ConsentID in Serbia: Your Guide to Online Government Services and Electronic Signatures

What is ConsentID and why is it needed in Serbia?

Moving and adapting to life in Serbia inevitably involves a lot of paperwork. To simplify these processes and reduce visits to government institutions, ConsentID was created—a key digital tool available to both individuals and entrepreneurs (preduzetniks).

Essentially, ConsentID is a free and modern alternative to the traditional electronic signature. Its main advantage is mobility. To authorize on government portals, you don't need a computer, special software, or a specific operating system. All you need is a smartphone running Android or iOS.

This tool provides full access to all government websites and online services in Serbia, making interaction with the bureaucratic system much simpler. Below are the key concepts related to the e-services system.

Preparation: Residence Permit and Linking to a Sole Proprietorship

The main requirement for a foreigner to obtain ConsentID is having a residence permit in Serbia, known as 'boravak' (bòravak). Without this document, access to the service is impossible.

If you plan to use ConsentID as an entrepreneur (preduzetnik), you need to take another important step. After receiving your residence permit, you must visit the Business Registers Agency (APR) and add your residence permit number (EBS) to your sole proprietorship's data. If you registered your sole proprietorship while already having a residence permit and provided its number during registration, you can skip this step.

To check if your residence permit is linked to your sole proprietorship's data, you need to follow a few simple steps:

1. Go to the APR search website (pretraga.apr.gov.rs) and find your sole proprietorship.
2. Open the 'Lični podaci preduzetnika' (Personal data of the entrepreneur) section.
3. Find the 'Lični broj za strance' (Personal number for foreigners) field. It should contain your 13-digit number from your residence permit, which starts with your date of birth.

If this field is empty or contains incorrect data, you must contact the APR to update it. Without a correct link, using ConsentID for business purposes will be impossible.

Step-by-Step Guide to Obtaining ConsentID

The process of obtaining ConsentID is quite simple but requires attention to detail. Before you start, it is recommended to disable ad blockers (Adblock) and automatic page translation in your browser to avoid potential issues on government websites. If you already have an account on the e-government portal, first check if your residence permit number (EBS) is linked to it. If not, you will have to create a new account.

For new users, the process is as follows:

1. Register on the e-government portal eid.gov.rs.
2. Download the ConsentID mobile app to your smartphone (available for Android and Apple).
3. Visit one of the official branches for issuing ConsentID with your international passport. The procedure usually takes no more than 5 minutes. The employee will ask for your EBS (the 13-digit number from your residence permit).
4. You will be given a paper document with a QR code and asked to create a PIN for future use in the app. Carefully check that your email and EBS are correct on the issued document.

Sometimes, branch employees may not be aware of the procedure. In this case, you should politely insist or go to another branch from the official list. There are verified issuance points in Belgrade and Novi Sad, for example, at the central post offices or Alta branches.

After receiving the QR code, you need to activate it. To do this, log in to the eid.gov.rs website via the mobile app, enter your email, and confirm the login via a PUSH notification on your phone using the PIN you created. Successful activation is confirmed by the status 'Mobilna aplikacija ConsentID je aktivna' (ConsentID mobile application is active) in your personal account.

How to Issue a Cloud-Based Electronic Signature

After successfully activating ConsentID, you can proceed to the next important step: issuing a cloud-based electronic signature. It's important to understand the distinction: ConsentID is used for logging in (authorization) to government portals, while the cloud signature is for legally binding signing of documents and applications online.

Issuing the cloud signature is only possible after ConsentID is fully active. The process is completely remote and takes just a few minutes.

To do this, you need to perform the following steps:

1. Log in to the eid.gov.rs portal using the ConsentID mobile app.
2. Go to the cloud signature management page in your personal account.
3. Click the 'Issue' button.

After this, the system will generate your qualified electronic certificate. To confirm it was successful, return to the same page. You should see the message: 'A qualified electronic certificate in the cloud is active'. This means your cloud signature is ready to be used for signing documents on all Serbian government services.

Obtaining ConsentID if You Already Have Another Electronic Signature

If you already have a valid qualified electronic signature in Serbia (for example, on a USB token or smart card), the process of obtaining ConsentID is much simpler. You will not need to visit government institutions in person.

The entire procedure is done online directly from your personal account on the e-government portal. This is a convenient way to switch to a more modern and mobile authentication tool without losing access to services.

Here is a step-by-step plan:

1. Download the ConsentID app on your smartphone.
2. On the eid.gov.rs website, select the login method 'Qualified electronic certificate' and log in using your existing electronic signature.
3. In your personal account, find the option for self-issuing ConsentID and follow the instructions.
4. A QR code will appear on the screen, which you need to scan using the ConsentID mobile app.
5. After this, the status 'Mobilna aplikacija ConsentID je aktivna' (ConsentID mobile application is active) will appear in your profile.
6. Don't forget to also issue the cloud signature by clicking the 'Issue' button in the relevant section.

Now you will have two active tools for accessing government services: your old electronic signature and the new mobile ConsentID.

Solving Problems with Signing the Annual Report for a Sole Proprietorship

Entrepreneurs in Serbia who use the 'knjigaš' (bookkeeper) system may encounter a technical problem when trying to sign their annual report in the APR using a cloud signature. The problem appears as follows: after successful authorization via ConsentID, the signer selection field ('Izaберите потписника' - Choose signatory) displays 'null'.

This error occurs because your identification number (EBS/JMBG) is missing from the APR database related to financial reporting, even if it is correctly listed in your sole proprietorship's main data. You can check this on the APR website in the 'Finansijski izveštaji' (Financial Reports) -> 'Evidencija obveznika' (Register of Taxpayers) section. If the JMBG column next to your name is empty, the signature will not work.

• Subject: Problem sa potpisivanjem izveštaja u APR (Problem with signing reports in APR)
• Body: Describe the problem in Serbian, stating that your EBS is entered in the company's data and in the tax office's system (ePorezi), but is missing from the data for signing reports.
• Your details: Full name, PIB (tax identification number), MB (registration number), and EBS (13-digit residence permit number).

Be sure to attach screenshots to the email confirming the problem: the 'null' error, the empty JMBG column in 'Evidencija obveznika', and, if possible, data from your ePorezi and APR personal accounts. The solution may take time and require follow-up, but eventually, technical support should make the necessary changes to the database.