I'm Sophia. I moved to Zagreb on diaspora roots, and I learned all of this the hard way.

The short version

My family left Croatia for the United States around 1913. A century later I came back the other way: I moved from San Diego to Zagreb in May 2025, with my French Bulldog in the cabin, and filed my own citizenship-by-descent paperwork. I got stuck more than once, lost weeks at the wrong counter with the wrong paper, and eventually hired a lawyer to get it over the line.

Croatia Uncomplicated started as the notes I kept so I wouldn't make the same mistake twice. It's now a set of guides and workbooks, and two services where I do the work with you or for you.

How I work

• From experience, on the ground. I live in Zagreb. I write from the queue at MUP, not from a forum.
• Checked against official sources. Every fee, deadline and form is checked against the Croatian or EU source, and the sources are listed in each workbook. When rules change, I update.
• Plain language. No hype, no "just hire a lawyer". The steps, in order, with the words you'll hear at the window.
• Not a lawyer. Croatia Uncomplicated shares educational content based on personal experience. It isn't legal or immigration advice, and I'll tell you when a situation needs a professional.

What I make

• The Complete Guide: Croatian Citizenship by Descent, with addendums for Canada, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Chile
• Finding Your Croatian Ancestors, the genealogy workbook, starting with the free resources I used to find mine
• First 90 Days in Croatia and the Digital Nomad Visa Workbook
• Bringing Your Dog, or Cat, to Croatia, with six country addendums
• A 30-minute consult, and Boots on the Ground, in-person records research in Croatia

Not sure which? Take the two-minute quiz.