How to Find Real Estate and Land Register Information in Croatia

The real estate registration system in Croatia consists of two registers: the cadastre (in which real estate is registered according to technical data), and the land registry (where these data are supplemented by information on real estate rights). These two registers are united in a single database, the Common Information System of Land Registry and Cadastre (“ZIS”), available online at the domain https://oss.uredjenazemlja.hr/. The service is available in Croatian and English.

The ZIS web application enables a One-Stop-Shop (OSS) which consolidates data entry, initial data filling, data maintenance, data access and land administration data printouts. The application has two components:

• OSS public – available to all users (non-registered) allowing searching and viewing basic cadastral analog and graphic data,
• OSS private – available only to registered users, allowing viewing data, submitting applications for issuing public documents, and receiving official documents online.

Since February 2023, all submissions for entry in the land registry have to be submitted electronically by ZIS, via a notary public or an attorney-at-law who creates the document representing the legal basis for the entry. Furthermore, ZIS enables citizens obtaining certain public documents (such as land registry excerpts, a certificate of house number, or a list of all real estate owned by that citizen) directly from ZIS. In order to do so, citizens have to log-in to the system by using their electronic personal identifier (for example their e-ID or m-banking certificate), but making an account is not needed. On the other hand, citizens may still request insight into certain data from cadastre and land registry personally at the counter of the competent court.

Searching the data on ZIS may be performed by zooming in on the map of Croatia, available immediately upon opening the application. It may also be done by writing the query in the searchbox, whereby the system automatically suggests all entries containing the query. The recognized queries include the names or numbers of land registry plots, cadastral municipalities and plots, addresses, streets, towns and cities, land registry court departments, cadastral offices, etc. Certain limitations may apply in certain cases (primarily where the competent land registry is not fully digitalized), whereby it may be necessary to enter more information into the search boy (e.g. not just the land plot number, but also the competent land registry court, the name of the main land registry book and the number of the sub-unit).

All property information from the land registry and cadastre is publicly available and may be accessed online in the ZIS web application, without logging-in or an identification certificate. Issuance of digitally certified public documents containing this information may be obtained online through ZIS, but only after logging in with a valid personal ID certificate (for example e-ID or m-banking certificate). Such certified documents bear the same legal force as judicial documents and may be used accordingly. Citizens may in this manner request and download the following documents:

• copy of the cadastral plan,
• extract/transcript from the possession sheet,
• Land Registry excerpt (i.e. the digitalized and combined data from the cadastre and the land registry).

There are no restrictions on information that may be obtained from the land registry or cadastre. Also, ZIS offers a service of creating a list of all real property owned by a certain person (through searching by the person’s PIN), but the list is available only to the person in question after logging in with their ID certificate.

Property related documents that are publicly available are: extract/transcript from the possession sheet, Land Registry excerpt and digital copy of the cadastral plan.

An excerpt from the possession sheet is a document that contains information about a specific cadastral parcel and its current user or possessor. This document includes identification details of the user, cadastral parcel number, manner of use, parcel area, and a description of the structures located on it.

An excerpt from the land register shows the factual and legal condition of the real estate at the time of issuing the excerpt and it is the only proof of ownership of a real estate.

A copy of the cadastral plan is a public document proving that the cadastral parcel is shown on the cadastral plan. On the cadastral plan, the cadastral parcels are shown so that their boundaries, the buildings built on them, and the numbers of the cadastral parcels can be seen.

Above mentioned documents can be accessed on domain https://oss.uredjenazemlja.hr/ as unofficial transcript (non-binding), unless obtained by lawyer, public notary, or by using e-Citizen ID

The unofficial copies of the aforementioned documentation can be obtained free of charge while fees up to ca. EUR 30.00 apply for obtaining official documents through a notary public.

Information regarding the use and purpose of space – such as infrastructure, production & commercial, residential, combined use and public and communal, can be found in spatial plans. The Physical Planning Information System (PPIS) is an application of the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets that, via the geoportal, enables citizens simple access to spatial plans and other information on space use. The site can be found at: https://ispu.mgipu.hr/#/

Information about litigation can be found through Land registry excerpt. When there is an ongoing procedure regarding property rights before a court or other competent authority, the outcome of which could affect that right, a notation ("zabilježba") can be made in the Land registry excerpt. The notation provides information about the Court / other competent authority before which the case is being heard and case ID number.