During a video call, 20-year-old Daniel Jackson presents himself as the president of what he calls the Free Republic of Verdis. He sits at a desk, flanked by his country’s flag and a banner displaying its name.

However, rather than being in a grand presidential office, he is situated in a modest home in Dover, a southern English port city. The so-called Free Republic of Verdis, which he claims to have established in 2019, is merely a narrow piece of unoccupied forest located at the border between Croatia and Serbia, more than 1,000 miles from England.

And yet, because of a historical border dispute, Jackson, who was born in Australia, claims to be the land’s rightful owner and ruler.

This area, referred to as “Pocket 3,” is akin in size to the Vatican. It is one of the several territories left unclaimed by both nations following the conclusion of the Croatian war of independence in 1995.

Jackson now envisions a country that could be a draw for humanitarian aid workers.

Jackson explained, “Verdis began as an idea when I was around 14, and we officially formed the state after I turned 18.” He added, “It started with friends involved in humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, and we aspired to accomplish something bigger than just providing aid to a single country.”

He added, “We want to be a neutral state. We want to be a hub for NGOs. We have a massive humanitarian background.”

Despite these high aspirations, the neighboring countries do not recognize Verdis and may not be welcoming to its would-be citizens.

Jackson recounted that in October 2023, they attempted to establish a settlement, but Croatian authorities swiftly dismantled it, leading to his permanent ban from the country, while the other settlers received three-month bans.

He added, “I’ve been to Verdis a lot of times before Croatian authorities invaded Verdis. We did a lot of cadastral work, a lot of surveying. We planted a flag for the first time earlier that year.”

Jackson was at least partially inspired by Liberland, another unclaimed pocket of land between Croatia and Serbia that in 2015 was turned into a microstate by Czech politician Vít Jedlička.

It is a symbolic state that offers virtual citizenship and an economy based on cryptocurrencies, but it has not been recognized by any official country, and Croatian authorities have blocked physical access to it.

Jackson says that while he shares some principles with Liberland, he wants the Free Republic of Verdis to become an actual settlement whose citizens are driven by noble principles.

“We have the opportunity to test, for example, new systems of governance,” he said. “We can allow citizens to have a bit of a fresh start. So people coming from all over the world that want to try something new basically.”

For now, Verdis only exists on a website where people can apply for citizenship. According to Jackson, 15,000 people have applied so far, and 400 have already been handed over physical passports and IDs. Legitimate or not, Verdisian documents have been used to cross borders.

“There are instances of successful crossings but it’s not something that we will promote unless that country recognizes our documents officially,” Jackson chuckles.

Jackson says he now lives in “exile” in Dover, where he goes to the socializes with friends and plays video games.

Together with his minister of internal affairs and other officials he is planning to attend a protest outside the Croatian embassy in London, according to the Republic of Verdis’ official website.We will also hold a general meet-and-greet at a local cafe or pub after the protest,” the website says.

“While I am the president of Verdis, I still also live like any other 20-year-old,” Jackson said.