By August 7, APN processed nearly 6,000 applications, with an average payout of 7,568 euros per family. Most approved applications come from Zagreb, with excessively high price per square meter dominating reasons for rejection.
Buying a first home for young people in Croatia remains a huge financial burden, but the state is trying to ease this step through tax refunds. The latest data from the Agency for Legal Transactions and Real Estate Mediation (APN) reveals that by August 7, 2026, a total of 6,994 applications for tax refunds on the purchase or construction of a first residential property had been submitted.
Of the 5,875 applications that underwent processing, 4,600 received a positive outcome, meaning nearly 78 percent of applicants managed to secure support. An additional 220 cases required supplementary documentation, while 1,055 applications were rejected or withdrawn by applicants because they did not meet the prescribed criteria.
The total sum of approved support so far has reached 34.8 million euros. Of this amount, 24.75 million euros goes to VAT refunds, while 10.06 million euros has been paid out for real estate transfer tax (RTT) refunds.
Of the 4,600 approved applications, 1,684 were for VAT refunds, where the average support amounted to 14,698 euros. For real estate transfer tax refunds, 2,916 applications were approved, with an average payout of 3,451 euros. Looking at the overall picture, the average payout per family was 7,568 euros.
The largest number of approved applications comes from the City of Zagreb, with as many as 1,897. This is followed by Zagreb County with 435 accepted applications, Split-Dalmatia with 428, Primorje-Gorski Kotar with 327, and Osijek-Baranja with 212. In all Croatian counties, beneficiaries received support.
When looking at cities, Zagreb is first, followed by Split with 248 approved applications, Rijeka with 185, Velika Gorica with 155, Osijek with 121, and Zadar with 119.
Among the rejected applications, 291, or 4.96 percent, were turned down because the property price was more than 50 percent above the legally prescribed average price. Rejections were also caused by purchase agreements concluded before January 1, 2025, exceeding the age limit, owning other properties, submitting multiple applications within the same household, and properties larger than the permitted area.
Applicants are on average 32 years old. The youngest beneficiaries are 18 years old, and the oldest are 44, which is also the upper limit for qualifying for this measure. The average beneficiary household consists of two people, while the largest household covered has as many as 12 members.
The average area of a property for which support was approved is 72 square meters, and the average price of such properties is 2,186 euros per square meter. The range is, as expected, vast: the most expensive recorded property was in Dubrovnik-Neretva County at 5,263 euros per square meter, while the lowest price was recorded in Vukovar-Srijem County, at just 103 euros per square meter.
As for size, the smallest property approved for support has 14 square meters, and the largest has as many as 259 square meters.
