International Driving Permit not needed for entrance to Serbia - Border police deny foreign media's allegations

Chief of the Serbian border police administration Nenad Banovic denied Friday (July 22nd, 2011) that drivers at border crossings in Serbia were fined if they did not have an International Driving Permit (IDP) along with a driver's license issued by their home country.

- That is absolutely not true. Serbia and the European Union have signed a bilateral agreement stipulating that an International Driving Permit is not required. Period. Someone is spreading false information and I deny such allegations - Banovic told Beta news agency.

Banovic stressed that the border police of Serbia were doing a good job and enabling quick flow of people and goods, as well as that the stories about alleged fines for drivers from the European Union were not good because they hindered their regular operations.

- Since early June, we have been contacted by many people who were fined up to EUR 250 at the Serbian border crossings despite having a valid driver's license - Thomas Heider, a traffic expert at the Automobile, Motorcycle and Bicycle Association of Austria (ARBO), told the Swiss info portal 20minutes on Friday (July 22nd, 2011).