Moving back to Croatia: what the state pays and what we learned

On Friday 30 October 2026, Croatia's Minister of Demography and Immigration, Ivan Šipić, presents the government's return programmes in Munich. The talk and discussion is titled "Croats outside the Republic of Croatia as demographic potential" and starts at 19:15 in the Great Hall of the Croatian Catholic Parish Munich at Schwanthalerstraße 96. The parish, the Academic Circle and the Croatian Consulate General in Munich are hosting it, HRT Glas Hrvatske reports.

The evening is aimed at Croatians in Germany, Austria and Switzerland who are thinking about moving back. So that you arrive prepared, we pulled together the programmes with amounts and conditions from the ministries, the Tax Administration and the employment service HZZ. In the second part we report what we have experienced ourselves since March 2026 while building a company in Zagreb.

The 2026 programmes at a glance

The biggest benefit is a tax one: returnees who take a job in Croatia are exempt from income tax on their wages for five years. On top of that, the HZZ pays grants to people who become self-employed, and Zagreb runs its own start-up programme. All figures as of 27 October 2026.

Two conditions decide most cases. The tax exemption requires that your departure from Croatia was registered with the Interior Ministry, or that you never had a registered address in Croatia, and it covers wages from employment. For Biram Hrvatsku, returnees move their residence to Croatia after 1 January 2025 and register as unemployed with the HZZ before starting the business; both HZZ grants can be combined, and Biram Hrvatsku is paid once per person. Details are on the HZZ pages for Biram Hrvatsku and the self-employment grant and at the Tax Administration.

Descendants of emigrants without a Croatian passport can settle their residence with a certificate from the Ministry of Demography and Immigration: it grants temporary residence for up to two years, extendable, with permanent residence possible after three years, and the ministry lists Biram Hrvatsku as open to this group too. The ministry also awards scholarships for Croatian language courses in Croatia.

Guarantor and blank promissory note: no €7,000 without a guarantor in Croatia

One condition sits in the security section of the rules and is easy to miss: the HZZ only pays Biram Hrvatsku and the self-employment grant against a bjanko zadužnica, a blank promissory note certified by a notary. It must reach the HZZ no later than 8 days after the grant contract is signed and be issued for a higher amount than the grant; the recipient pays the notary fee. If the conditions are broken, for example because the business closes before 24 months are up, the HZZ may cash the note without separate notice. This is set out in the Biram Hrvatsku conditions and in the model contract for the self-employment grant.

Besides the recipient, at least one guarantor (jamac platac) signs the note. Under the HZZ's 2026 conditions the guarantor must be a Croatian citizen with a registered address in Croatia; for Biram Hrvatsku a registered temporary residence also counts. For an obrt or another form that is not a company, the conditions explicitly require another person (druga fizička osoba): you cannot enter yourself as your own guarantor. For a j.d.o.o. or d.o.o., the HZZ conditions name the company's members and directors as guarantors, and the same requirement applies to them.

When we asked the HZZ directly, we were told the guarantor must be registered and living in Croatia and be employed with social insurance there, and that this also applies to the self-employment grant of up to €15,000. Employment is not spelled out in the published conditions; ask your local HZZ office before you start the business which documents it wants from the guarantor.

What it means for returnees: anyone who moves to Croatia alone and knows nobody there will not get the €7,000 for an obrt without a guarantor. The easiest route is to return as two, or with family in Croatia, such as parents, siblings or a partner with a Croatian passport who live and work there. Whether the founder of a one-person j.d.o.o. can act as the only guarantor is worth checking with the HZZ in advance.

For returnees who take a job, the HZZ mentioned €3,500 on top of the salary when we asked. In the published 2026 conditions this amount appears in Biram Hrvatsku for self-employed people who move within Croatia from a more developed to a less developed area; we found no payment for employed returnees there. Ask the HZZ for the exact condition; what is certain for employees is the five-year tax exemption.

Which sectors the state backs at the start

The HZZ self-employment grant shows where the state steers new businesses. The highest tier goes to crafts and industry. For returnees from tourism this means: start-up money comes from Biram Hrvatsku, a loan or their own savings, because accommodation and food service sit outside the grant.

• Crafts, construction, metal and machine building (NKD C 25 to 33, F): up to €15,000
• IT and telecoms (K) and manufacturing from food to chemicals (C 10 to 24): up to €10,000
• Health and social care (R), education (Q), professional and consulting services (N), arts and culture (S): up to €7,000
• Outside the grant: accommodation and food service (I), trade (G), transport (H), real estate (M), agriculture (A)

For wages, the sector matters. In August 2026 the average was €1,543 net according to the statistics office DZS, and half of employees earned €1,336 or less. In healthcare the average was €2,154 net in June, in restaurants, cafés and bars €1,140 in August (more on wages in Croatia).

Publisher's account: seven months of building a company in Zagreb

This part is personal. Croatia Atlas is written by Kristijan Bezjak, who brings many years of experience from Germany in computing, healthcare and youth football and has built his own company in Zagreb. We registered an obrt in March 2026, and GEARSTACK j.d.o.o. followed in September, both based in Zagreb. Today we are two co-founders and one team member.

We experienced the IT job market in Zagreb as fiercely competitive. We turned that into a decision and built our own company: software for sport and everyday life, made in Zagreb, sold across the EU. Here is what went well and what took time.

What works in Croatia's favour

• Two legal forms within one year: an obrt suits the start, a j.d.o.o. suits investors and programmes such as ZICER, which only accept companies.
• Zagreb reaches the whole EU market. Our apps and websites are live: the price comparison app Pinezi on Google Play and the App Store since October, Gearstack Health in the App Store since July 2026, and this website.
• Open data opens doors: since 15 May 2025 retailers have had to publish their price lists. Pinezi is built on that.
• A lively start-up scene: Zagreb has ZICER, a city programme with 100% funding, plus accelerators and business angel networks. We have applied to Croatian programmes and are waiting for decisions.

What takes time and patience

• International platforms and Croatian registers: moving our Apple developer account from an individual to the company took from 4 August to 7 October 2026. Apple asked for a commercial court extract for a long time, and an obrt is listed in the crafts register instead. Our Croatian documents needed an English translation.
• Funding rules in detail: HAMAG turned down our application for the micro loan because of the 30% rule. The majority owner of a young business may hold at most 30% in other companies, and our j.d.o.o. belongs entirely to the founder.
• Deadlines: the HZZ self-employment grant for 2026 closed on 30 September. Anyone returning in autumn plans with the following year's rules.
• Wages belong in every return plan. For employees, the five-year tax exemption makes up part of the gap on net pay.

What it means for returnees

• Document your time abroad: the tax exemption counts at least two years of absence registered with the Interior Ministry. Check your registration data before you move.
• Plan the order: for Biram Hrvatsku, first move your residence to Croatia, then register with the HZZ, then start the business.
• Choose the legal form early: if you aim for investors or ZICER, found a j.d.o.o. or d.o.o.; if you want a HAMAG loan, check the 30% rule first.
• Budget for translations: English versions of register extracts save weeks with Apple, Google and other international partners.
• Bring your questions: the discussion in Munich on 30 October is a chance to ask the ministry about your own case.