Starting a company as a foreigner but co-founding with a local

Member since 06 September 2021

marymccarMember06 September 2021 11:16:02

Hi,聽 I am from Australia and I currently co-own a business with my Croatian BFF (in the USA) but we both live in our home countries. I would like to come and live in Croatia because I really like it there and we are looking at opening a company in Croatia as co-owners as well. We are in the e-commerce space. All the information I see online relates to opening as a foreigner but not co-owning with a local. Anyone has done this and can please advice if the rules are the same even when a local is a co-owner/ founder?

Thanks,
Mary

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sandrasemailbox Member

Member since 28 April 2021

sandrasemailboxMember06 September 2021 16:42:45

Hi Mary -
I don't have an answer for you but maybe a way to look into it from my point of view. I'm a serial entrepreneur and most business formations state which of the principles have what % of the business interest based on shares of company. You would choose that for the registration and formation paperwork. Therefore, you may have some advantages to making the local person the primary business owner, esp for future tax issues and income regulations. This is not the same as how you split investment or share income, so this part is more administration than profit-sharing. I suggest you reach out to a local attorney AND a local accountant for advice, not just in-country but actually in the region/area of the business location for local tax considerations, too. Hope this makes sense and help you investigate! Best success!!

palus70ini Member

Member since 21 October 2021

palus70iniMember28 October 2021 11:37:32

Hi, you can open a company as a co-host also from abroad, the important thing is to have a partner in Croatia.
I am Italian but I live in Croatia and a year ago I opened a new company
with Italian partners they live in Italy.

moepels Member

Member since 06 June 2022

moepelsMember06 June 2022 19:28:17

@palus70ini

There is a huge difference between an EU citizen and a foreign national wanting to live or opening a company in Croatia. Australian citizens fall in the foreign nationals category.

You should familiarise yourself with the requirements as stipulated by the MUP.