site.btaRegistration Deadline for Illegal Buildings in Serbia Expires: 980 Applications Filed in Bosilegrad

The deadline for submitting applications for registration of illegally constructed buildings in Serbia under the law on the special conditions for recording and registering rights to real estate expired on February 8. According to data from the Urban Planning and Construction Department of the Bosilegrad administration, 860 applications for houses, residential and public buildings, as well as 120 applications for streets and roads, have been submitted through the local government.

At the national level, nearly 2.5 million applications have been submitted, with houses, apartments, and auxiliary buildings accounting for the largest share. The highest number of applications was registered in Belgrade, followed by Nis, Kragujevac, and Novi Sad.

The initial deadline for submitting documents was February 5, but due to the high level of interest, it was extended by three days, finally ending at midnight on February 8. Nearly 13% of the total number of applications was received during the extended period.

Serbia's Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Aleksandra Sofronijevic said that citizens who were unable to submit their applications on time for valid reasons such as illness or absence from the country will have the opportunity to do so until October 24.

The main objective of the legislation is for illegal buildings to be registered and then entered in the real estate cadastre, which will enable citizens to freely dispose of their property through sale, inheritance, mortgage or to legally connect to utilities and other infrastructure.

The law also introduces zero tolerance for new illegal construction. After it comes into force, all new properties built without a building permit or without a decision approving construction activities will be registered as state property.

The legislation provides that if an owner does not register their property within the specified period, the state has the right to register the property in its name and decide whether to keep it, use it, or remove it, if it is deemed to threaten the public interest.