Canary Islands freelancers who started in 2025 can apply for a “zero fee” starting Monday

The grant will remain open until October and this year has a total budget of €3.3 million.

Canary self‑employed workers who began their activity for the first time in 2025 can request the “zero quota” assistance starting this Monday, following the publication of the call on Friday in the Boletín Oficial de Canarias (BOC).

“It is a consolidated measure that stimulates entrepreneurship on the islands,” said Manuel Domínguez, Vice President of the Government of the Canary Islands.

He added:

“The zero quota has benefited around 7,000 self‑employed people across all islands; last year alone, 3,620 individuals requested this aid to ease the start of their activity.”

According to affiliation data:

• In July 2023 there were 139,264 self‑employed workers in the Canary Islands.
• In February this year the number rose to 146,701, an increase of 7,437 since the start of the legislative term, which translates to roughly 240 new self‑employed persons per day.
• February closed with more self‑employed than unemployed: 146,701 versus 145,656 unemployed.

“These figures show that the Canary Islands have a strong and growing entrepreneurial ecosystem, so we will continue to implement policies that facilitate entrepreneurship and the growth of our SMEs,” Domínguez emphasized.

The “zero quota” initiative is complemented by the “Plan Respaldo al Autónomo”, which includes:

• “Programa Concilia” – a program that supports work‑life balance for self‑employed workers; its call will be issued soon.
• +Uno5 – a bonus for hiring a first employee aged 52 or older.
• Interest‑rate subsidies of up to two points for self‑employed who take out a loan.
• Reduction of Social Security contributions for those on temporary disability leave.

The Vice President also noted that further measures are in the pipeline, such as reducing the IGIC (Canary Islands General Indirect Tax). He highlighted that the archipelago’s economy hinges on small businesses and self‑employed individuals, who are the primary job creators and drivers of economic activity.