The regulatory agency is changing the fees for addresses, n…

The Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM) has received a new regulation on the payment of fees, published in the Official Gazette (Narodne novine) No. 130 of November 11, 2026, as document 1539. The regulation was adopted on November 5, 2026, by the HAKOM Council under class 011-02/26-02/04 and official number 376-11-26-04, and was signed by the President of the Council, Tonko Obuljen. It applies from January 1, 2027, except for the provisions on the issuance of invoices for the allocated radio frequency spectrum, which apply from December 1, 2026, for billing periods starting January 1, 2027.

Legal Basis and Purpose of the Regulation

The Regulation on the Payment of Fees for the Performance of Tasks of the Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries was adopted based on the Electronic Communications Act (Narodne novine No. 76/22, 14/24, and 45/26), the Postal Services Act (Narodne novine No. 144/12, 153/13, 78/15, and 110/19), and the Act on the Regulation of the Railway Services Market and the Protection of Passenger Rights in Railway Transport.

It prescribes the calculation, amount, and method of payment of fees from which the work of HAKOM is financed according to the annual financial plan: fees for the management of address and numbering space, for the management of the radio frequency spectrum, for other tasks in electronic communications, and for tasks in the field of postal and railway services. Upon entry into force, the previous regulation (Narodne novine No. 154/25) ceases to be valid.

Addresses, Numbers, and Short Codes

Numbering fees remain annual, with the exception of the first year, which is calculated proportionally to the duration of use. Key amounts are:

geographic number – 0.07 euros, and a block is valued as the sum of individual numbers
two-digit national destination code (NDC) for mobile networks – 78,260.00 euros
three-digit NDC – 7,826.00 euros, four-digit 782.60 euros, five-digit 78.26 euros
four-digit NDC for M2M services – 489.08 euros, five-digit 48.91 euros
closed user group code – 0.33 euros, and the national and international signaling point code, data network identification code, and mobile network code – 33.51 euros
short codes: five-digit code for notifications 1,327.23 euros, four-digit code for operator selection 3,318.07 euros, three-digit 6,636.14 euros, SMS/MMS short code 33.18 euros

No fee is paid for short codes of emergency services, voice and SMS/MMS codes in the 116xxx range, and for humanitarian services and the collection of humanitarian aid.

Radio Frequency Spectrum

The fee is paid in advance for one year from the validity of the permit, and invoices exceeding 66,361.40 euros may be paid in up to four installments. Certain amounts are:

directional point-to-point and FWA links above 1 GHz with a spectrum width greater than 2 MHz – 106.18 euros; for a width of 2 MHz or less, no fee is charged
simplified procedure for point-to-point links – 26.54 euros
FWA links below 1 GHz – 13.27 euros
satellite links and complementary ground component – 199.08 euros, one-time fee for space activities 331.81 euros
network for own needs: national territory 200.00 euros, two to six counties 100.00 euros, up to one county 35.00 euros
public electronic communications network per MHz: below 3,400 MHz 8,388.08 euros, 3,400–3,800 MHz 2,621.28 euros, above 3,800 MHz 597.25 euros
aeronautical, maritime, radiolocation, and radionavigation services, as well as inland waterway navigation – 6.64 euros

In terrestrial broadcasting, the fee is linked to the number of inhabitants covered (663.61, 1,327.23, 3,318.07, or 6,636.14 euros) and multiplied by a k-coefficient of 1 or 0.5. A technical inspection for electronic media fee-payers costs 265.45 euros, and interference measurements cost 70 euros per hour of HAKOM staff.

Percentages, Advances, and Reporting

For performing other activities in electronic communications, the rate is 0.45% on the portion of annual gross revenue exceeding 995,421.06 euros, with an advance threshold of 75,000.00 euros; the advance amounts to 50% of the calculated fee and is paid in four installments from January to April. In postal services, the rate is 0.28%, and in the regulation of the railway services market 3.75% on the same revenue threshold, whereby the infrastructure manager recalculates and collects the fee from railway carriers proportionally to their share of revenue.

All operators, postal service providers, and the infrastructure manager are obliged to submit a report on the total annual gross revenue of the previous year to HAKOM no later than March 31 of the current year. An operator that ceases activities shall submit the report within 60 days of cessation.

Payment Deadlines and Legal Protection

Fees are due 30 days from the issuance of the invoice, unless otherwise determined by the regulations, and invoices exceeding 265,445.62 euros may be paid in up to four installments, with the final deadline for the last installment being December 15. A taxpayer who believes that the fee has been incorrectly calculated may object to the invoice in writing within eight days; if the fee is not paid, HAKOM issues a written warning no later than 30 days after the expiration of the due date, and non-payment may lead to the revocation of the license or assigned addresses and numbers.

The new regulation directly changes the cost planning for everyone doing business with numbering, spectrum, or the postal-railway market, as it introduces advance payment obligations and strict reporting deadlines along with the new amounts. For operators, the most important points are to prepare reports for the previous year by March 31 and to verify the spectrum calculation for periods starting January 1, 2027, by December 1, 2026.

Source: Narodne novine no. 130 of November 11, 2026, document 1539 – Regulation on the payment of fees for the performance of duties of the Croatian Regulatory Agency for Network Industries. Issuer: Council of the Croatian Regulatory Agency for Network Industries, class 011-02/26-02/04, registry number 376-11-26-04, Zagreb, November 5, 2026; signatory Council President Tonko Obuljen. Entry into force: January 1, 2027, with the application of provisions on spectrum accounts from December 1, 2026.