Serbia on an Indian Licence — Carry the IDP, Switch to the Right

Serbia sits on the overland route between Central Europe and Greece, and its motorways make a hire car the easy way to string Belgrade, Novi Sad and the monasteries of the south together. For an Indian driver the paperwork is lighter than in much of the region; the real change is the side of the road.

Keep right, from the first metre

India drives on the left; Serbia drives on the right. That one reversal explains most first-day mistakes: pulling out of a fuel station into the wrong lane, entering a roundabout against the flow, or looking the wrong way at a junction. Give yourself a quiet stretch for the first half hour and check twice before every turn.

Licence and permit

Article 183 of Serbia’s Road Traffic Safety Act lets a foreigner on a temporary stay drive on a foreign licence or an international driving permit, subject to reciprocity, and requires you to carry proof of how long you have been in the country, in practice the passport entry stamp. Here the treaties work in your favour: the UN Treaty Collection lists both India (1962) and Serbia (2001) as parties to the 1949 Geneva Convention, the format your RTO issues. Get the permit in India before you fly and carry it with the licence and passport. The Driving Permit Checker covers other cases.

Speeds and what a fine costs

The Act sets 50 km/h in built-up areas, 80 km/h on roads outside them, 100 km/h on expressways and 130 km/h on motorways, faster than the 120 km/h top limit the WHO records for India. Going up to 10 km/h over is a fixed RSD 3,000 fine (article 334), and the bands rise steeply from there, with penalty points added. The Speeding Fine Calculator models a ticket, and our guide on who pays driving fines abroad explains what happens when a hire company passes one on.

Alcohol and the kit in the boot

Serbia treats a driver as under the influence above 0.20 mg of alcohol per ml of blood (0.02%, article 187), below the 0.03% the WHO records for India; for probationary and professional drivers the limit is zero. Treat it as no alcohol at all. Canada’s travel advice lists what a car must carry: a first-aid kit, a warning triangle, a tow rope, a working spare tyre and a reflective vest to put on as soon as you step out after a breakdown or crash. Hire cars normally come equipped, but check before leaving the lot.

112 covers emergencies, and the Serbia driving guide has the wider rulebook.

Sources

• Road Traffic Safety Act of Serbia (Zakon o bezbednosti saobraćaja na putevima), consolidated text, arts. 43-44, 183, 187 and 334: paragraf.rs
• UN Treaty Collection, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic (India 1962, Serbia 2001): treaties.un.org
• Global Affairs Canada, travel advice for Serbia (required vehicle equipment): travel.gc.ca
• WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, India profile (0.03 g/dl; 120 km/h motorway maximum): who.int