Svoj na svome: 2.7 Million Filings, Deadline Is Midnight

The Republic Geodetic Authority (RGZ) has received 2,700,000 applications under the Svoj na svome law so far, and the extended deadline for registering illegally built structures expires tonight at midnight. Acting RGZ director Dalibor Babic gave the figures to Tanjug: of the total, about 200,000 applications arrived during the extended window.

The numbers from midweek are consistent with this. Aleksandra Sofronijevic, the caretaker minister of construction, transport and infrastructure, said on Wednesday, October 21, that 2,527,000 applications came in within the statutory deadline and slightly fewer than 200,000 afterward.

How many buildings have actually been registered?

An application is not the same as a registration. According to Babic, the state has so far issued 1.2 million certificates confirming ownership rights over buildings constructed in violation of building regulations, and the cadastre registers about 11,500 buildings a day. RGZ expects to process all certificates issued to date within the next few days.

He said staff have been reassigned to make that happen:

“We have deployed the maximum capacity of RGZ, meaning that all employees who worked on other tasks have been redirected so that we can process all certificates in the shortest possible time, so that citizens have their property registered in the cadastre,” Babic said.

The certificates, or the reports on which registration is based, can also be delivered to a home address. The document “Your Real Estate ID Card” can be picked up free of charge at any real estate cadastre office, with no appointment, and Babic says it carries the same weight as a property sheet.

What should you bring, and where do you file today?

Applications are accepted through the Svoj na svome portal, at Serbian Post counters and at municipal offices. Electronic applications are accepted until midnight on October 24, post offices keep regular hours, and municipalities and cities have been asked to open special filing points and stay open into the evening.

In Belgrade, duty counters are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the City Administration building at Queen Marija Street 1, on the 15th floor. Babic describes the required paperwork as simple:

“The documentation to be submitted is simple: bring your ID card and know exactly which building you are filing for, that is, the parcel number and the municipality where the property is located.”

Because this is the extended deadline, the application must also include proof that filing earlier was not possible: illness of the applicant or a family member, a stay outside Serbia, or an administrative obstacle.

What if the paperwork is incomplete?

A request can be filed even without complete documentation. If something is missing, the Agency for Spatial Planning and Urbanism will tell the applicant what to submit. Most often these are sketches of a separate part of the building prepared by licensed professionals, along with proof of legal continuity, from the owner of the parcel to the person who filed the application. Babic says there have been few incomplete applications so far, and he urges people to file anyway:

“The most important thing is to file the request. The state’s goal is to record all real estate.”

How much does registration cost, and who is exempt?

Registration costs range from 100 to 1,000 euros, depending on the size of the building and its location. The following groups are exempt from the fee:

• recipients of social assistance
• people with disabilities
• war veterans
• single parents
• families with three or more children

Applications opened on December 8, 2025, the regular deadline expired on February 8, 2026, and the extended window was left for those who had justified reasons for missing it. The law also provides that buildings erected without a construction permit or an approval for works after the law took effect are registered as state property.