Frontier controls

• Sanitary inspection
• Veterinary inspection
• Phytosanitary inspection
• Safety of Food and Feed
• Chemicals Registry
• Waste

Frontier controls

Goods crossing the customs line of the Republic of Serbia, besides the customs control, are subject to other frontier inspections, such as sanitary, veterinary and phytosanitary inspection, control of  compliance with technical standards and quality control. 

Customs control is of a general nature and applies to all goods crossing the frontier, while other controls relate only to certain goods.

In order to promote the international trade by facilitating the passage of goods at frontiers, the International Convention on the Harmonization of Frontier Controls of Goods was adopted. The Convention entered into force on 15 October 1985.

The Convention defines the following frontier controls:

• Customs control means measures aimed to ensure compliance with the laws and regulations which the Customs are responsible for enforcing;
• Medico-sanitary inspection means the inspections exercised for the protection of the human life and health, with the exception of veterinary inspection;
• Veterinary inspection means the sanitary inspection applied to animals and products of animal origin with a view to protecting the human and animal life and health, as well as that carried out on objects or goods which could serve as a carrier for animal diseases;
• Phytosanitary inspection means the inspection intended to prevent the spread and introduction across national boundaries of pests of plants and plant products; 
• Control of compliance with technical standards means the control to ensure that goods meet the minimum of international or national standards specified by relevant laws and regulations
• Quality control means any control, other than those referred to above to ensure that the goods correspond to the minimum international or national definitions of quality specified by relevant laws and regulations. 

As the customs service is present at all frontiers, and as its interventions are of a general nature, other controls are organized in a harmonized manner with customs controls. The Customs should be kept fully informed of the requirements prescribed by laws and regulations, which may lead to the operation of other than customs controls. When it is found that other controls are necessary, the Customs ensures that the competent services are informed. On the basis of the results of controls, Control services decide on the subsequent treatment of goods. Based on this decision, Customs subject the goods to the appropriate customs procedure prescribed by the law.

Except Customs, other interested persons, especially participants in international trade, must be fully informed of the requirements prescribed by laws or regulations leading to the specific control operations.

Relating medico-sanitary inspection, the information on the following shall be readily available to any interested person (importers, exporters etc.): 

• the goods subject to the medico-sanitary inspection;
• the places where the goods may be presented for the inspection;
• the requirements prescribed by laws and regulations relating to the medico-sanitary inspection, as well as their procedures of general application.

Where the veterinary inspection is in question, it is necessary to ensure that the interested persons have an easy access to information on:

• the goods subject to veterinary inspection;
• the places where the goods may be presented for inspection;
• the compulsory notifiable diseases;
• the requirements as set out in laws and regulations concerning veterinary inspection as well as their procedures of general application.

Relating to phytosanitary inspection, the information on the following shall be readily available to any interested person:

• goods subject of special phytosanitary conditions;
• the places where particular plants and plant products may be presented for inspection;
• the list of pests of plants and plant products for which prohibitions and restrictions  are in force;
• the list of requirements as set out in laws and regulations concerning phytosanitary inspection, as well as their procedures of general application.

As to the control of compliance with technical standards, the information on the following shall be readily available to any interested person:

• the standards applied;
• the places where the goods may be presented for inspection;
• the requirements as set out in laws and regulations concerning the control of compliance with technical standards, as well as their procedures of general application.

Concerning the quality control, the information on the following shall be readily available to any interested person:

• the places where the goods may be presented for control;
• the requirements as set out in laws and regulations relating the quality control, as well as their procedures of general application.