At 21 years old, Daniel Jackson is already president of a country. There is just one problem: he currently can't enter it.

If you follow Free Cities, micronations or alternative governance online, there’s a good chance Verdis has suddenly appeared in your social media feed. Daniel says Verdis-related content has generated more than 200 million views over the past year, much of it following footage of him being chased by Croatian police boats.

Verdis claims a tiny piece of land on the Danube between Croatia and Serbia, close to Liberland. Daniel and his team established a settlement there in 2023 before Croatian authorities removed them. Today Verdis operates what it calls a government in exile, claims around 400 citizens and 5,000 e-residents, issues passports and is attempting to build diplomatic relationships around the world.

But Verdis is not simply another Liberland. Daniel describes himself as a centrist, wants the country to be politically neutral, is cautious about becoming a tax haven and talks repeatedly about keeping Croatia and Serbia comfortable with whatever Verdis becomes. The central problem: declaring sovereignty is one thing, but how do you actually achieve it when the neighbouring states hold all the cards?

In this conversation: terra nullius, international recognition, citizenship, passports, taxation, attracting residents, financing a new country and the diplomatic effort to get back onto the land. And near the end Daniel reveals something unexpected: if Verdis succeeds, adopts a new constitution and holds elections, he says he won’t run. He wants to step down and live there as an ordinary citizen.

Key topics covered

• Why Verdis suddenly appeared all over social media
• Daniel Jackson becoming president at 21
• Verdis versus Liberland
• Claiming one of the world’s last pieces of unclaimed land
• The Croatian blockade
• Being chased by Croatian police boats
• Operating a government in exile
• Can Verdis actually become a recognised country?
• The Croatia-Serbia border dispute
• Terra nullius and the “oldest active claimant”
• 400 citizens and 5,000 e-residents
• How Verdis citizenship works
• What a future Verdis could look like
• Creating a functioning national border
• The Verdis passport
• Can you actually travel with it?
• Why Daniel doesn’t want Verdis to be radically libertarian
• Taxes and attracting residents
• Neutrality and Verdis’s founding values
• Diplomacy and international recognition
• How Verdis funds itself
• What Verdis can offer Croatia
• Why Daniel plans to give up the presidency
• Are new countries having a moment?

Timestamps (Audio version only. Includes Timothy's introduction)

00:30 Introduction

06:17 Start of conversation

09:08 Why start your own country?

12:21 What and where is Verdis?

16:24 Croatian police remove the settlement

18:23 More than 200 million social-media views

22:35 How Verdis differs from Liberland

24:15 Imposter syndrome and international recognition

26:12 How does the border dispute ever get resolved?

32:36 Terra nullius and the claim to Verdis

34:52 400 citizens and 5,000 e-residents

37:12 How e-residency and citizenship work

39:25 Is Verdis trying to build a normal state?

42:24 The Verdis passport

45:13 The uphill battle towards recognition

46:46 What happened during the first settlement?

57:39 How do you attract people to Verdis?

59:09 What are Verdis’s values?

1:03:18 The next steps towards recognition

1:07:02 How does Verdis fund itself?

1:12:02 What can Verdis offer Croatia?

1:13:19 A president who’s never had an election

1:14:09 Why Daniel plans to step down

1:15:55 Are new countries having a moment?

Guest: Daniel Jackson - Verdis website | Verdis on X | Daniel on TikTok | LinkedIn | Instagram

The Free Cities Podcast is the official podcast of the Free Cities Foundation, hosted by Timothy Allen. New episodes every Friday. Long-form, in-person conversations with the builders, investors, residents and thinkers shaping the future of Free Cities, charter cities, special economic zones, network states, private cities and governance innovation worldwide.

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