Support for island employers: jobs held in 2025 count for the 20 October deadline

Looking back at existing island jobs

A workshop, small business or self-employed activity on an island has to sustain more than the summer weeks. Retaining such jobs is precisely the aim of the new support call from Croatia's Ministry of Regional Development. Applications can be made until 20 October 2026 at 24:00; however, the relevant employment period is 1 January to 31 December 2025.

This is not a general grant for a newly planned hire. Under the call's conditions, eligible applicants include employers operating on inhabited islands or Pelješac, and certain self-employed people. Employees must have their permanent residence there, known in Croatian as prebivalište, and must have worked continuously for the same employer for at least six months in the reference year.

1,179 euros is the base, not a promise

The calculation starts with 1,179 euros, the average monthly net wage on the islands for 2025 used in the call. This base is multiplied by the number of eligible workers, an industry factor and a location factor. Each of the two factors is either 100 or 50 percent.

The applicable level follows from the activity code and official list of areas. Mining, manufacturing, energy supply, construction, firefighting, and health and social activities receive the higher industry factor; other permitted activities receive the lower one. Education expressly belongs to the 50-percent group. Not every island automatically receives the higher location factor.

A purely illustrative calculation: if both factors are 50 percent for one eligible person, the initial result is 294.75 euros. This is not an individual grant approval. If the available budget cannot cover all eligible applications, the call provides for a correction factor.

Small businesses must check the exclusions too

Limits include the de minimis rules, generally allowing no more than 300,000 euros over three years for a single undertaking. Linked businesses must also be taken into account. Primary agriculture and primary fishing and aquaculture are excluded; for hotels, the call contains a specific exclusion for joint-stock companies. Merely proving an island location is therefore not enough.

For self-employed applicants, the activity must be their sole and main professional occupation, and its income must be their main source of income. According to the FAQ, a loss in the reference year does not automatically rule them out; the specified income-tax documents are then particularly important. Anyone with several activities or linked companies should check their circumstances against the full call.

Keep Excel files editable and include all supporting documents

Applications must be submitted exclusively by email to otocni-poslodavci@mrrfeu.hr. The ministry specifies PRIJAVA_OIB_NAZIV POSLODAVCA as the subject line — application, the applicant's personal identification number and the employer's name. Forms 1 and 2 must be attached as editable Excel files, not replaced by printed and rescanned copies.

Other supporting documents are submitted as scans. Depending on the application, these include registration and activity evidence, a tax authority certificate, employees' residence evidence and payroll documents for 2025. Declarations on eligibility, de minimis aid and linked undertakings are also required. According to the FAQ, Form 5 must be submitted even if there are no linked undertakings.

The complete forms and precise document list are available on the ministry page linked below. Our summary replaces neither that list nor an assessment of an individual case. For questions, the call specifies a written enquiry no later than three days before the application deadline.

Check the paperwork now, not on the final evening

In practice, preparation starts with three questions: was the job occupied for long enough in 2025? Is the required permanent residence documented? Do the activity, applicant and submitted evidence match? Only then is it useful to discuss the possible amount.

A short internal list assigning responsibility and identifying missing documents is more useful than a rough grant estimate. The tax certificate, employment evidence and forms should be checked together before sending. This leaves time to resolve inconsistencies before the deadline.