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Homologation of an imported car in Serbia: the vehicle check and the ABS certificate

What people in Serbia call homologation of an imported used car is, in law, the examination (kontrolisanje) of a vehicle imported as used: an authorised body such as AMSS-CMV inspects the car in person, and the Road Traffic Safety Agency (ABS) issues the certificate. On two 2026 price lists, the body's fee and the state fees come to 20,680 to 21,850 RSD for a car. Without the certificate the car cannot be registered.

What is homologation of an imported car?

What people call homologation is, in law, the examination (kontrolisanje) of a vehicle imported as used: a check that the car meets the legal conditions before it goes into traffic (Road Traffic Safety Law, article 249; Pravilnik o ispitivanju vozila). The legal term homologation means type approval, a different procedure.

It is required for every car imported as used, that is, one whose first registration was at least 6 months ago. Oldtimers and competition vehicles are exempt.

Who checks the car, and who issues the certificate?

ABS issues the certificate; a body it has authorised inspects the car and writes the report. The ABS list of 30 March 2026 has 474 testing places run by eight bodies: AMSS-CMV, Laboratorija CIAH of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Belgrade, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Niš, Srbolab, Profi Lab, CIRD Automotive Inspection, Auto Visit and Tehnolab CMV. AMSS-CMV runs about 256 of them.

Some are at border crossings or in customs terminals, such as the AMSS-CMV testing place at Niš airport.

Before or after customs clearance?

Customs does not ask for the certificate: it is a condition for registration, not for import. The car can be examined after clearance or, with customs approval, taken out of the customs warehouse temporarily and examined before clearance ends (Customs Law, article 205); the certificate is then attached to the JCI. Temporary removal is not possible from temporary storage.

When customs cannot establish Euro 3 from the documents (see the import rules guide for which cars), it needs ABS to confirm it; an examination certificate obtained before clearance may serve as that confirmation.

How do you file the request?

The owner or a person the owner authorises, such as a customs agent (špediter), brings the car and the request to the testing place. Bring:

  • the foreign registration document, in the original;
  • the JCI, if the car is already cleared;
  • an authorisation, if someone files for you;
  • proof of payment of the fees, which are paid once the request is filed.

Bring the CoC if you have it; it is required only in some cases (see the CoC guide).

What does it cost?

The state sets two fees, paid after filing with the seven-digit request confirmation number in the payment reference (accounts on the ABS procedure page):

  • 430 RSD republic administrative tax;
  • 3,000 RSD to ABS for the certificate (Government price decree, Službeni glasnik RS 83/2021, 30/2024 and 17/2025).

The testing body's own fee comes on top. For a car, Srbolab charges 18,420 RSD (June 2026 price list) and Tehnolab CMV 17,250 RSD (April 2026 price list), both with VAT, so the total at these two comes to 20,680 to 21,850 RSD. We found no current price for AMSS-CMV or the other bodies, so ask for a quote. Some bodies also list a fee for establishing a car's technical data, which may apply to a car without a CoC (Srbolab, June 2026: 8,682 RSD with VAT); ask whether it applies to your car.

What is checked, and when does ABS refuse?

The car is always inspected in person. The body checks the documents, the car's identity (the VIN on the maker's plate must match the stamped VIN), the engine number, the approval marks on lights, mirrors, seat belts and tyres, and whether the steering, brakes and other systems meet the legal requirements. AMSS-CMV says its inspection in Niš takes 20 to 30 minutes and the certificate follows within 24 hours if the documents are complete, the fees paid and the ABS confirmation obtained; that is its own statement, not an official deadline.

Under ABS's notes of September 2019, still published, the request is refused if the car has:

  • right-hand drive (no later conversion is allowed);
  • a chip-tuned engine, even if the power increase is recorded or the engine restored to factory state;
  • a permanently damaged stamped VIN;
  • modifications not recorded in its foreign registration document;
  • a replacement engine below Euro 3;
  • documents that cannot be reconciled with the car.

A car not built for the European market, such as one from the USA, goes through a separate procedure.

The certificate and the next steps

After a positive report ABS issues two copies of the Uverenje o ispitivanju vozila; after a negative one, it issues a decision refusing the request. The status of the case can be checked by VIN on the ABS website.

The certificate does not confirm roadworthiness, so a technical inspection follows, where you show it (see the technical inspection guide). Without the certificate the car cannot be registered.

Common mistakes

  • "The request goes to the Agency, which sends CMV an order to check the car." You hand in the request at the testing place, with the car.
  • "You get a homologation certificate, or a certificate of conformity." The document is the Uverenje o ispitivanju vozila, issued by ABS; a certificate of conformity (potvrda o saobraznosti) is the CoC.
  • "The CoC is compulsory." Only in some cases (see the CoC guide).
  • "The check is possible only after clearance." With customs approval it can also be done before clearance ends.
  • "Institut Vinča does the checks." It was authorised in 2013 but is not on the list of 30 March 2026.
  • "The check costs 6,000 RSD." No body or date is given for that figure; two 2026 price lists show 17,250 to 18,420 RSD with VAT for the check alone.
  • "The tax is 380 RSD." It is now 430 RSD.

Next step

Work out the whole cost

Sources

The official laws, decisions and pages this guide rests on, read on 23/09/2026. Rules and amounts change, so check the ones that matter to you before you buy.