Serbia

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

Transport Licence Required

Yes

Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles. Public goods transport (where the carrier charges for the service) can only be conducted by a domestic company, other legal entity, or entrepreneur holding a Transport Licence. Where a mover subcontracts the transport, the carrier’s own licence covers the transport it performs, and the mover should use carriers that hold it.

Two Licence Categories

Yes. A licence for public goods transport in domestic road traffic only, or a combined licence for public goods transport in both domestic and international road traffic. The conditions for both are largely the same, differing mainly in the financial capability threshold (available capital and reserves).

Four Qualifying Conditions

Required for the licence: good business reputation (poslovni ugled), financial capability (finansijska sposobnost), professional qualification (profesionalna osposobljenost) of the designated transport manager, and a real and permanent registered business seat, matching the standard EU Regulation 1071/2009 framework.

Licence Validity

10 years.

Per-Vehicle Licence Extract Required

Yes, where the mover operates its own vehicles. Each vehicle in the carrier’s fleet needs its own licence extract (izvod licence), valid for as long as the underlying Transport Licence remains valid.

Transport Manager Limits

Yes. A single designated transport manager may be responsible for goods transport operations at no more than 4 domestic carriers, with those carriers’ combined fleets not exceeding 50 goods vehicles or vehicle combinations in total.

Professional Competence Exam

Yes. The exam is administered by the Ministry and conducted before a Commission of at least 3 members holding advanced (master’s-level or higher) academic qualifications.

Consumer Protection

Yes. The Consumer Protection Law is Serbia’s general consumer protection statute, administered nationally by the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications.

Consumer Complaint Resources (For Movers Not Vetted as ITMs)

Yes, through a multi-step, low-cost process. Consumers are first encouraged to contact the trader directly, then approach a regional consumer advisory center (savetovalište) run by an officially registered consumer protection association, including a documented, staffed Belgrade-region service (Nacionalna organizacija potrošača Srbije) with published phone numbers and office hours. Court action is available as a further step; for disputes valued up to 500,000 dinars, no court filing fee is charged.

Industry Association

None found. No dedicated Serbian moving-industry trade association was identified in this research.

OverviewOverview & Scope

Serbia licenses commercial goods transport nationally through the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, under a law explicitly adopted to harmonize Serbian regulation with EU standards as part of the country’s accession process. The licensing framework follows the standard EU four-condition model, with the notable choice to issue the licence for a 10-year term (longer than the 5-year terms common elsewhere in the EU) and to offer a combined domestic and international licence category from the outset, rather than requiring a separate upgrade step. A single transport manager can oversee multiple carriers, up to specific quantified limits (4 carriers, 50 vehicles combined). The licence and vehicle extracts attach to the company operating the vehicles. Where a mover subcontracts the transport, the carrier’s own licence and extracts cover the transport it performs, and the mover uses carriers that hold them. On the consumer side, Serbia’s Consumer Protection Law is backed by a network of regional advisory centers, with a low-cost court option (no filing fee) for smaller disputes.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Company licensing (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

1. Apply to the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure for a Transport Licence, choosing the domestic-only or combined domestic and international category as appropriate, and renew it before its 10-year term expires.
2. Demonstrate good business reputation, financial capability, professional qualification, and a real registered seat.
3. Ensure the designated transport manager holds professional competence certification, obtained through the Ministry’s exam, and stays within the limit of 4 carriers and 50 vehicles if managing more than one carrier.

Vehicles (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

4. Obtain a licence extract for each vehicle in the fleet.

Subcontracted transport

5. Where transport is subcontracted, use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

Customer practices

6. Ensure consumer-facing practices comply with the Consumer Protection Law.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• Transport Licence (domestic-only or combined domestic and international) from the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, current within its 10-year termWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles for public goods transport)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Good business reputation, financial capability, professional qualification and real registered seat demonstratedWhere applicable (mover holds a Transport Licence)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Transport manager holds a professional competence certificateWhere applicable (mover holds a Transport Licence)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Transport manager stays within the limit of 4 carriers and 50 vehicles combinedWhere applicable (transport manager is responsible for more than one carrier)Verified by AffirmationRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

• Licence extract (izvod licence) held for each vehicleWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles)Verified by DocumentRequired

Customer practices

• Consumer-facing practices comply with the Consumer Protection LawVerified by AffirmationRequired