TOURISTS

WHAT IF...YOU ARE COMING AS A TOURIST?

If you plan to visit Serbia as a tourist, find out more on customs procedures in our brochure ''Passenger Guide'' or continue reading...

1. What is considered to be personal luggage?

Personal luggage consists of all the items that are not intended for sale or another form of transfer to other persons, which passenger carries in order to serve him during particular journey (e.g. clothing, footwear, various technical equipment, sports equipment, personal hygiene items, common medical therapy and other personal items).

Items for sports and recreation could be various technical equipment, sports equipment, such as balls, rackets, skis, skates, surfboards, hiking gear etc.

The amount of these items depends on the purpose of the trip, gender, occupation of the passenger, season and other circumstances regarding the particular trip.

• TOBACCO PRODUCTS : 50 cigarettes, 25 cigarillos (cigars up to 3g), 10 cigars, 50g of tobacco or suitable combination of all mentioned products. Smoking tobacco includes cut tobacco, pipe tobacco, hookah tobacco, as well as other tobacco products (chewing, snuff, heated tobacco products, i.e. non-burning tobacco). Passengers are also allowed to carry related tobacco products in their luggage in quantities for personal use (electronic cigarettes, vapes, nicotine pouches and hookah aromas), except tobacco for oral use (snus) whose import and distribution in the Republic of Serbia is prohibited
• ALCOHOL : 1 liter of spirits or 1 liter of sparkling and liqueur wines or suitable combination of mentioned drinks and 1 liter of other wines                                                                                                                                                                                                **quantity of beer or olive oil is not precisely defined, but it goes without saying that it must be obviously intended for personal use and not for resale
• PERFUMES : 1 perfume (up to 50ml), 1 toilet water (up to 25ml)
• MOBILE DEVICES : mobile devices configured for personal use (a laptop, a tablet, a smartphone etc.) and not the ones you have just bought abroad with the intention of leaving them permanently in Serbia (eg. as a present for someone)
• FOOD : may only be brought into/taken out of country in reasonable quantities for personal use and in the original manufacturer’s wrapping. If you are importing food of animal origin, its quantity is limited to a maximum of one kilogram
• MEDICINES : may be brought into/taken out of the country, for personal passenger’s use and for animals accompanying the passenger, in quantity needed for regular therapy not longer than 15 days. In that case medical opinion won’t be necessary. However, if medicines that you use contain controlled psychoactive substances, and/or if their quantity exceeds one package of up to 30 dosage units, passenger is obliged to show medical prescription certifying the need for medical therapy (medical opinion) to the customs o­cer when requested to do so
• WORKS OF ART : when it comes to the import of works of art, the usual customs procedure is carried out, either shortened or regular, for which no permit or consent is needed, but if upon return to your country you want to take out/export an object of artistic, cultural or historic value, of noncommercial nature and intended for personal needs, it may be taken out/exported only after obtaining the relevant permit of the state Ministry competent for cultural issues (for more information visit: Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Serbia, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia , Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities, National Library of Serbia) 
• DRONES : whether you'll need a permit issued by the competent ministry (Ministry of Domestic and Foreign Trade) in order to import/export a drone that you want to take on a trip, depends on whether it, in terms of its technical characteristics, meets the conditions prescribed in the National Control List of Dual Use Items and the National Control List of Weapons and Military Equipment. The overview of UAV models (unmanned aerial vehicles) for which the export/import permit is not required is available in the Instructions for the identification of UAV and the Extract from the records prepared by the relevant Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade. If the model you own cannot be identified based on the above-mentioned Instructions, you should contact the Ministry of Internal and Foreign Trade with a request to obtain an opinion on whether the device you own, by its characteristics, is considered a controlled good.
• WEAPONS : passengers are not allowed to carry weapons across the border unless they possess the permit issued by a competent authority – Ministry of Domestic and Foreign Trade, however you may temporarily bring in or out hunting weapons and ammunition (in appropriate quantities) when participating in organized hunting tours organized by Hunting Association, other authorized organization or for the purpose of participating in shooting sport events.

2. What if I carry goods that should be declared to customs?

First of all, you should be aware that, so-called ''green channel'', where it exists, can be used solely by passengers that DO NOT possess goods subject to import duties.

Otherwise, passengers should use the ''red channel'' and declare goods. If the value of goods does not exceed EUR 3,000 it could be cleared right away at the border crossing, in a single customs rate of 10% and corresponding VAT (usually 20%).

If, on the other hand, the value of goods exceeds 3,000 euros, then it must be cleared within regular customs procedure.

3. What if I want to bring smth. temporarily to Serbia, just for the vacation?

When you intend to import something temporarily to Serbia, just for the duration of your stay in our country, you are obliged to declare it at the border crossing and submit all necessary information about that item in the Accompanying Document in two copies. That will enable easier identifcation of that item when leaving the country. The Accompanying Document is available to passengers that temporarily import/export goods for personal use at border crossings, as well as on the CAS website.

4. How much money may I bring to Serbia?

• You may bring into Serbia as much money as you wish, but if it is EUR 10.000 or more (in dinars or other foreign currency) your obligation is to DECLARE it to Customs.
• Sum that you may take out of the country is limited. That means that all passengers are permitted to take a sum of up to EUR 10.000 out of Serbia. However, residents of Serbia may do that only based on the evidence of immigration and non-residents are, under certain conditions, permitted to take out of the country sums larger than EUR 10.000. Learn more about it in the brochure Passenger Guide  
• Payment cards may be freely brought in and out of Serbia. 

Ask customs officer to give you the Cash Declaration Form available to each passenger (at the entrance or exit of the country).

It is very important that you do this, because if later on you wish to exit the country with the rest of the money that you did not spend (over EUR 10.000) and you do not possess the certified Form, you risk seizure of the sum larger than EUR 10.000.

 5. Who is allowed and in what way to take more than 10.000€ out of the country?

Non-residents* may take out of the country sums larger than EUR 10.000 only if accompanied by a:

• receipt issued by the customs service when entering the country ( CASH DECLARATION FORM – look at the picture above) confirming the sum of foreign currency being taken into the country – up to the amount specified in it
• receipt issued by the bank in the Republic of Serbia, confirming that the money which is taken out of the country is withdrawn from a person’s own currency account or foreign currency savings account – up to the amount written on the receipt
• receipt issued by an exchange office, confirming that the money which is being taken out of the country is obtained by selling RSD (dinars) from previous use of payment cards in the Republic of Serbia - up to the amount written on the receipt

Customs officers will annul these receipts the moment passenger leaves the Republic of Serbia for the first time. Be aware of the fact that the mentioned receipt will not be valid as soon as you leave the territory of the Republic of Serbia for the first time, even if it is for the short visit to relatives or vacation in one of the neighbouring countries. If after that you still intend to travel through Serbia on the way to your final destination, you will have to undergo the same procedure all over again and obtain new certified Cash Declaration Form. 

* non-resident: a foreign national residing abroad (including diplomatic and consular representatives of foreign countries and their family members), as well as the Serbian nationals residing abroad for a period longer than one year on the basis of residence and work permits).

 6. Does the amount od 10.000€ apply only to grown ups?

 It applies to each person, children included.

7. What if I want to bring certain valuables with me?

It is the safest to declare all valuables that you carry with you (personal jewelry, luxury watches, precious stones, investment plates or bars etc.) and save yourself from the embarrassment and risk of them being temporarily or permanently seized. This applies to personal jewelry that you wear or carry in your luggage, as well as to the investment gold in the form of plates, bars and coins. Find more information on transfer of investment gold across the border here:

Prenos investicionog zlata preko granice [PDF | 126Kb]

 8. Who is entitled to value added tax refund?

Only non-residents are entitled to value added tax refund when they take out of the country the purchased, unused goods for non-commercial purposes that equals or exceeds the value of 6.000 RSD (VAT included), provided such goods be exported within three months of the day of purchase.

9. Is there any other condition that I need to fulfill?

The condition is that you show the purchased goods to the customs officer and submit bill(s), as well as the original and a copy of the VAT refund request ( Form ZPPDV page 1 i Form ZPPDV page 2), which is completed by the seller at your personal request (either on the Form ZPPPDV or on the operator's form, in paper or electronic form).

If the passenger's VAT refund request is issued in paper form, customs officers will return the original bill(s) and the passenger's VAT refund request to the passenger, and keep a copy of the request. If the passenger's VAT refund request is issued in electronic form, the customs officers will verify it in the information system.

10. Will the customs officer immediately refund the VAT I paid?

The customs officers only certify passenger's VAT refund request, but they DO NOT perform VAT refund.

11. Who is obliged to refund VAT and when, if I meet the conditions?

Refund of VAT is performed if the passenger or the other applicant within 12 months from the moment that goods were taken out of the country submits to the seller the documentation on which the customs authority confirms that the conditions for the VAT refund have been met.

12. What if I want to take my pet on a trip with me?

If you plan to travel with a pet, you should meet necessary requrements and prepare respective documents that confirm the fulfillment of veterinary and sanitary conditions (vaccination, chipping, etc.). Pets must travel with their owners or you may give written permission to another person to accompany your pet for you. For detailed information on this subject, please visit the website of the Veterinary Directorate.

If your pet is a specimen of endangered or protected animal species, you may bring it into/take it out of the country only when accompanied by PERMIT FOR CROSS-BORDER MOVEMENT OF PERSONALLY OWNED ANIMALS, issued at the owner’s request by the Ministry of Environmental Protection – Group for the implementation of CITES Convention (email: office@cites.gov.rs ).