Banks as Professional Users – A Step Toward More Efficient and Accessible Operations

In today’s business environment, banks are key partners to both the economy and citizens, as they enable investment financing, business development, and the execution of numerous legal and financial transactions. For this reason, their role in processes related to real estate transactions, including property registration procedures in the real estate cadastre—is of particular importance. Efficient cooperation between banks and competent institutions directly affects the speed of loan disbursement, the legal certainty of all parties involved, and the overall stability of the financial system.

Currently, under the applicable Law on the Procedure for Registration in the Real Estate Cadastre, only certain categories of professional users are authorized to independently submit applications through the electronic system. Banks, despite their involvement in a large number of cadastral procedures, are often required to act indirectly through other authorized professionals. In practice, this model leads to additional administrative steps, prolongs the duration of procedures, and creates unnecessary costs for both banks and their clients.

Given that banks operate responsibly and transparently under the strict supervision of the National Bank of Serbia, we believe there is a justified basis to grant them the status of professional users in cadastral registration procedures. By assigning this status, banks would be enabled to independently use the e-counter (e-portal) as an electronic channel for submitting applications, without the need for additional intermediaries.

Such an amendment would have multiple positive effects. First and foremost, it would significantly accelerate procedures related to discharge statements, mortgage statements, and other actions that banks frequently submit in large volumes. Direct access to the electronic system would allow banks to manage their cases more efficiently, reduce administrative burdens, and fulfill their obligations toward clients more quickly.

In addition, simplifying the procedure would contribute to reducing operating costs for both banks and the citizens and businesses that rely on their services. Faster and simpler cadastral registration processes would facilitate the implementation of housing and business loans, as well as the resolution of property-related legal matters linked to bank financing.

On a broader level, this change would contribute to the modernization of administrative procedures and the further digitalization of public administration. Enabling banks, as professional users, to independently submit applications via the e-counter would improve system efficiency, reduce the need for physical documentation and additional intermediaries, and make the process faster, more transparent, and more accessible to all participants.

In this way, banks would be able to deliver their services more efficiently, improve the quality and speed of their operations, and contribute to the development of a more stable and accessible financial environment. Ultimately, both citizens and businesses would benefit from such improvements through faster procedures, lower costs, and greater legal certainty in real estate transactions.