Criteria for recognizing social entrepreneurs are defined in the Strategy for the Development of Social Entrepreneurship in the Republic of Croatia for the period from 2015. to 2020. Due to the lack of evidence of social entrepreneurs there is no known number of social entrepreneurs, those who meet all recognition criteria. Through structured interviews a survey was conducted among social entrepreneurs with the purpose of determining the extent to which social entrepreneurs meet the criteria for recognizing social entrepreneurs in the Republic of Croatia. Research findings have shown that most social entrepreneurs do not meet all the criteria for recognizing social entrepreneurs, and one of the criteria they meet is dominant. Social entrepreneurs in the Republic of Croatia consider that recognition criteria are not well-defined and need to be upgraded but also to introduce additional incentives for social entrepreneurs. Also, social entrepreneurs are familiar with the criteria for recognizing social entrepreneurs in the Republic of Croatia, but it is possible to recognize that their criteria are incomprehensible and they are not clear to them to prove the fulfilment of these criteria. It can be concluded that in the Republic of Croatia, in spite of the efforts of the main drivers, social entrepreneurship is still in the background and that both the present and future social entrepreneurs need further education, monitoring and evaluation of their social entrepreneurship projects.