Free Republic of Verdis Explained: Location, Flag, Passport and Map

Have you ever dreamed of starting your own country? For most of us, it’s just a wild idea. But for one young man, that dream is something he’s actually trying to turn into reality. Meet Daniel Jackson, who recently declared the creation of the Free Republic of Verdis, which is a self-proclaimed micronation located on unclaimed land between Serbia and Croatia.

The story exploded online after clips of Jackson’s campaign to “found a new country” went viral, sparking debates and curiosity. But what exactly is Verdis? Is it even real? And can you actually visit it? Let’s find out more.

What Is the Free Republic of Verdis?

The Free Republic of Verdis is a self-declared micronation. Jackson claims it exists on a small strip of land along the Danube River, wedged between Serbia and Croatia.

The thing about this land is that it is a legal oddity. This is as a result of the fact that neither Serbia nor Croatia has formally claimed ownership due to long-running border disagreements. Jackson saw this “terra nullius” (unclaimed territory) as an opportunity to create something new. He saw it as the best opportunity to create his own state, which he calls Verdis.

According to him, Verdis would be based on freedom, self-governance, and the dream of independence.

The Flag of Verdis

The design of the Verdis flag is simple but symbolic. The lower blue stripe is meant to stand for the Danube River, the natural boundary that shapes so much of the region’s identity. The white band in the middle represents peace and unity, a reflection of the ideals Verdis says it wants to embody. The upper blue stripe is a nod to the clear skies above, a symbol of hope and the future the founders imagine for their self-declared state.

Who Is Daniel Jackson, the “President” of Verdis?

Daniel Jackson is the young man behind this project. His face and story gained global attention after NBC News covered his attempt. As of the writing of this post, Jackson is only just 20 years old.

When I first heard Jackson speak in an interview, I assumed he was a native English speaker from Britain or the U.S. His accent, composure, and presentation gave him a certain confidence – almost like someone who had been preparing for this moment for a long time. That curiosity pushed me to dig deeper into who he really is.

On a recent video call with NBC, the 20-year-old appeared very much the part of a world leader. He sat at a desk with the flag of Verdis to his right and a banner of the “Government of Verdis” behind him. It looked official at first glance. But instead of a presidential palace in Verdis, he was actually broadcasting from his home in Dover, a port city in southern England.

Jackson, as it turns out, was born in Australia before moving to the UK. He declared himself the founder and president of the Free Republic of Verdis back in 2019. This means that he was only a teenager when he started his journey to build Verdis.

And despite living over 1,000 miles away from the land he hopes to govern, Jackson insists Verdis is real. He talks about citizenship, governance, and even international recognition. To him, this is nothing short of serious business.

The Origins of Verdis

One thing that really stood out to me when learning more about Jackson was how young he was when the idea first came to him. According to him, the concept of Verdis wasn’t something that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He first dreamed about it when he was at the young age of 14. At that stage, it was nothing more than a wild idea, something he toyed with in conversation.

But that idea never completely disappeared. A few years later, after he turned 18, Jackson said he finally made the decision to bring it to life. What makes it even more interesting is that Verdis grew out of his connection to people who had been involved in humanitarian work in Ukraine. Being surrounded by those kinds of efforts seems to have inspired him to think about something “bigger” than simply providing aid to a single country.

In his mind, creating Verdis was a way to channel that same spirit of helping into something far larger and more permanent.

Verdis Goes Online: Website and Instagram

For a project that many people see as far-fetched, Verdis has made an effort to appear official on the internet. Beyond its website at verdisgov.org, the self-declared country also runs an Instagram account under the handle @verdisgov.

What makes this even more surprising is that, as of now, the account has just one post, yet it has already attracted close to 100,000 followers. That lone post features someone holding a passport labeled Free Republic of Verdis Diplomatic Passport, with the bold caption: “We created a country”.

It is a clever use of social media. Even with almost no content, the account has managed to spark huge curiosity.

The Challenges

In his NBC News interview, Jackson revealed that he and a group of hardcore supporters performed cadastral work to mark out the land and even went as far as planting the Verdis flag there. However, in October 2023, chaos erupted when they confronted by the Croatian authorities as they began building a small settlement on the land. According to him, within days of them embarking on this, the Croatian authorities swiftly interrupted their activities and proceeded to destroy the little settlement they had built. Owing to his actions on the land, Jackson said he was handed a permanent ban from Croatia. As for his supporters, he revealed that they received three months ban each.

According to the official website of the President of Verdis, the Croatian authorities violated international law when they entered Verdis to destroy property and detain President Jackson and a number of Verdisians.

Map of Verdis: Where the Self-Declared Country Really Is

One of the most confusing parts of the Verdis story is its geography. On maps of the Croatia-Serbia border along the Danube, you will see a number of disputed pockets of land highlighted in yellow. These exist because Croatia and Serbia disagree on where the true border should run. Croatia insists on following old cadastral maps, while Serbia argues the river itself should mark the boundary. The result is a patchwork of leftover land, with some areas claimed by both sides and others left in a kind of legal limbo.

Verdis specifically lays its claim to a tiny area known as Siga, shown as a small green patch on border dispute maps. Siga sits just south of the town of Batina on the Croatian side, directly across the river from Bezdan and not far from Sombor in Serbia. It is an odd triangular-shaped piece of land that neither Croatia nor Serbia has formally taken responsibility for, making it a symbolic choice for someone attempting to declare a new micronation.

In simple terms, if you look at a map of this disputed zone below, Verdis equals Siga. It is a strip of uninhabited forest wedged between the Danube River and two nations that both reject the idea of anyone else claiming it as their own.

 

To put its size into perspective, the territory Verdis claims is just 0.5 km², making it more than 600 times smaller than Malta, which is already one of Europe’s tiniest nations.

Why Is the Land “Unclaimed”?

The story of Verdis really begins with history and shifting borders. The stretch of land along the Danube River has been a point of disagreement between Serbia and Croatia for decades. When the borders of the former Yugoslavia were drawn, they relied on old cadastral maps. Over time the Danube changed its course, creating mismatches between the river’s natural flow and the original lines on paper.

Because of this, the two countries have different interpretations of where the border should run. Croatia insists that the cadastral lines are the legitimate boundary, while Serbia argues that the river itself should serve as the dividing line. That disagreement has left behind a handful of awkward patches of land that sit in a sort of legal limbo.

Neither government wants to concede ground, but at the same time, neither wants to formally accept responsibility for these areas. As a result, you end up with small strips of unclaimed land, often forested and uninhabited, with no clear legal owner.

One of the most famous examples is Liberland, declared in 2015 by a Czech activist who tried to establish a micronation on a similar plot nearby. Verdis is essentially another attempt to use this gray zone (these “no man’s land” pockets) as the foundation for a brand-new country.

Has Verdis Been Recognized as a Real Country?

Here’s the reality: No, Verdis is not recognized.

To be a recognized state, you typically need recognition from the United Nations and neighboring governments. And of course neither Serbia nor Croatia acknowledges Verdis as legitimate. In fact, Croatian authorities have reportedly tried to prevent any settlement on the land.

Verdis remains what experts call a micronation, which is just a symbolic state declared by individuals without any legal recognition.

Can You Visit Verdis?

The idea of visiting a “new country” sounds tempting, but here’s the truth:

• There’s no infrastructure nor border post. Also, there’s no visa system.
• The land is essentially wilderness.
• Attempting to reach it may lead to trouble with border police, especially on the Croatian side.

For travelers, the safer option is to visit the nearby towns and cities in Serbia and Croatia, such as Osijek, Vukovar, or Novi Sad, which sit along the Danube and offer plenty of history, culture, and stunning landscapes.

Verdis Isn’t Alone in the World of Micronations

Verdis is not the first attempt at creating a brand-new country out of disputed or unusual territory. The idea of declaring independence has fascinated people for decades, and history is filled with examples of individuals and communities who tried to carve out their own nations, often with surprising results.

Take Liberland, for example, which was declared in 2015 on another patch of unclaimed land between Croatia and Serbia. Its founder, Vit Jedlička, still issues symbolic passports and has attracted thousands of “citizens” online, even though the territory itself remains largely inaccessible.

Then there is Sealand, perhaps the most famous micronation in the world. It began life as a World War II sea fortress in the North Sea, before being taken over in the 1960s and declared independent by a British family. To this day, Sealand claims to be the world’s smallest country, even though no government officially recognizes it.

On the other side of the globe, Hutt River Province (later known as the Principality of Hutt River) in Western Australia was a farmer’s protest turned full-blown micronation. Declared independent in 1970, it issued its own currency and stamps for decades before finally being dissolved in 2020 after 50 years of existence.

And in the heart of Copenhagen, Christiania stands out as a semi-autonomous neighborhood rather than a full country. Founded in 1971 by squatters and activists, Christiania is known for its alternative lifestyle, colorful street art, and a unique sense of self-rule. It continues to attract curious travelers to this day.

Seen in this context, Verdis is simply the newest chapter in the long and often quirky story of micronations.

Micronation Timeline: Key Examples Around the World

1970 – Hutt River Province (Australia)
A farmer declared independence from Australia over a tax dispute. It lasted 50 years before dissolving in 2020.

1967 – Sealand (United Kingdom)
A family took over an abandoned World War II sea fortress in the North Sea and declared it a country. Sealand still claims independence today.

1971 – Christiania (Denmark)
A group of squatters and activists occupied military land in Copenhagen, turning it into a semi-autonomous neighborhood with its own rules and culture.

2015 – Liberland (Croatia/Serbia)
Vit Jedlička founded Liberland on disputed land along the Danube River. Though mostly symbolic, it attracted global attention and thousands of online “citizens”.

2019 – Verdis (Croatia/Serbia)
Daniel Jackson declared the Free Republic of Verdis on another piece of unclaimed land along the Serbia-Croatia border, making it one of the newest micronation attempts.

Why I Think Verdis Can’t Really Become a Country

From everything I’ve learned, the biggest obstacle facing Verdis is its location. Daniel Jackson declared it on a small patch of land along the Danube River, right where the countries Croatia and Serbia meet. At first glance it sounds like “free land”, but in reality it is not.

Here is the issue: the original border was drawn using old maps, but like I said earlier over time the Danube River significantly shifted its course. Croatia argues the border should still follow those historic cadastral lines. Serbia, on the other hand, insists the river itself should mark the boundary. This disagreement left behind odd scraps of land, pieces that neither side fully governs but that both still see as theirs.

Verdis stepped into this gray area by calling one of those patches terra nullius, meaning “no man’s land”, and declaring independence. But the reality is that neither Serbia nor Croatia is willing to just let it go like that, even if they disagree on which side it belongs to. They might not be fighting over it day to day, but they certainly will not accept an outsider planting a flag there.

And even if the border debate did not exist, there is another hurdle. For a country to be recognized internationally, it needs acknowledgment from other states or global bodies like the UN. Verdis has received none of that. Without recognition, and with two powerful neighbors unwilling to allow it, there is no realistic path for Verdis to move from “micronation” status to an actual sovereign state.

FAQs About the Free Republic of Verdis

Is Verdis a real country?

No. It is not recognized by the UN, Serbia, or Croatia. At this stage, it is considered a micronation rather than a sovereign state.

Where is the Free Republic of Verdis?

It is located on a small strip of unclaimed land along the Danube River between Serbia and Croatia, created by a long-standing border dispute.

Who is the president of the Free Republic of Verdis?

As of 2025, the self-proclaimed president is Daniel Jackson, a 20-year-old who declared the country in 2019.

What is the population of Verdis?

There are currently no permanent residents living on the land. While Verdis claims to have supporters online, the territory itself is uninhabited forest.

Can I move to Verdis?

Not legally. The land is unrecognized, and anyone attempting to settle there risks being stopped by Croatian or Serbian border authorities.

Is Verdis the same as Liberland?

No. Liberland is a separate micronation founded in 2015 on nearby disputed land. Verdis is a different project, though both are located along the same stretch of the Danube.

Can you visit Verdis?

Not officially. The land has no infrastructure, no border crossing, and no legal recognition. Tourists can, however, explore nearby towns in Croatia and Serbia to see the general area.

Does Verdis issue passports?

At this stage, Verdis only really exists online, with an application process for people interested in becoming “citizens”. President Jackson claims that more than 15,000 people have applied as of August 2025, and that around 400 individuals have already received physical passports and IDs. Whether the documents carry any real legal weight is another matter entirely, but what is surprising is that some Verdis passports have reportedly been used at actual border crossings.

Can you apply for Verdis citizenship?

There are mentions of Verdis offering online citizenship, but this is symbolic only. It does not grant you legal rights, residency, or recognition anywhere.

What is the map of Verdis?

Maps show Verdis as a thin strip of uninhabited land along the Danube River, near the Serbia–Croatia border. It is one of several small disputed patches in that region.