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Serbia — SEF e-Invoicing

Serbia — Sistem Elektronskih Faktura (SEF)

Last Updated: 2026-02-20 Confidence Level: HIGH (verified from official sources and regulatory updates)

Overview

Serbia operates a mandatory electronic invoicing system called SEF (Sistem Elektronskih Faktura) for all VAT-liable companies. The system requires all invoices to be transmitted through a central government platform in structured XML format.

1. VAT/PDV Rate and Rules [HIGH]

Standard and Reduced Rates

  • Standard Rate: 20% [HIGH] — applies to most taxable supplies

  • Reduced Rate: 10% [HIGH] — applies to:

    • Basic food products
    • Medicines
    • Daily newspapers and publications
    • Public transportation services
    • Utilities

  • Zero Rate (0%): [HIGH] — applies to:

    • Export of goods
    • Transport and other services directly related to exports
    • International air transport

Filing Frequency [HIGH]

  • Monthly filing: Required for taxpayers with total annual turnover ≥ 50 million RSD
  • Quarterly filing: Allowed for taxpayers with total annual turnover < 50 million RSD
  • Deadline: Within 15 days of the end of each taxable period
  • Foreign businesses: Quarterly filing expected

Tax Authority

  • Poreska Uprava Republike Srbije (Tax Administration of the Republic of Serbia) [HIGH]
  • VAT number format: 9 digits (e.g., 123456789)

Serbia PDV Rate Structure

graph TD
    PDV["PDV (VAT) — Srbija"]

    PDV --> STD["Standardna stopa<br/>20%<br/>Opšte dobavljanje<br/>Većina usluga"]
    PDV --> RED["Smanjena stopa<br/>10%<br/>Osnovna hrana<br/>Lijekovi<br/>Novine<br/>Komunalije<br/>Javni prevoz"]
    PDV --> ZERO["Nulta stopa<br/>0%<br/>Izvoz robe<br/>Međunarodni vazdušni prevoz<br/>Prateće izvozne usluge"]

    PDV --> REG["Prag registracije<br/>8.000.000 RSD<br/>godišnji promet"]
    PDV --> PAUSAL["Paušalni režim<br/>ispod 6.000.000 RSD<br/>godišnji prihodi"]

    FILING["Podnošenje PDV prijave"]
    FILING --> MONTHLY["Mjesečno<br/>promet &ge; 50M RSD<br/>rok: 15 dana nakon perioda"]
    FILING --> QUARTERLY["Kvartalno<br/>promet &lt; 50M RSD<br/>rok: 15 dana nakon kvartala"]

    style PDV fill:#c0392b,color:#fff
    style STD fill:#dc3545,color:#fff
    style RED fill:#fd7e14,color:#fff
    style ZERO fill:#198754,color:#fff
    style FILING fill:#0d6efd,color:#fff
    style MONTHLY fill:#6c757d,color:#fff
    style QUARTERLY fill:#6c757d,color:#fff

2. Electronic Invoicing (SEF System) [HIGH]

Mandatory Timeline

  • B2G (Business-to-Government): Mandatory since January 1, 2022 [HIGH] — all suppliers to government entities
  • B2B (Business-to-Business): Mandatory since January 1, 2023 [HIGH] — all VAT-liable companies in Serbia

Scope [HIGH]

All VAT-liable companies in Serbia must issue and receive e-invoices. This includes:

  • Domestic businesses
  • Foreign entities with fiscal representation dealing with Serbian VAT payers

Technical Format [HIGH]

  • XML format: UBL 2.1 (OASIS Universal Business Language) [HIGH]
  • Standard compliance: Serbian CIUS (Core Invoice Usage Specification) based on EU EN 16931 [HIGH]
  • Platform: efaktura.mfin.gov.rs (Ministry of Finance platform) [HIGH]

Digital Certificate Requirements [MEDIUM]

  • Qualified digital certificates required for invoice signing
  • UNVERIFIED — needs verification from official SEF documentation or local accounting advisor

E-Transport (E-Delivery Notes) [HIGH]

NEW REQUIREMENT — 2026 onwards:

  • Phase 1: January 1, 2026 — mandatory for:
    • Public sector
    • Carriers
    • Excise goods flows
  • Phase 2: October 1, 2027 — full private-to-private coverage
  • Format: UBL 2.1 XML (same as e-invoicing)
  • Platform: Central government platform (similar to SEF)

SEF E-Invoicing Flow

sequenceDiagram
    participant BILKO as Bilko
    participant CERT as Digitalni Sertifikat<br/>(Qualified CA)
    participant SEF as efaktura.mfin.gov.rs<br/>(Ministry of Finance)
    participant BUYER as Kupac (Buyer)
    participant PURS as Poreska Uprava<br/>(Tax Administration)

    Note over BILKO,PURS: B2B mandatory since 01.01.2023

    BILKO->>BILKO: Kreirati fakturu<br/>UBL 2.1 XML format
    BILKO->>BILKO: Validirati EN 16931<br/>Serbian CIUS compliance
    BILKO->>CERT: Potpisati XML<br/>(Qualified digital signature)
    CERT-->>BILKO: Potpisana faktura

    BILKO->>SEF: POST /api/publicApi/salesInvoices<br/>(signed UBL 2.1 XML)
    SEF->>SEF: Validacija formata<br/>i sertifikata

    alt Validacija uspješna
        SEF-->>BILKO: 200 OK + invoiceId<br/>(SEF internal ID)
        SEF->>BUYER: Notifikacija o novoj fakturi
        BUYER->>SEF: GET /api/purchaseInvoices/:id<br/>(preuzimanje fakture)
        SEF-->>BUYER: UBL 2.1 XML faktura
        BUYER->>BUYER: Procesiranje fakture
        BUYER->>SEF: Potvrda prijema (opciono)
        SEF->>PURS: Real-time reporting<br/>(porezni podaci)
    else Validacija neuspješna
        SEF-->>BILKO: 400 Bad Request<br/>(greška validacije)
        BILKO->>BILKO: Ispraviti fakturu i pokušati ponovo
    end

    Note over BILKO,PURS: Čuvanje 10 godina<br/>Dostupno za poreznu kontrolu

3. Chart of Accounts Standard [HIGH]

  • Governing Law: Law on Accounting (Zakon o računovodstvu) [HIGH]
  • Framework: Kontni Okvir (Chart of Accounts Framework) [HIGH]
  • Official Publication: Službeni glasnik RS No. 95/2014 [HIGH]

Structure [MEDIUM]

The Serbian Chart of Accounts follows a class-based structure typical of Balkan accounting systems:

  • Class 0: Long-term assets (Stalna imovina)
  • Class 1: Current assets (Obrtna imovina)
  • Class 2: Short-term liabilities (Kratkoročne obaveze)
  • Class 3: Capital/Equity (Kapital)
  • Class 4: Long-term liabilities (Dugoročne obaveze)
  • Class 5: Expenses (Rashodi)
  • Class 6: Revenue (Prihodi)
  • Class 7: Cost/Gains-Losses (Troškovi/Dobici-Gubici)
  • Class 8: Off-balance sheet (Vanbilansna evidencija)
  • Class 9: Internal accounting

Requirement [HIGH]

Serbia Kontni Okvir — Class Hierarchy

graph TD
    KO["Kontni Okvir Srbije<br/>(Chart of Accounts Framework)<br/>Zakon o računovodstvu<br/>Sl. glasnik RS br. 95/2014"]

    KO --> BS_SIDE["Bilans Stanja (Balance Sheet)"]
    KO --> PL_SIDE["Bilans Uspjeha (P&L)"]

    BS_SIDE --> CL0["Klasa 0: Stalna imovina<br/>020 Građevinski objekti<br/>021 Mašine i uređaji<br/>023 Računari<br/>[DEBIT]"]
    BS_SIDE --> CL1["Klasa 1: Obrtna imovina<br/>120 Potraživanja od kupaca<br/>140 Novac u banci<br/>141 Blagajna<br/>[DEBIT]"]
    BS_SIDE --> CL2["Klasa 2: Kratkoročne obaveze<br/>210 Dobavljači<br/>240 PDV za uplatu<br/>241 Porez na dohodak<br/>[KREDIT]"]
    BS_SIDE --> CL3["Klasa 3: Kapital<br/>300 Osnovna kapital<br/>330 Neraspoređena dobit<br/>340 Dobit/gubitak<br/>[KREDIT]"]
    BS_SIDE --> CL4["Klasa 4: Dugoročne obaveze<br/>400 Dugoročni krediti<br/>420 Rezervisanja<br/>[KREDIT]"]

    PL_SIDE --> CL5["Klasa 5: Rashodi<br/>510 Troškovi zarada<br/>530 Amortizacija<br/>540 Zakupnina i komunalije<br/>[DEBIT]"]
    PL_SIDE --> CL6["Klasa 6: Prihodi<br/>600 Prihodi od prodaje robe<br/>601 Prihodi od usluga<br/>610 Izvozni prihodi (0% PDV)<br/>[KREDIT]"]
    PL_SIDE --> CL7["Klasa 7: Troškovi<br/>(Cost Accounting)<br/>70 Troškovi prodane robe<br/>71 Troškovi prodanih usluga<br/>[DEBIT]"]

    style KO fill:#c0392b,color:#fff
    style BS_SIDE fill:#0d6efd,color:#fff
    style PL_SIDE fill:#198754,color:#fff
    style CL0 fill:#198754,color:#fff
    style CL1 fill:#198754,color:#fff
    style CL2 fill:#dc3545,color:#fff
    style CL3 fill:#6f42c1,color:#fff
    style CL4 fill:#dc3545,color:#fff
    style CL5 fill:#fd7e14,color:#fff
    style CL6 fill:#0d6efd,color:#fff
    style CL7 fill:#6c757d,color:#fff

4. Record Keeping Requirements [HIGH]

Retention Period [HIGH]

  • 10 years for all accounting records:
    • Daily cash transactions
    • Business books
    • Accounting documents
    • VAT records

Electronic Storage [HIGH]

  • Allowed: Yes, electronic storage is permitted
  • Requirement: Records must be kept in the original form in which they were created
  • Compliance: Must follow Law on Electronic Documents and related bylaws
  • Qualified System Required: Electronic archiving must guarantee:
    • Authenticity
    • Reliability
    • Integrity
    • Usability

Audit Trail [HIGH]

  • E-invoices must remain accessible to Tax Authorities for audit purposes for the full 10-year retention period

5. MVP Impact Assessment

MVP-CRITICAL (Must Have for Legal Operation)

  1. SEF Integration [HIGH PRIORITY]

    • UBL 2.1 XML invoice generation
    • API integration with efaktura.mfin.gov.rs platform
    • Real-time invoice transmission
    • Digital certificate handling

  2. PDV (VAT) Calculation [HIGH PRIORITY]

    • Support for 20% standard, 10% reduced, 0% export rates
    • Automatic VAT calculation on transactions
    • VAT report generation for monthly/quarterly filing

  3. Serbian Chart of Accounts [HIGH PRIORITY]

    • Predefined Serbian Kontni Okvir structure (Classes 0-9)
    • Mapping of transactions to correct account codes
    • Support for Serbian language in accounting records

  4. Electronic Record Storage [HIGH PRIORITY]

    • 10-year retention capability
    • Original format preservation
    • Audit trail for all transactions
    • Export functionality for tax authority audits

FUTURE (v2 or Later)

  1. E-Transport (E-Delivery Notes) [MEDIUM PRIORITY]

    • Not critical for initial MVP (Phase 1 begins Jan 2026)
    • Required only for:
      • Companies selling to public sector
      • Logistics/carrier companies
      • Excise goods (alcohol, tobacco, fuel)
    • Can be added when targeting these segments

  2. Advanced VAT Features [LOW PRIORITY]

    • Reverse charge mechanism
    • Cross-border VAT (intra-EU supplies)
    • Tax exemption handling for specific sectors

  3. Multi-Currency Support [LOW PRIORITY]

    • Initial MVP can focus on RSD (Serbian Dinar) only
    • Foreign currency transactions can be added later

Implementation Notes for Bilko

Critical Path

  1. SEF XML Generation Engine: Core requirement — without this, invoices are not legally valid
  2. Digital Certificates: Must acquire qualified certificates for invoice signing — partner with local CA (Certification Authority)
  3. Platform API: Study efaktura.mfin.gov.rs API documentation — may require Serbian language documentation
  4. Local Testing: Must test with Serbian Tax Administration sandbox before production

Risks

  • Language Barrier: Official documentation likely in Serbian only
  • Certificate Complexity: Qualified digital certificates may require local company registration
  • API Availability: Government API reliability may vary
  • Compliance Changes: Regulations updated frequently — need monitoring system

Recommendation

Hire local Serbian accounting advisor for:

  • Verification of all technical requirements
  • Digital certificate acquisition process
  • Sandbox testing coordination
  • Ongoing compliance monitoring

Sources

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