Building permission timeframes

We’ve had a question from Susan who asks:

“Hi, I’m thinking of buying a plot of land in Croatia to build my own property. How soon after I buy the land can I start building?”

Hi Susan - you can apply for building permission as soon as the land is registered in your name with the Croatian Land Registry. If you’re buying the land as a private individual then the registration can take between 6 and 18 months; if you’re buying the land through a Croatian Limited company then usually you can start within 3 months, everything else being equal.

Once you’re the registered owner of the land, you can apply for the building permit through the local authority, however there is no strict timeline for the approval, it’s very much dependent on the type of property you want to build and to be honest, the efficiency of the local authority. The best option is to ask around in the locality and see if you can get a fix on the timelines from some of the locals. Of course, we’re happy to enquire on your behalf if the land is to be purchased through us!