Capital gains tax in Serbia 2026: rates, exemptions and crypto rules

Last reviewed: November 2026 · Reviewed by Stéphane Gombauld, tax expert, technologist and digital nomad

You are selling ETF units, some crypto or a flat, and you live in Serbia or plan to move there. This guide shows what Serbia takes on each gain in 2026, which exemptions apply, and how and when you report it.

Serbia capital gains tax in 2026: the key figures

What changed for 2026

• The 15% capital gains rate is unchanged in 2026, as confirmed in PwC's Serbia summary reviewed in August 2026 (secondary).
• The PIT Law was amended several times in 2025 and 2026, most recently in Official Gazette no. 80/2026, according to the Tax Administration's law page. Check the consolidated text before a large sale.
• Dinar amounts in the PIT Law were re-indexed from 1 February 2026. None of the re-indexed items changes the 15% capital gains rate.

Is this guide for you?

Read on if you…

• are a Serbian tax resident with a brokerage account, crypto or property anywhere in the world;
• are moving to Serbia and want to know what happens to gains you already carry;
• own Serbian property or shares from abroad and plan to sell.

Probably not your case if you…

• invest only through a foreign company managed outside Serbia;
• want the full crypto picture, including mining and staking. Start with cryptocurrency taxes in Serbia.

How much capital gains tax do you pay in Serbia?

A capital gain is the profit on selling or otherwise transferring an asset for money or value. Serbia taxes it under the PIT Law at a flat 15%. The base is the sale price minus the purchase price, adjusted under the PIT Law's own rules. The PwC summary of the PIT Law (secondary) lists the covered assets.

Here's the catch on the 10-year rule. It requires more than ten consecutive years of holding. One day short, and the full gain is taxed at 15%. PwC's summary describes the exemption for "capital assets" in general. The PIT Law itself lists the exempt assets, so confirm yours is covered before you time a sale around it, real estate included.

Dividends and interest are investment income, not gains. They are also taxed at 15%, on the gross amount. Interest on dinar savings and on Serbian government bonds is exempt. For every other Serbian tax, see the tax landscape overview of Serbia.

How are crypto gains taxed and reported in Serbia?

Digital assets sit inside the same capital gains rules, at 15%. The Tax Administration (Poreska uprava) sets a specific filing rhythm for them.

The 120-day quarterly deadline

If you transfer digital assets in a way that can produce a gain or a loss, you file form PPDG-3R. The Tax Administration's notice sets the deadline at 120 days after the end of the quarter in which you earned the income. Sell in April and you file by 28 October.

The reinvestment exemption and how you lose it

The PIT Law exempts crypto proceeds invested in a company's share capital. The trap is what happens next. Watch the company's share capital. If it is reduced in the registration year or the next two calendar years, you lose the exemption. The loss takes effect on the date of the capital-reduction decision.

You must tell the tax office within 30 days of losing the right, as the Tax Administration's forms notice explains. Plan any capital reduction around that three-year window. The wider crypto rules are in our cryptocurrency taxes in Serbia guide.

What changes for residents versus non-residents?

Residents are taxed on their worldwide income. A Serbian resident selling US shares through a foreign broker owes Serbian tax on the gain. Nobody withholds it for you, so you file.

Non-residents are taxed only on Serbian-source income, per PwC's summary of Serbian personal taxation (secondary). In practice that means Serbian real estate and stakes in Serbian companies. The 10-year exemption is described as a residents' exemption.

Double tax treaties can shift the taxing right. The Ministry of Finance lists 64 treaty partners; there is no treaty with the United States. Most treaties leave gains on ordinary shares to your country of residence, but real estate gains stay taxable where the property sits. Check the specific treaty.

Timing a move

Tax arises when you sell or transfer for consideration. Moving abroad is not itself a sale under that definition. What matters is when your residence starts and ends. Our guides to obtaining tax residency in Serbia and ceasing tax residency in Serbia explain the tests.

Companies

A Serbian company (d.o.o.) reports capital gains in the same return as operating profit but taxes them separately at 15%. Capital losses can be carried forward for five years. They cannot offset business losses, per PwC's corporate summary (secondary). More in corporate income taxes in Serbia.

How do you report and pay capital gains tax in Serbia?

Capital gains are self-reported on PPDG-3R through the ePorezi portal.

1. Log each disposal: date, asset, quantity, sale price in dinars, purchase price with proof.
2. For digital assets, file PPDG-3R within 120 days after the end of the quarter of the sale.
3. For property and securities, file PPDG-3R as well. The 120-day quarterly rule is set for digital assets; check the deadline for other assets in the Tax Administration's tax calendar.
4. Claim any exemption on the return and keep the evidence. That means proof of an unbroken holding of more than ten years, or the company registration of your crypto investment.
5. Pay the tax and keep the payment proof with your disposal log.

A property sale also triggers a separate 2.5% property transfer tax, per PwC's Serbia other-taxes page (secondary). The details are in specific taxes in Serbia.

Common mistakes (and what they cost)

• Selling just before the ten-year mark. The residents' exemption needs more than ten consecutive years of holding. Cost: 15% of the whole gain.
• Missing the 120-day PPDG-3R deadline for crypto. Late filing is a tax misdemeanour, and interest runs on the unpaid tax. See tax fraud regulations of Serbia.
• Reducing your company's capital too early. A capital reduction within the registration year or the next two years cancels the crypto exemption. Cost: the full 15%, plus a 30-day notice duty.
• Assuming a foreign broker deals with Serbian tax. It does not withhold Serbian tax. Cost: back tax and interest once the gain surfaces.
• No proof of the purchase price. Without contracts or statements you cannot support your base. Cost: tax on a larger gain than you really made.

Frequently asked questions

What is the capital gains tax rate in Serbia in 2026?

A flat 15% for individuals, on the sale price minus the adjusted purchase price. It applies to real estate, shares, securities other than bonds, certain fund units, IP rights and digital assets. Serbian companies tax capital gains separately at 15%. Dividends and interest are investment income, also taxed at 15%.

Is there a holding period exemption in Serbia?

Yes. Residents are exempt on capital assets held for more than ten consecutive years. The hold must be unbroken, and the exemption is described as a residents' rule. The law lists which assets qualify, so confirm your asset type, real estate included, before timing a sale.

How is crypto taxed in Serbia?

Gains on digital assets are capital gains taxed at 15%. You file form PPDG-3R within 120 days after the end of the quarter of the sale. Proceeds invested in a company's share capital can be exempt. The exemption is lost if that company cuts its capital within the registration year or the next two years.

Do non-residents pay capital gains tax in Serbia?

Only on Serbian-source income, such as Serbian real estate or stakes in Serbian companies. A tax treaty with your residence country may move the taxing right on shares to that country. Real estate gains usually stay taxable in Serbia. Gains on foreign assets are outside Serbian tax for non-residents.

Do I pay tax on dividends and interest the same way?

Not quite. Dividends and interest are investment income taxed at 15% on the gross amount, not on a gain. Interest on dinar savings and Serbian government bonds is exempt. Income from abroad that nobody withholds on is self-reported, within 30 days of receipt according to PwC's summary.

Is there a tax when I sell a flat in Serbia besides capital gains?

Yes. A property sale also triggers property transfer tax at 2.5%, separate from any capital gains tax. The Law on Property Taxes names the seller as the taxpayer. Even if a long-holding exemption removes the capital gains tax, the transfer tax still applies.

Related guides

• Cryptocurrency taxes in Serbia – digital asset rules, PPDG-3R and the reinvestment exemption.
• Corporate income taxes in Serbia – how a d.o.o. is taxed on gains and profits.
• How to obtain tax residency in Serbia – when worldwide taxation starts.
• How to cease tax residency in Serbia – what stays taxable after you leave.
• Specific taxes in Serbia – property transfer tax, VAT and more.
• Capital gains tax in Austria – compare a 27.5% flat-rate system.
• Capital gains taxation in Malta – compare an EU remittance-based approach.
• All country tax guides

Sources

• Notices for individuals: PPDG-3R and digital assets – Tax Administration of Serbia
• Personal income tax forms notice – Tax Administration of Serbia
• Law on Personal Income Tax, amendment history – Tax Administration of Serbia
• Indexed dinar amounts of the PIT Law from 1 February 2026 – Tax Administration of Serbia
• Serbia – Individual – Income determination – PwC (secondary)
• Serbia – Individual – Taxes on personal income – PwC (secondary)
• Serbia – Corporate – Income determination – PwC (secondary)
• Double taxation treaties – Ministry of Finance of Serbia

This guide is general information, not personalised tax advice. See how we research and review.