As of January 1 this year, the state is allocating 2.5 thousand euros for each first child in the family, and 800 euros for the second and third.
In addition, mothers of children born on or after January 1 will be able to receive state aid when buying an apartment, more precisely from 10,000 to 20,000 euros, under certain conditions.
One of the measures of the state, which is in the same “package”, announced the possibility that from this year, students who decide to have children will be able to take exams outside the prescribed exam deadlines, provided that the faculty is completed by 26 or in the case of those in the medical field up to the age of 28.
A few days before the end of 2021, the Assembly of Serbia adopted the Proposal of Amendments to the Law on Financial Support to Families with Children, which increases the one-time allocation for the first child in the family from 800 to 2.5 thousand euros, and for the second and third child 800 euros.
In addition to the one-time assistance for another child, there is already a parental allowance, which is currently two thousand euros, and is paid in 24 installments of 83 euros per month. For the third child, families receive the amount of 12.7 thousand euros in 120 installments, 105 euros per month, while for the fourth child, 19.4 thousand euros are allocated in 120 installments.
According to the latest information from the website of the Ministry of Child Care and Demography, the parental allowance for the fourth child is 160 euros per month. In addition, a lump sum of 40 euros is allocated from the national budget for the purchase of baby equipment.
When it comes to the possibility for the mother to receive financial aid for the purchase of an apartment or house, the exact amount is not yet known, but what is known is that this right can be exercised by a mother who is a citizen of Serbia and has a residence in the country.
Foreign citizens who are permanently residing in Serbia and have a child born in our country will also have the right to money for an apartment or a house. A mother who fulfills the conditions can apply for help one year after the birth of the child, and she will not be able to sell the property for five years.
Apart from these, the condition for the mother to exercise this right is that she is not deprived of parental rights in the case of older children and that she directly takes care of them, as well as that she was not the owner of a property before. The proposed amendments to the law do not state that the mother must be married, and in the event of her death, the father of the child can also exercise the right.
Announcing the measure, government officials spoke of an amount of 10,000 to 20,000 euros, depending on several factors. For now, it is known that financial aid for the purchase of real estate will be determined on the basis of an assessment of value by the tax authority and the competent authority for geodetic affairs, and the Commission appointed by the Government will be most responsible for allocating money.
One of the announced measures also concerns students, but instead of the announced amendment to the Law on Higher Education, which would introduce unique incentive measures to increase the birth rate and motivate students to become parents, the Serbian Government adopted a Conclusion with recommendations to higher education institutions to bring and arrange their own acts, about which Danas wrote at the end of December.
In that conclusion, the Government recommends higher education institutions to amend their acts and students who are prevented from attending classes, fulfilling pre-examination obligations and taking exams due to pregnancy, childbirth and child care, as well as students who have become parents and are prevented from attending classes obligations and taking exams independently of regular exam deadlines, and to determine more favorable conditions for enrollment in the next year of study and enable extension of deadlines for completion of studies.
According to the Government, these students should be exempted from additional costs related to the extension of deadlines, costs of exam applications and other costs arising from the recognized more favorable study conditions until the age of 26 or 28 for medical science students, Danas reports.
