Contracts and legal coordination in Croatian

What is included for brokerage clients

• Coordination of the preparation of the pre-contract and the sale contract in Croatian, together with the qualified legal professional.
• Standard legal assistance within the agreed transaction scope, at no additional lawyer fee.
• An explanation of the key terms in English: price, payment schedule, deposit, deadlines, what is included in the sale, handover and consequences of delay.
• Making sure the contract matches what was agreed, and that the documents it refers to are in order.
• Coordination of signing with the notary, payment, the registry application and handover.

The exact scope is set out in the written brokerage agreement, which prevails over this summary.

What costs extra

• Certified translation of a contract or documents, and interpreting at signing, when you need them. You are told the cost first.
• Notary fees, court fees and land-registry fees.
• Specialist advice outside the agreed scope, for example complex tax planning, a company structure, or a dispute.
• Technical specialists such as a surveyor, architect or engineer.

How a Croatian property contract is signed

The sale contract is signed by the parties, with their signatures certified by a notary so that it can be used to register the new owner in the land registry. The notary also reports the contract to the Tax Administration for transfer tax purposes. The contract can be signed in person or, with a valid power of attorney, through a representative.

What a good contract reflects

Terms about the property, the payment, deadlines, possession, attachments and signatures should reflect the real transaction. Payment security can be arranged in several ways, for example through a notary or lawyer escrow, and is worth discussing before you sign. No generic template replaces an individual review.