The National Bank of Serbia (“NBS”) has established the Central Register of Electronic Bills of Exchange (“CReM”), which became operational on 1 December 2025. It enables the issuance and use of bills of exchange also in electronic form. This represents a significant step forward compared to the previous system, under which bills of exchange existed exclusively in paper form. We note that the introduction of electronic bills of exchange does not affect the validity or use of existing paper bills of exchange.

An electronic bill of exchange is defined as a promissory note containing the “without protest” clause, that is issued, stored and used in electronic form in the CReM. The CReM enables all actions related to bills of exchange – creation, issuance, transfer, presentation for payment, and deletion – to be carried out electronically and without paper documentation.

As of December 2025 banks are required to enable legal entities and entrepreneurs, as their clients, the use of electronic bills of exchange via electronic or mobile banking. This option is to be extended to individuals, at latest by the end of November 2026.

All data on electronic bills of exchange shall be securely stored in the CReM, as an integral part of the Register of Bills of Exchange and Authorizations, which has the legal status of a public record. Access is provided through electronic and mobile banking applications, using a qualified electronic signature. In judicial and enforcement proceedings, extracts from the CReM, issued by the NBS, will be used as official and reliable documents.

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