How do people in Serbia pay online?
Online shopping is growing fast. The Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia reported in October 2025 that 53.6% of internet users had bought something online in the previous three months. National Bank of Serbia (NBS) data show 78.57 million online purchases paid in dinars in 2025, worth RSD 237.4 billion, against 56.47 million worth RSD 162.3 billion in 2024: a rise of about 39% in number and 46% in value.
Cards are widely held. The NBS counted 13.30 million payment cards at the end of 2025. Visa and Mastercard cards are issued alongside DinaCard, the national card scheme run by the NBS, can be used to pay online at domestic merchants that accept it. Co-badged DinaCard cards also work on the Discover, Pulse and Diners Club International networks abroad.
IPS is the instant alternative. The NBS instant payment system, IPS NBS, went live on 22 October 2018, runs every day of the year and moves money in seconds, up to RSD 300,000 per payment. In the second quarter of 2026 it processed 34.46 million transactions worth RSD 442 billion, up 30.7% on a year earlier, and it set a record of 611,415 payments on 15 October 2026. Online, IPS works as IPS Skeniraj (IPS Scan): the store shows an IPS QR code that the shopper scans with their m-banking app, or on a phone the shopper picks their bank and taps PAY to open the app, then confirms with a PIN, fingerprint or another approval method.
IPS is cheaper for merchants. The NBS says banks charge merchants significantly lower fees for IPS payments than for cards, and the interchange fee on IPS payments at the point of sale is 0.2%. The NBS also says the payer pays no fee for IPS payments at a point of sale.
What rules shape online payments in Serbia?
Payments between residents are made in dinars. Under the Law on Foreign Exchange Operations, payments between residents in Serbia must be in dinars, with listed exceptions. One of them lets residents buy software and other digital products online in foreign currency by card, through a Serbian payment service provider. A merchant selling physical goods to Serbian shoppers through a local entity should price and collect in RSD.
Card surcharges are banned. Article 41 of the Law on Payment Services stops merchants charging customers a fee for paying by card.
Shoppers have 14 days to withdraw. The new Consumer Protection Law, published in Official Gazette No. 35/2026, keeps the consumer’s right to withdraw from a distance contract within 14 days without giving a reason (Article 29) and the seller’s duty to refund within 14 days (Article 35).
Foreign sellers register for VAT from the first sale. The standard VAT rate is 20%, with a reduced rate of 10%. Under the Law on Value Added Tax, a foreign supplier that sells to consumers in Serbia must appoint a tax representative and register for VAT, whatever its turnover.
Personal data rules reach foreign stores. The Law on Personal Data Protection (Official Gazette No. 87/2018) applies to controllers abroad that offer goods or services to people in Serbia, and Article 44 requires them to appoint a representative in Serbia.
How would Omno route payments in Serbia?
A merchant would connect once and set routing rules per method, currency and customer group. In Serbia:
- Card pay-ins can be routed by BIN, so Visa, Mastercard and DinaCard cards go to providers that accept each scheme, with cascading to the next provider in the rule if one is unavailable or rejects the request.
- DinaCard would be sent only to acquirers that accept the national scheme, so shoppers with DinaCard cards are not declined at the first step.
- IPS Skeniraj would be offered in the hosted checkout through a Serbian provider, with the QR code on a computer or the PAY button on a phone, and the order pending until the bank confirms.
Webhooks would report the final status of every payment, the record a back office should trust before shipping an order, and the routing-decision log would show which provider handled each payment and why.
What should merchants plan for?
Plan for dinars. Serbian residents pay each other in RSD, and the foreign-currency exception covers only software and digital products bought by card through a Serbian provider.
Plan for DinaCard acceptance. A card route that cannot process the national scheme declines some domestic cardholders, so check which acquirers accept it.
Plan for VAT and a representative. A foreign seller to Serbian consumers needs a tax representative and VAT registration from the first sale, and a representative under the personal data law.
Plan for IPS as a low-cost option. It runs on national infrastructure, costs merchants less than cards and lets shoppers pay by scanning a QR code.