Few people can claim they founded a country before finishing secondary school. Fewer still can say that the country now has hundreds of citizens, a digital government-in-exile and an ongoing standoff with a European state. Yet that is exactly the situation facing Daniel Jackson, the young Australian digital designer and entrepreneur behind the Free Republic of Verdis.
Few people can claim they founded a country before finishing secondary school. Fewer still can say that the country now has hundreds of citizens, a digital government-in-exile and an ongoing standoff with a European state. Yet that is exactly the situation facing Daniel Jackson, the young Australian digital designer and entrepreneur behind the Free Republic of Verdis. The University Observer spoke to Daniel about the trials and tribulations of starting your own country.
Founded in 2019, Verdis is a self-proclaimed micronation located on a small, disputed strip of land along the Danube River between Croatia and Serbia. The territory, known locally as Gornja Siga, is claimed by neither state and is often described as terra nullius. On paper, it is about half a square kilometre. At the moment, Verdis exists mostly online, operating as what Jackson calls a “government in exile” after Croatian authorities dismantled attempted settlements and barred him from entering the area.
Jackson’s story begins in 2019, when Verdis was more a concept than a country. “To me, this is a very complicated answer as it was merely just an idea in 2019, after taking inspiration from Liberland up north,” he explains. At the time, the project was rooted in environmentalism. But when Verdis was formally restructured in 2023, the vision widened. “We became a much bigger tent, with a focus on humanitarian needs and neutrality.”
That shift in ambition coincided with escalating tensions on the ground. According to Jackson, Croatian authorities moved decisively against Verdis’ settlement attempts in October 2023. He claims the state “violated international law by entering Verdis and destroying our permanent settlement on the 12 October 2023.” While Zagreb disputes this interpretation, the crackdown forced Verdis to retreat fully into the digital realm, where its administration now operates between Dover and Belgrade.
Despite this, Jackson remains defiantly optimistic about the micronation’s future. “I believe it looks bright. However, with the blockade imposed by Croatia, I think it’s unpredictable when we will be back on the land. It could be tomorrow, or in 10 years,” he says. “Either way, we believe it’s a matter of when we’ll be back on the land, not if. And we are in it for the long run.”
That long-term vision is strikingly state-like in its ambition. Jackson says he wants Verdis to evolve into “a fully developed state with a newly elected government. One that cares for its citizens and can be a leader in mediation and neutrality.” In practice, Verdis already mirrors aspects of modern governance. It offers an e-Residency programme, similar to Estonia’s model, allowing people to register digitally with the state. After 11 months of e-Residency, applicants can apply for citizenship. Other routes include invitation through involvement in Verdis’ projects or citizenship by investment.
Jackson says he wants Verdis to evolve into “a fully developed state with a newly elected government. One that cares for its citizens and can be a leader in mediation and neutrality.”
Why would someone apply for citizenship of Verdis? Jackson argues the appeal is both ideological and symbolic. “I think there’s many different reasons as to why people want to apply for citizenship in Verdis. It could be that they want to start a new life, agree with Verdis’ values or even just want to make history,” he says. He adds that Verdis aims to enshrine social rights at the core of its identity: “We want Verdis to be a country that cares for its citizens, and considers certain essentials such as healthcare as a basic human right.”
Currently, Verdis claims around 400 citizens worldwide. Its official languages are English, Croatian and Serbian and it has experimented with cryptocurrency for aspects of its digital economy. None of this is recognised by the international community, but that has not stopped Jackson from lobbying for legitimacy.
Ireland, he believes, could play a role. “I’d love to see Ireland spread more awareness about Verdis, and for the Irish government to consider recognising Verdis in the future. We need all the help we can get as creating a country isn’t as simple as 123.”
There is something uniquely Gen Z about the Verdis project. It blends digital governance, social justice language, crypto economics and online community-building into a political experiment that feels like a hybrid between a startup and a state. Jackson founded Verdis at just 14 years old. Now, still in his early twenties, he is effectively running a borderless nation-in-waiting.
Whether Verdis ever becomes a recognised state remains to be decided, but as a political statement, a digital community and a symbol of how younger generations are reimagining power and sovereignty, it is undeniably fascinating.
In an era where most students struggle to organise group projects, Daniel Jackson tried to build a country. That alone earns him the unofficial title of the internet’s George Washington.