On 24 February 2020 the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia adopted the Registry of Real Estate, Overhead Lines and Underground Ducts (Registration Procedure) Amendment Act (“Registration Procedure Act”). The amendments will enter into force on 3 March 2020, while certain provisions shall apply as from 31 March 2020.
The main idea was to simplify the procedure before the Republic Ordnance Survey Authority.
- A key change concerns Article 39 of the Registration Procedure Act, which now stipulates that service of procedural documents to parties will be effected in the form of an electronic document via single electronic mailbox. If a party does not have the electronic mailbox, decisions and other relevant files issued by the Republic Ordnance Survey Authority will be (i) printed as copies of the electronic document; (ii) certified; and (iii) delivered to the party by post. Service has also been simplified in instances when a party is not found at its given address. In this case, the party will now be able to collect the correspondence within 15 days, which runs from the attempted delivery date. If a party fails to collect the correspondence within the deadline, the correspondence shall be considered served 30 days after the date the decision is posted on the website of the Republic Ordnance Survey Authority.
- The second but just as important amendment concerns the launch of the Registry’s E-Bulletin Board which will give parties greater access and increase the availability of rendered decisions. Under these amendments, the Republic Ordnance Survey Authority is required to ensure that parties can quickly and efficiently find decisions by searching for them using the name and surname of the party and the personal ID number for private individuals or by business name and registration number if the decision being searched for pertains to a legal entity.
The amendments should have further benefits to the parties. Considering that a considerable amount of time is spent during the registration procedure on ensuring proper delivery of correspondence, it is expected that the amendments will streamline procedures before the Republic Ordnance Survey Authority, thus saving time and also tax payers’ money.
Authors: Milinko Mijatović and Suzana Dončić
