Serbia is located on Pan-European Corridor 10 which is the shortest route between central/western and southernmost Europe.
It runs through eight countries: Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Greece. European routes E70 and E75 meet in Belgrade, E75 and E80 in Niš and E80 and E65 in Priština.
The main road routes in Serbia are:
- From the north, from the border with Hungary, route E75: Horgoš – Subotica – Novi Sad – Belgrade – Niš – Vranje – Preševo and on to Macedonia
- From the west, from the border with Croatia, route E70: Batrovci – Sremska Mitrovica – Belgrade – Pančevo – Vršac – Vatin continuing on to Romania
- From the east, from the border with Bulgaria, route E80: Gradina – Dimitrovgrad – Pirot – Niš – Prokuplje – Priština – Kosovska Mitrovica – Mehov Krš and on to Montenegro
To enter Serbia, drivers of vehicles with foreign number plates need:
- their national driving licence
- registration document (together with permission to drive a car registered to a third party, if needed)
- insurance policy (green card)
Roadside assistance
Automobile and Motorcycle Association of Serbia (AMSS)
Ruzveltova 18, 11000 Belgrade
tel: 1987 (from all telephone networks – 24 hours)
www.amss.rs
The AMSS provides roadside assistance to drivers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Pomoć-Informacije (Help-Info) Service (SPI 1987) has branches all over Serbia and provides technical assistance, all kinds of information and transport for vehicles damaged in accidents. The AMSS also offers services on AIT and FIA Letters of Credit.
Insurance
The Green Card is an international document certifying the issue of automobile insurance against damage caused to third parties abroad.
Drivers of cars with foreign number plates who do not have a green card must purchase border automobile insurance from a local insurance company at the border when entering Serbia.
PRICE OF BORDER INSURANCE FOR FOREIGN-REGISTERED VEHICLES
The insurance premium is calculated and paid exclusively in dinars.
| Type | months | |||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
| Passanger Car | 9.684 | 14.525 | 19.367 | 24.209 | 29.051 | 33.892 | 37.524 | 42.365 | 45.997 | 49.628 | 52.049 | 55.680 |
| Trucks | 21.788 | 39.945 | 59.312 | 73.837 | 89.573 | 101.677 | 111.360 | 119.834 | 129.517 | 139.201 | 147.674 | 154.936 |
| Coach | 21.788 | 39.945 | 59.312 | 73.837 | 89.573 | 101.677 | 111.360 | 119.834 | 129.517 | 139.201 | 147.674 | 154.936 |
| Towed Vehicles | 2.421 | 3.631 | 4.842 | 6.052 | 7.263 | 8.473 | 9.684 | 10.894 | 12.104 | 13.315 | 14.525 | 15.736 |
| Specialy modified Cars | 4.842 | 8.473 | 12.104 | 14.525 | 16.946 | 19.367 | 21.788 | 24.209 | 26.630 | 30.261 | 32.682 | 33.892 |
| Motorcycle | 6.052 | 9.684 | 13.315 | 15.736 | 19.367 | 21.788 | 25.419 | 27.840 | 30.261 | 32.682 | 35.103 | 37.524 |
| Trailers | 2.421 | 3.631 | 4.237 | 4.842 | 5.447 | 6.052 | 6.657 | 7.263 | 7.868 | 8.473 | 9.078 | 9.684 |
| Tractors, Machinery | 7.263 | 10.894 | 14.525 | 18.157 | 21.788 | 25.419 | 29.051 | 31.471 | 33.892 | 36.313 | 38.734 | 41.155 |
Road tolls
Road tolls are payable on the following routes:
- E70 Subotica – Novi Sad
- E75 Novi Sad – Belgrade
- E70 Šid – Belgrade
- E75 Belgrade – Niš
- E75 Niš – Leskovac
Road tolls vary depending on the category of vehicle:
- Category I – motor vehicles up to 1.3 m in height (at the front axle) – motorcycles and passenger cars
- Category II – motor vehicles with or without a trailer, up to 1.3 m in height (at the front axle of the towing vehicle) with more than two axles – passenger cars with trailer
- Category III – motor vehicles more than 1.3 m in height (at the front axle) with two or three axles – vans, coaches, lorries with two or three axles
- Category IV – motor vehicles more than 1.3 m in height (at the front axle of the towing vehicle) with more than three axles – all vehicles with more than three axles
Fuel
On the main traffic routes and in larger towns and cities there are petrol stations which operate 24 hours a day. Almost every large petrol station sells all types of fuel and motor oils, both locally-produced and imported, as well as food, drink and vehicle accessories.
Petrol station networks:
- NIS Jugopetrol – www.jugopetrol.co.rs
- Lukoil – Beopetrol – www.lukoil.rs
- OMV – www.omv.rs
- MOL – www.intermol.rs
- EKO – www.ekoyu.com
- ELP – www.elp.rs
- Traffic regulations
In Serbia, the traffic regulations are generally in line with those of member states of the European Union.
The speed limit in built-up areas is 50 km/h, unless, due to road conditions, traffic signs indicate a speed limit of up to 80 km/h.
Speed limits on roads outside populated areas, unless otherwise indicated by traffic signs, are as follows:
- 120 km/h on motorways
- 100 km/h on major roads
- 80 km/h on other roads
Specific speed limits apply for certain categories of vehicle:
- 80 km/h – for coaches, coaches with an attached trailer and lorries with a maximum allowed mass of no more than 7.5 tonnes, except on motorways where the maximum speed limit is 100 km/h.
- 80 km/h – for motor vehicles towing a travel trailer (caravan)
- 70 km/h – for coaches transporting children, articulated buses with no standing passengers, lorries whose maximum allowed mass is more than 7.5 tonnes and lorries with trailer, except on motorways, where the maximum speed limit is 90 km/h.
- 50 km/h – for buses with an additional towed vehicle for the transport of people, city buses and buses with standing passengers
A driver may not operate a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol (a blood alcohol level of more than 0.30 mg/ml) or psychoactive substances. Professional drivers (bus drivers, lorry drivers etc.) are prohibited from having any amount of alcohol in their blood.
When stopped by the police, the driver and any passengers are not allowed to exit their vehicle unless given permission to do so by a police officer.
Wearing seat belts is compulsory for drivers and front seat passengers, as well as passengers in the back if there are seat belts.
Dipped headlights must be switched on when driving in the daytime.
Drivers may not use telephones or other communications devices while driving unless using a hands-free kit which allows the driver to keep his or her hands on the wheel.
Children under the age of 12 and persons under the influence of alcohol or psychoactive substances, or who are unable to control their actions, are not allowed to sit in the front seat.
Children up to three years of age must be transported in a child safety seat, which can be installed in the front seat only if it is rear-facing and the airbag is deactivated.
Camping is only permitted in campsites.
Vehicles with foreign number plates must display the international licence code of the country in which they are registered.
Pedestrians may not use mobile phones or wear earphones while crossing streets.
Mandatory equipment to be kept in passenger vehicles:
- Spare tyre – unless the vehicle has equipment for quick tyre repairs (spray, foam, quick-repair kit) or run-flat tyres.
- Warning triangle – used to indicate that a vehicle has stopped on the road due to a breakdown or accident.
- First aid kit
- Spare light bulb kit – enough to replace half of double light sockets and one for each single light socket. Vehicles which are equipped with non-incandescent light bulbs (e.g. halogen, LED) are not required to have spare light bulbs.
- Tow rope or tow bar
- Reflective vest for each traveller exiting the vehicle on the road during breakdown or an accident. The vest must be kept in the front compartment, not the boot!
- European Accident Statement – an insurance company form which is used by drivers in a traffic accident with little material damage and where the version of events is mutually agreed upon.
- Winter equipment – during the winter months, winter tyres (M+S – mud and snow) must be fitted on the drive wheels. Summer tyres with a tread depth of at least 4 mm, can also be used, but only in conjunction with snow chains. Spiked tyres are prohibited
For certain types of vehicle, the following equipment is compulsory:
- Safety helmet – for motorcycle drivers and passengers
- Special equipment – in coaches and lorries, there must be an appropriate number of fire extinguishers in the appropriate places, along with wheel chocks, hammers for breaking glass and a shovel. A fire extinguisher is also compulsory for taxis.
Traffic accidents
A driver who comes across the scene of a traffic accident in which there are injured persons must:
- immediately call the police (tel: 192) or the Emergency Ambulance Service (tel: 194)
- provide help to those injured in the accident
- transport them to the nearest health institution if necessary
- do everything in his power to prevent an escalation of the existing situation and prevent further accidents.
Drivers of foreign registered vehicles damaged in an accident must obtain a Vehicle Damage Certificate (Potvrda o oštećenju vozila) from the police and present it at the border when leaving Serbia.
The AMSS Pomoć-Informacije (Help-Info) Service (tel: 1987), is available to transport damaged vehicles. In the event that the owner intends to abandon a damaged foreign-registered vehicle, this must be reported to Customs or to a local branch of the AMSS, who will conduct further proceedings. In both events, a Vehicle Surrender Certificate (Potvrda o predaji vozila) must be obtained in order for formalities to be conducted more quickly in the country in which the vehicle is registered.
A driver entering Serbia in a vehicle with damaged bodywork must speak to the Border Police in order for the damage to be assessed and a certificate issued in confirmation of this.
Parking
Parking is regulated differently from town to town in Serbia, but the paid parking model applied in Belgrade is spreading. As in all big cities, finding a parking space in central Belgrade during working hours is very tricky and we recommend that vehicles are parked in a public car park.
CITY CENTRE PARKING ZONES
Parking areas on streets in central Belgrade, and other large towns in Serbia, are categorised into several parking zones where parking time is limited and payment is made for each full or incomplete hour.
Parking areas within these parking zones are indicated by special traffic signs bearing the colour of the zone and displaying the hours during the day when parking is payable (parking is free outside these hours). Once the maximum allowed time has expired, the driver must move his or her vehicle. A parking warden will leave a fine payment order under the windscreen wipers if he or she should fail to do so.
Parking in designated zones is paid for by purchasing parking tickets which are marked with the time of arrival and displayed under the front windscreen or by sending an SMS with the registration number of the vehicle to the number indicated on the sign.
OTHER PARKING AREAS
Parking areas outside the parking zones are indicated by standard traffic signs, have no time limit and parking is paid for on an hourly or daily basis. Parking charges are usually only applicable to certain times of day. Outside these times, parking is free (e.g. in the late evening and at weekends).
Parking in public garages and enclosed parking areas is charged per each full or incomplete hour or for the entire day.
FINES
Vehicles may not be parked where they could pose a danger to other traffic users or obstruct the normal flow of traffic or pedestrians. Parking on pavements is also forbidden unless permitted by traffic signs.
Illegally parked vehicles on road surfaces outside marked parking areas, on the instruction of the Traffic Police, will be towed. If parked on a grass surface, they will be towed on the instruction of the Public Utilities Inspectors. A police fine or public utilities fine and vehicle towing tax are payable.
INFO
Parking Service, Belgrade
Kraljice Marije 7, 11000 Belgrade
tel: +381 (0)11 3035-400 (00-24)
www.parkingservis.co.rs