Croatia's anchor-price rule from 1 October 2026: what small businesses must publish, and how to automate it

From 1 October 2026, two new obligations apply to every business in Croatia that sells to consumers. First, next to every price you must also show the sidrena cijena — literally the "anchor price": the price that applied to that product or service on 10 September 2026. Second, if you have a website, your price list must be published there as a CSV or XML file, re-published at every price change, with old versions kept online for 30 days.

Both come from two Government decisions published in Narodne novine 101/2026, issued under the Act on exceptional price-control measures. This is the short version for owners of salons, restaurants, repair shops, clinics, rentals and web shops — and for anyone running a Croatian site for one of them.

As of publication, the Ministry of Economy has not issued official clarifications for 2026 and the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts (HOK) has asked for a postponement. We describe the rules as they stand today and will update this post if that changes.

The anchor price, in plain words

The legal term is dodatna cijena ("additional price"); everyone calls it the sidrena cijena. It is the regular price valid on 10 September 2026, excluding promotions, discounts and special conditions. It has to appear next to the current price at the point of sale, on the price list and in any advert that states a price — including your website.

It is not a price freeze and not a new selling price. You can still change prices; the anchor is a reference so the customer can see whether something moved. If the price hasn't changed, both numbers are the same and you still show both.

HOK's own example: a men's haircut at 20.00 € today, anchor price 18.00 € as of 10 September 2026. The date can sit once in a column header, the anchor doesn't have to match the current price in size, and a sticker on an existing printed list is fine. Two exceptions: food, drink, cosmetics, cleaning, toiletries and household goods keep their 2025 anchor (2 May 2025), and anything introduced after 10 September 2026 anchors to its first-day price — keep dated proof.

Does it apply to you?

Two tests. Do you invoice private individuals? If yes, the display obligation applies. According to HOK, businesses selling exclusively to other businesses or public bodies (B2B/B2G) are outside the scope; the decision text itself doesn't spell that exemption out.

Do you have a website? If not, there is no file-publication obligation and nobody expects you to build a site for this. If you do, HOK's webinar reads "website" as your official site that shows products or services with prices; HOK's written guidance and the decision text simply say "anyone with an established website". If your site shows prices, the obligation clearly applies; if it doesn't, watch for official clarification. A Facebook or Instagram profile is not a website — HOK recommends not posting prices there at all and linking to your site instead.

What the website rule actually requires

• Format: a .csv or .xml file suitable for automated processing. PDF, Word, Excel, an image or an HTML table don't count.
• Services file: service name, retail price, whether a special sales form applies (yes/no) plus its name, and the anchor price. Products need 11 fields (adding code, brand, unit, unit price, barcode and availability). Selling both means two separate files.
• Timing: services — at every price change, by 08:00 on the day of publication; products — daily by 08:00.
• Archive: every published file stays available for 30 days.
• File name: outlet type, address, outlet code, sequence number and a date-time stamp, in that order. HOK's example: TRG_ZAGREBACKA10_001_0001_20261001_0755.csv. Separators and abbreviations are not prescribed.
• Access: the files must be fetchable by automated tools — no login, no captcha, not blocked in robots.txt.

The exact column layout is not prescribed; HOK has published Excel templates that serve as the accepted minimum. Fines under Article 20 of the Act run from 1,000 to 20,000 € for a sole trader and 3,000 to 30,000 € for a company; the State Inspectorate supervises.

The part nobody mentions: it isn't a one-off

Every price change means a new file with a new timestamped name, published before 08:00, while the previous files stay online for 30 days. By hand: Excel → save as CSV → rename → upload → don't delete the old ones → repeat. Bearable for a salon that changes prices twice a year; not for a restaurant with a seasonal menu, a repair shop with material costs, or a web shop.

How we handle it

Prices live in one place — your CMS, a simple form, or the Google Sheet you already use. From that, a CSV (or XML) in HOK's structure is generated automatically with the correct file name and timestamp, and published on a public /cjenik/ page that automated tools can reach. The 30-day archive keeps itself, and the anchor price is shown next to every current price on your site from the same data. Change a price and the new file is live immediately; the 08:00 rule stops being your problem.

If you run a Croatian website that shows prices, send us the link and your price list — the review is free and you get a concrete list of what needs to change. Details, pricing and FAQ are on the Price list on autopilot page; it's a natural extension of the automation and web development work we do.

This article is for information only and is not legal advice. Check with your accountant, HOK ([email protected]) or the State Inspectorate before acting.

Sources: Odluka o isticanju dodatne cijene, NN 101/2026 · Odluka o objavi cjenika proizvoda i usluga, NN 101/2026 · Zakon o iznimnim mjerama kontrole cijena, NN 40/2025 · HOK guidance and Excel templates