Santa Eulària des Riu has opened a new €50,000 programme aimed at encouraging young qualified professionals who have left Ibiza to study or work to return to the municipality and build their professional future there.

The fourth edition of the municipality's Retorno del Talento Joven programme offers four different types of financial support, with grants ranging from €1,000 to a maximum of €5,000 depending on the applicant's employment situation and where their professional activity is based.

The programme is aimed at people under 35 who have a previous connection with Santa Eulària and meet the specific residence and education requirements established in the call. Applications must be submitted online, with the current deadline set for October 16, 2026.

Who Can Apply?

The programme is designed for young professionals with a connection to Santa Eulària who have spent time outside Ibiza for education or work.

Applicants must be under 35 and be registered in Santa Eulària des Riu at the time the provisional resolution is issued.

They must also have been registered in the municipality for at least five consecutive years, or for eight of the previous ten years, before moving away.

As a general requirement, applicants must hold a university degree completed outside Ibiza.

There is an alternative route for people who studied their university degree on the island: they can qualify if they can demonstrate that they worked outside Ibiza for at least one year before the application deadline.

Four Different Types of Support

The €50,000 programme is divided into four lines.

The first is aimed at young people returning to Santa Eulària to take an employed position with a company based in the municipality.

The maximum grant under this category is €1,500.

The second supports applicants who return to Santa Eulària but work for a company whose workplace is located in another municipality of Ibiza. This category offers up to €1,000.

The other two lines are aimed at entrepreneurship, with the highest level of support available under the programme.

Up to €5,000 for New Projects in Santa Eulària

The third line offers up to €5,000 to young people who return and establish a new professional or business project whose main activity or registered office is in Santa Eulària des Riu.

Applicants must register as self-employed or with the relevant professional mutual insurance scheme, where applicable.

For self-employed activities that do not require a professional qualification, the rules use the applicant's tax domicile when determining the location requirement.

This is the programme's highest individual grant.

Up to €3,000 for Projects Elsewhere on Ibiza

The fourth line is also focused on entrepreneurship, but applies to projects developed in another municipality of Ibiza.

The maximum grant in this case is €3,000.

The applicant must still retain the required connection with Santa Eulària established in the programme's rules.

Together, the two entrepreneurship categories are intended to support young professionals who want to return to Ibiza and create their own activity rather than joining an existing employer.

Employment Support Comes With Conditions

The employment-based grants are not simply payments for moving back to the island.

For the first line, applicants returning to work for a company in Santa Eulària must be registered as employees and contributing to the social security system between September 1, 2026 and October 31, 2027.

The employment contract must last at least eight months, and the professional category of the job must be linked to the applicant's university education.

The second employment category has the same minimum eight-month employment requirement and requires the functions performed to be related to the applicant's university qualification.

A €50,000 Municipal Fund

The total budget for the 2026 call is €50,000.

The municipality has maintained the same overall funding level used in recent editions while continuing to divide the support into employment and entrepreneurship categories.

The aim is to support both young people seeking to re-enter the labour market and those who want to create their own professional activity in Ibiza.

The Fourth Edition of the Programme

This year's call is the fourth edition of Santa Eulària's Return of Young Talent programme.

The municipality says the first three editions resulted in 46 grants being awarded in total.

Five grants were awarded in the first edition, 20 in the second and 21 in the third.

The figures show that the scheme has already been used by dozens of young people with links to Santa Eulària.

Previous Grants Have Supported Entrepreneurship

The previous edition also provided a notable number of grants to people starting their own businesses.

In the third call, 21 applications were approved, including eight grants for entrepreneurial projects based in Santa Eulària. The individual amounts in that edition ranged from €892.86 to €4,464.28 depending on the category and circumstances of each beneficiary.

The 2026 call again puts entrepreneurship at the centre, with up to €5,000 available for eligible new projects located in Santa Eulària.

Applications Are Online Only

Applications for the 2026 programme must be submitted exclusively online through the Santa Eulària municipal electronic headquarters.

The municipality says the application period runs for 20 working days from the day after publication of the call extract in the Official Gazette of the Balearic Islands.

The published 2026 notice gives October 16, 2026 as the current deadline.

Applicants therefore need to make sure they meet the registration, education, employment or entrepreneurship conditions before submitting their application.

What the Programme Is Trying to Address

The initiative is designed to respond to a very specific issue: young people from Santa Eulària who leave Ibiza for university studies or professional opportunities may not always return.

The municipality says the scheme aims to make that return easier while strengthening the local labour market and business network.

The support is therefore not simply a relocation grant. It is linked to actual employment or the creation of a professional project.

The municipality describes the initiative as part of its broader Santa Eulària Crea Futur strategy.

Part of a Wider Municipal Strategy

Santa Eulària says the young-talent programme forms part of Santa Eulària Crea Futur, a municipal strategy addressing several challenges faced by the community.

The strategy also includes measures related to access to housing, including plans for around 110 Viviendas de Precio Limitado in Santa Eulària and Es Puig d'en Valls, first-home purchase assistance and rental support.

The municipality says it has allocated €119,000 to first-home purchase grants and more than €2.33 million to rental assistance since 2020.

The young-talent programme therefore sits within a wider set of policies aimed at making it easier for younger residents to establish a life and career locally.

Not Everyone Returning to Ibiza Qualifies

The eligibility conditions are important.

Simply having previously lived in Santa Eulària or being a young professional from Ibiza does not automatically qualify someone for the grant.

The call specifically requires the applicant to be under 35, to have the required registration history in Santa Eulària and to meet the education or previous employment conditions.

Different rules then apply depending on whether the applicant is joining an existing company or setting up a new professional project.

That makes the programme considerably more targeted than a general return-to-Ibiza incentive.

From Returning Employee to New Entrepreneur

The four grant lines cover two different paths back to the island.

One is employment, where a returning young professional joins an existing company.

The other is entrepreneurship, where the person builds a new professional activity or business.

The value of the support increases significantly for applicants creating projects in Santa Eulària, where the maximum is €5,000.

Projects based elsewhere on Ibiza can receive up to €3,000, provided the applicant meets the programme requirements.

Why the €5,000 Figure Matters

The headline figure of €5,000 applies only to one specific category.

It is the maximum amount available for eligible new professional or business projects whose main activity or registered office is in Santa Eulària.

The other maximums are €1,500 for employment in a Santa Eulària company, €1,000 for employment with a company based elsewhere on Ibiza, and €3,000 for eligible entrepreneurial projects elsewhere on the island.

This distinction is important for anyone considering applying.

A Fourth Chance to Return

The 2026 call continues a programme that Santa Eulària has now run for four editions.

With €50,000 available and 46 grants already awarded in the previous three editions, the municipality is continuing to use targeted financial support to encourage young qualified residents to come back after education or work elsewhere.

For eligible applicants, the scheme offers several possible routes, from joining an existing local company to creating a new business or professional activity.

Applications Open Until October 16

Young professionals who meet the requirements can apply during the current 20-working-day application period.

The official call gives October 16, 2026 as the deadline, with applications submitted exclusively through Santa Eulària's electronic headquarters.

The programme is therefore now open to eligible applicants looking to return to the municipality and establish their professional future on Ibiza.

Helping Young Talent Come Home

Santa Eulària's latest initiative is aimed at something more specific than simply attracting new residents.

The programme targets young people who already have a connection with the municipality but have left the island to study or work.

By offering up to €5,000 for eligible new projects in Santa Eulària, alongside smaller grants for employment and entrepreneurship elsewhere on Ibiza, the municipality is trying to make returning professionally more achievable.

For a young generation that has often had to leave Ibiza to access university education or career opportunities, the scheme offers another route back home.