima (NN 35/05, 41/08, 125/11, 78/15, 29/18, 126/21, 114/22, 156/22, 155/23, 69/26), art. 570 to 573 (sale of let property)