Russia and Serbia Move Pension Processing to Digital Data Exchange
Russia and Serbia have signed an agreement to digitize the exchange of pension and benefits data, a move aimed at speeding up social support processing for citizens living across both countries.
A delegation from Russia’s Social Fund visited Belgrade, where agency chairman Sergey Chirkov and Serbian Social Insurance Institute director Zoran Panovich signed a package of documents expanding cooperation in social security. The centerpiece of the deal is an agreement establishing electronic data exchange procedures, allowing employment records and eligibility information to move digitally instead of through paper-based channels.
The two sides also signed a protocol updating working forms and a memorandum of cooperation with Serbia’s Republican Pension and Disability Insurance Fund. The Social Fund of Russia said the documents amount to a practical “fine-tuning” of the bilateral social security agreement that has been in force since March 1, 2019.
The agreement covers old-age, disability and survivor pensions, along with several types of social benefits. At present, 736 Russian citizens living in Serbia receive payments under the arrangement. Ruble-denominated transfers continue without disruption, officials said, but foreign-currency payments have effectively been frozen because of sanctions targeting Russian banks. Russia and Serbia are now jointly exploring alternative channels for cross-border transfers.
