In a world where nearly every piece of land belongs to a recognised state, a 20-year-old claims he has found one that doesn’t.
Daniel Jackson, a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Australia, has declared himself the first “Gen Z president” of the Free Republic of Verdis.
The micronation is based on a small patch of land along the Danube River between Serbia and Croatia that Jackson argues qualifies as Terra nullius.
Ironically, the self-declared president cannot even enter the territory he claims to rule. After trying to settle there in 2023, he says Croatian authorities removed him and issued a lifetime ban, forcing him to run the project from abroad.
A border dispute that created “unclaimed” land
The claim centres on a long-running disagreement about the border along the Danube.
Historically, the boundary between Serbia and Croatia followed the river’s path. But the river has shifted over time, creating small pockets of land that both countries interpret differently.
- Croatia argues the border should follow historic cadastral maps.
- Serbia believes the border should follow the river’s central channel.
Because of this difference, several small areas fall outside both countries’ claims.
One of those areas—known as Pocket 3—is the sandy, forested strip Jackson says belongs to Verdis.
Another nearby parcel called Gornja Siga is already claimed by another micronation, Liberland, established by Czech politician Vit Jedlička.
Jackson argues that because neither Serbia nor Croatia formally claims his chosen territory, it can legally be occupied by a new state.
A teenager’s nation-building experiment
The idea for Verdis began when Jackson was still a teenager.
Born in Australia and raised in Melbourne, he attended Waverley Christian College. At just 14 years old, he and a group of friends started exploring maps online in search of unusual geographic anomalies.
Eventually they discovered the disputed land along the Danube.
The group named their proposed country Verdis, derived from the Latin word viridis, meaning green, reflecting an environmental focus.
The territory itself is tiny—about 124 acres (roughly 0.5 square kilometres)—just slightly larger than Vatican City.
Building a country online
Jackson formally declared the Free Republic of Verdis in 2019, after supporters elected him president.
Since then, the group has tried to replicate the institutions of a real country:
- A flag with blue and white stripes
- A coat of arms featuring a white stork, oak trees and the Danube
- A constitution and basic laws
- Volunteer government ministers and ambassadors
- Passports and identity cards (not internationally recognised)
Offices were even established in the United Kingdom and Serbia, run by volunteers helping manage the project.
A digital nation with thousands of supporters
Most of Verdis’ growth has occurred online.
Jackson says around 3,000 people have applied to become citizens, many through an e-Residency programme designed for remote participation.
To apply for citizenship, supporters must:
- Purchase an e-Resident Plus plan costing €50 per year
- Remain active in the community for at least 11 months
- Obtain backing from existing citizens or pass a background check
- Pay a €300 application fee
- Commit to potentially relocating to Verdis in the future
Applicants who contribute significantly to the project can also receive fast-tracked citizenship.
The failed settlement attempt
For several years the micronation existed mostly online.
In October 2023, Jackson and several supporters attempted to physically settle the land. They travelled along the Danube, planted their flag and began what they called the “settlement phase”.
The effort lasted less than a day.
According to Jackson, Croatian police arrived the next morning, dismantled the camp and detained the group for questioning.
The settlers were reportedly held for about 12 hours before being deported. Most received three-month bans from Croatia, but Jackson and his vice-president Hector Bowles were issued lifetime bans, with authorities describing them as potential security threats.
Croatia rejects the claim
The Croatian government has firmly rejected the idea that the territory is unclaimed.
In a statement, Croatia’s foreign ministry described Verdis and Liberland as “provocative actions without any basis in law.”
Officials argue that a disputed border does not automatically create terra nullius, meaning the land cannot legally be occupied by a third party.
They also emphasised that Croatia is responsible for protecting its external border within the Schengen Area.
A “country” run from exile
Today Jackson operates Verdis from Dover, effectively running the project in exile.
He works remotely as a freelance developer on the gaming platform Roblox, while organising Verdis’ activities online.
Funding for the project comes from:
- Donations and merchandise
- Citizenship-by-investment programmes
- Cryptocurrency contributions linked to a digital token called $Verdis
A modern micronation experiment
Whether Verdis ever becomes a physical state remains highly uncertain.
International law, diplomatic recognition and control over territory are major hurdles that most micronations fail to overcome.
But the project highlights how digital communities, social media and younger generations are experimenting with new ideas of citizenship and governance.
For now, Verdis exists mostly online—but its 20-year-old founder continues to promote it as the world’s first “Gen Z nation.”
