Trade with Serbia

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How you import from and export to Serbia.

UK-Serbia Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement

The UK has signed an agreement with Serbia.

Until the agreement is in effect, trade with Serbia will take place under WTO terms for imports. UK exports will be subject to Serbia’s relevant national legislation.

This guidance provides information on aspects of trade that will change as soon as the UK-Serbia agreement takes effect. It is for UK businesses trading with Serbia.

What the agreement includes

This agreement includes provisions on:

• trade in goods, including provisions on preferential tariffs, tariff rate quotas, rules of origin
• trade in services
• intellectual property, including geographical indications
• government procurement

Tariff rates on goods

Tariff rates for bilateral trade in goods between the UK and Serbia will apply, as set out in the agreement, as soon as it takes effect. However, in some cases, the non-preferential applied rates may in fact be lower because of changes in the UK’s Most Favoured Nation tariff schedule.

Tariff rate quotas

Tariff rate quotas in the agreement have been tailored specifically to the UK.

Rules of origin

Claiming preferential rates for your exports from the UK

Unless you are permitted to provide an origin declaration, you will need to fill in a certificate of origin to claim preferential treatment.

The UK continues to use the EUR1 and EUR-MED format for movement certificates with trade partners that have mutual FTAs with the EU, including Serbia. These movement certificates are identical to those previously in use, but the place of origin on the certificate is now marked as the United Kingdom instead of the European Community. As soon as this agreement takes effect, EUR1 and EUR-MED certificates of origin that have been updated to show the UK will be available from your usual provider, such as the chambers of commerce.

If you previously used an EUR1 form with a mutual EU trading partner, you will be able to use the new EUR1 form that shows the UK as the place of origin. If you previously used an EUR-MED form with a mutual EU trading partner, you will be able to use the new EUR-MED form that shows the UK as the place of origin.

Using EU materials and processing in your exports to Serbia

Under the agreement, you can use EU materials or processing in your exports to Serbia. The UK and Serbia must have fulfilled the necessary requirements set out in the Rules of Origin Protocol. You must also ensure the working or processing you do in the UK goes beyond the minimal operations listed in the agreement and the other relevant conditions are met.

For example, you will not be able to simply package or label a product from the EU and export it to Serbia as a good originating in the UK.

The ability to consider materials from, or processing carried out in, another country as originating when incorporated into your product is called cumulation.

Using materials and/or processing from other countries in your exports to Serbia

If both the UK and Serbia have an agreement with one of the other countries provided for in the Rules of Origin Protocol, under the agreement, you can continue using materials, and in some cases processing, from that country in your exports to Serbia. You must ensure that the working or processing you do in the UK goes beyond the minimal operations listed in the agreement and the other relevant conditions are fulfilled.

Sending your goods to Serbia through the EU and other countries

Goods transited through the EU – and any other country with whom cumulation is applicable – will not be subject to the same restrictions as those in transit through other third countries.

For example, you will be able to split a consignment in the EU when exporting goods to Serbia, provided the goods comprising the consignment have not been entered into free circulation in the EU.

Transit through any other third country is possible provided your goods remain under customs surveillance and do not undergo operations other than unloading, reloading or any operation designed to preserve them in good condition.

Goods in transit and retrospective certificates of origin

If you expect goods to be in transit prior to the entry into effect of the agreement, you can obtain a retrospective certificate of origin. This will show that the goods originated in the UK and are eligible for preferential terms if your goods arrive on, or within 12 months after, the date the UK-Serbia agreement starts to apply.

You can get retrospective certificates of origin from your usual provider as soon as the agreement takes effect.

Geographical indications

Geographical indications ( GIs) protect the geographical names of food, drink and agricultural products.

All of the UK GIs protected under the EU-Serbia agreement continue to be protected under this agreement. GIs produced in Serbia that are protected under the EU-Serbia agreement continue to be protected under this agreement.

The following ‘transborder GIs’ that relate to the territory of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, are protected in this agreement:

• Irish Whisky/Irish Whiskey/Uisce Beatha Eireannach;
• Irish Cream.

gov.uk