Three founders, a statute and an application to the Business Registers Agency are the core — but one word in the name can send the application back. Here is the whole route, from the founding assembly to the first season.
How do you start a sports club in Serbia without the registry sending your application back? The core is simple: at least three founders, a founding assembly, a founding act and a statute, then registration with the Serbian Business Registers Agency (APR). The traps are in the detail and in the duties that begin after registration. We go through each step with the articles of the Sports Act (Zakon o sportu, 10/2016, in Serbian) behind it.
This is a practical overview, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, so check the current APR founding instructions (in Serbian) and your national federation's (savez) rules before you file.
How to start a sports club: association or company?
The Sports Act (Art. 33) allows two forms. Most clubs are a sports association (sportsko udruženje): voluntary, non-profit and based on a statute. The alternative is a sports company, a limited or joint-stock company whose main activity is sport and which reinvests at least 70% of its net profit in sport (Art. 92). The rest of this guide covers associations.
- No profit distribution: an association cannot pay profit to members (Art. 72(4)).
- Limited trading: one small commercial activity linked to the club's aims, named in the statute (Art. 72).
- The Associations Act applies only where the Sports Act is silent.
Founders, the founding act and the statute
Who can found and represent the club
You need at least three founders (Art. 38(1)): individuals with full legal capacity, normally aged 18 or over, or legal entities (Art. 38(2)). Citizenship is not required — a foreign founder is identified by passport (Art. 39).
The authorised representative (zastupnik) and board members cannot be (Art. 33(2)): people tied to another club at the same competition level, officials of the relevant federation, public or party officials, owners or employees of betting shops, sports agents in that sport, or people convicted of offences listed in the Act. The representative confirms this in a statement under criminal liability.
The founding assembly and founding act
At the founding assembly (Art. 39) the founders adopt and sign the founding act and the statute and elect the representative, who acts for the club with the APR, the bank and the federation. Minutes are taken.
The founding act lists the founders (name, address, Serbian personal ID number or passport details, signature), the aims, the name and seat, the representative and the date. Founders' signatures must be certified by a notary — the rule since 1 March 2017; courts or municipalities certify only where there is no notary.
The statute: 14 required items
The statute must match the federation's rules and is published on the APR website. Under Art. 40(3) it covers:
- name and seat;
- aims, and the sport or discipline;
- governing bodies — powers, election, term and decision-making;
- how internal rules are adopted and amended;
- representation;
- transparency;
- membership conditions, how the fee is set, and members' rights and duties, especially those of minors;
- funding;
- changes of legal status;
- assets on dissolution;
- how financial reports are adopted;
- the form and content of the stamp;
- the commercial activity;
- other matters.
- The assembly meets at least once a year (Art. 55). A club with more than 20 members needs a board of at least three (Art. 56) and a supervisory board (Art. 60).
- Under-14s join with a parent's prior written consent, and the club keeps a register of members (Art. 49); not keeping one means a fine of RSD 100,000 (Art. 177).
- Monthly fees for minors may not exceed one tenth of the previous year's average Serbian wage (Art. 40(7)); breaches are fined under Art. 175.
- The stamp — the statute must define it, and the APR lists it as mandatory for sports associations.
The name: you cannot call it a ‘club’ yet
This is the rule that catches most founders out. At founding the organisation may not use the word ‘klub’ in its name (Art. 35(3)). It adds ‘klub’ only once it competes continuously within the federation's system and the federation confirms it — and the APR then also asks for the sports inspector's decision.
The name must be in Serbian, in Cyrillic, and clearly distinct from others (Arts. 43 and 45). Reserving it with the APR costs RSD 2,000 and holds it for 60 days.
Registering with the APR: documents, fees and timing
The club enters the APR's Register of Sports Associations, Societies and Federations (Art. 65) and becomes a legal entity that day. Through the single registration application it also receives its tax number (PIB).
Document checklist
| Document | What to check |
|---|---|
| Single registration application | The tax number is assigned through it |
| Founding act | Signatures certified by a notary |
| Minutes of the founding assembly | Act and statute adopted, representative elected |
| Statute | All 14 items; consistent with federation rules |
| Decision electing the representative | If the founding act does not name them |
| Copies of ID cards or passports | Legible; passports for foreigners |
| Representative's statement | No bar under Art. 33 |
| Proof of fee payment | RSD 8,000 |
| Branch decision or ministry consent | Special cases only |
Fees and timing
| APR service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Registering the founding | RSD 8,000 (from 1 January 2026) |
| Name reservation, 60 days | RSD 2,000 |
| Change of data | RSD 4,000 + 3,000 per extra item |
| Late-filing surcharge | RSD 6,260 |
| Register extract | RSD 2,500 |
File in person at the APR in Belgrade or a regional office, or by post — the APR lists no online filing for this register. The decision is due within five working days. If the application is rejected for a fixable defect, you can refile once within 30 days at half the fee. Later changes to registered data must be filed within 15 days.
After registration: federation, coaches, medical checks and insurance
The register holds the club's company number, tax number, bank account and federation membership, and the APR passes the data to the sports ministry's central records.
Federation and player registration
A club competes only as a member of its national federation (Art. 35(7)), which must admit it within 60 days of a complete application if the statute fits its rules (Art. 97(3)). Under the rulebook on minimum conditions (Pravilnik 42/2017), athletes are registered with the federation by the next transfer window or within three months of APR registration.
Licensed coaches only
Only sports professionals with a federation licence to work, normally valid for three years, may coach (Arts. 27–31). Coaching under-16s requires higher education in physical education and sport, or special training. Contracts with unqualified people are void; fines are RSD 500,000–2,000,000 for using a non-professional and RSD 100,000–1,000,000 for an unlicensed one.
Medical checks and insurance
An athlete may compete only with general health fitness established in the previous six months (Art. 19), recreational members included — see our guide to athlete medical checks. Insurance is mandatory only for elite athletes and professionals (Art. 21), with minimum cover of €10,000 for death, €20,000 for permanent and €5,000 for temporary incapacity; a federation may require insurance through it.
Minimum conditions and annual report
- One team registered with the federation (team sports), five registered athletes (individual sports) or five athletes with signed membership forms (recreation).
- At least one suitable sports professional, plus one per 160 athletes.
- An office of at least 6 m² with a toilet (12 m² at national level) and a first-aid kit.
- Ongoing medical monitoring; for camps over seven days, under-16s need a health certificate from their doctor.
- Business books, and an annual financial report or statement of inactivity filed with the APR by 31 March, electronically with the representative's qualified e-signature (Accounting Act, Art. 44).
Annual calendar of obligations and common mistakes
One duty has nothing to do with the APR, so it is easy to miss: club, athlete and staff data for the national records of the Institute for Sport and Sports Medicine is due by the end of February, and changes within 30 days (Art. 168). Missing it costs RSD 100,000–1,000,000.
| Deadline | Obligation | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| End of February | National records for the previous year | Sports Act, Art. 168 |
| 31 March | Financial report or statement of inactivity | Accounting Act, Art. 44 |
| Once a year at least | Assembly meeting | Sports Act, Art. 55 |
| Every six months | Medical check for every athlete | Sports Act, Art. 19 |
| 15 days after a change | File the change with the APR | APR |
| 30 days after a change | Update the national records | Sports Act, Art. 168 |
| Transfer window or 3 months | Register athletes with the federation | Pravilnik 42/2017 |
| Before a licence expires | New licence for each coach | Sports Act, Arts. 27–31 |
Common mistakes
- ‘Klub’ in the name at founding.
- Founders' signatures not notarised.
- No representative's statement.
- Changes filed after 15 days.
- No annual assembly; no register of members.
- Fees for minors above the cap.
- Unlicensed coaches, or coaches unqualified for under-16s.
- Missed national records or financial report deadlines.
Where Clubiqo fits in
Clubiqo is not a legal service and files nothing with the APR. But several duties in this guide come down to good records, and an app can keep those for you:
- Members with groups, dates of birth and parents in one place — a tidy basis for the register of members.
- Membership fees — set prices for the club, a group or a member, and schedule changes from next month. Keeping fees for minors under the legal cap is still your job. See membership fee tracking.
- Medical checks — expiry is calculated from the exam date, with an ‘Expiring soon’ status 30 days before.
- Online enrolment — parents register their child through a link or QR code from the mobile app; see online club registration.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to start a sports club in Serbia?
The fixed APR cost is RSD 8,000 for registering the founding. Add the notary's fee for certifying the founders' signatures and, optionally, RSD 2,000 to reserve the name. Running costs — bookkeeping, the stamp and any obligations towards the federation — depend on the sport and the federation, so check them in advance to budget realistically for the first year.
Can a foreigner start a sports club in Serbia?
Yes. The Sports Act does not require Serbian citizenship: a foreign founder is identified in the founding act by passport details (Art. 39). The usual rules still apply — at least three founders with full legal capacity and a representative who is not barred under Art. 33(2). Ask the APR how it wants foreign founders' details submitted before you file.
When can a club use the word ‘klub’ in its name?
Only once it competes continuously within its national federation's system and the federation confirms it (Art. 35(3)). You then file a change of name with the APR, with the sports inspector's decision. The sport comes first — ‘Handball Club’, for example — and a multi-sport club uses ‘sports club’. Using ‘klub’ without meeting the conditions carries fines of RSD 500,000 to 2,000,000.
Conclusion
Starting a sports club in Serbia takes a handful of steps: three founders, an assembly, a founding act and a statute with all 14 items, a name without ‘klub’, and an APR application with the RSD 8,000 fee. The heavier part comes after — federation membership, licensed coaches, six-monthly medical checks, national records by the end of February and the financial report by 31 March. Check the current rules with the APR and your federation at each step.
If you want member, fee and medical records in an app from day one, try Clubiqo free for 14 days, no card required — or start with our free membership fee spreadsheet.