An office called the Stato da Mar dealt with Venetian colonies overseas. Although local customs were mostly untouched, officers called Provveditori would be sent to administer individual islands such as Negropont, Crete, and Cyprus, while Castellani would be in charge of the various fortifications (and their garrisons) that dotted the Venetian colonies, insuring safe ports-of-call for her mercantile and military fleets. The central organization of the Stato da Mar, headed by the Provveditore Generale, was located on the island of Corfù.

Cities like Zara or Pola were run as miniature versions of Venice's republic: all the local noble families would be represented in a Major Council, which would vote on local laws proposed by Minor Council a elected from those same leading families. A Rettore appointed from Venice performed the functions of both chief executive and local garrison commander.

A list of the Rectors of Ragusa (which in spite of being the only Dalmatian city to throw off Venetian rule in the 14th century, has the largest body of records) reveals a list of very Venetian-sounding names: Bona, Gondola, Gozze, Menze, and Sorgo. Some leading Croatian families were bilingual; so as an example, the Bona would sometimes be called Bunić, the Gondola Gundulić, and so forth. However, the first language of the ruling class was the now extinct Latin-derived Dalmatian Language, and those in positions of power would be expected to be fluent in Venetian Italian.

The local Croatian-speaking populace wasn't allowed to participate in politics, however neither was the majority of the populace in Venice and on the Venetian mainland. The mantra of the Republic was to keep things running smoothly by keeping the local nobility happy, and this is largely what they did in their colonies.