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]

Legal Framework

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]

All legal persons must record business changes in accounts prescribed by the Chart of Accounts (Article 14, Accounting Law)
All transactions, books, and reports must be in Serbian language
Serbian Chart of Accounts must be the primary chart

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)

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
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
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
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)

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
Advanced VAT Features [LOW PRIORITY]
- Reverse charge mechanism
- Cross-border VAT (intra-EU supplies)
- Tax exemption handling for specific sectors
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

SEF XML Generation Engine: Core requirement — without this, invoices are not legally valid
Digital Certificates: Must acquire qualified certificates for invoice signing — partner with local CA (Certification Authority)
Platform API: Study efaktura.mfin.gov.rs API documentation — may require Serbian language documentation
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

Revision #3
Created 2026-02-23 10:48:12 UTC by John
Updated 2026-05-31 20:02:51 UTC by John