Source: eKapija | Monday, 07.12.2015.| 13:57
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Electronic building permit system as simple as Facebook - Faster permitting process from January 1st to particularly benefit physical persons

Starting January 1st, requests for obtaining an electronic building permit can be submitted by anyone who has a computer with the operating system Windows XP or later and an Internet connection speed of 0.5 Mbps, which shows that conditions for the functioning of the new system are not too demanding.
This is how Jelena Bojovic, the manager of the Regulatory Reform Team of the National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED), announced the start of work of the electronic building permit system. As she noted at the conference "Building Permits - Unified Procedure and Planning Documentation in Practice" on December 2nd, the system will be possible to access through the website of the Business Registers Agency (BRA), the official website of the Ministry of Construction, Transportation and Infrastructure of the Republic of Serbia, and the Internet address www.gradjevinskedozvole.rs.

- Users who saw the initial version of this software say it is as easy to use as Facebook because every step of the way you're getting clear instructions on what information to enter and what documents to upload. It was co-designed by the Republic Geodesic Institute, public companies and local self-governments, whose instructions helped the system be in compliance with the practice in the field - Ms. Bojovic said and added that over 3,000 clerks would be trained in the period December 2015-March 2016 in how to issue electronic building permits on the state and local levels.
(Photo: Goodluz/shutterstock.com)
Step by step
NALED officials told eKapija that the system was highly intuitive and that it was guiding the users step by step through the whole procedure, providing detailed instructions each step of the way. It is available to both physical and juristic persons, and the only condition is to possess an electronic certificate that citizens can obtain from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In that way, it is ensured that documents won't be changed, that is, data modified, which automatically reduces the room for possible corruption.

All those who are not familiar with the construction business and have no electronic certificate can turn to authorized architects to prepare a project and submit the documentation on their behalf. For all additional assistance, people can go to www.gradjevinskedozvole.rs to ask questions, read regulations, notices and guidelines, while video instructions will also be available soon. NALED has also set up a call center that you can reach at 011/4043190, 4043191 and 4043192. Ivan Radak of NALED points out in a talk with eKapija that one of the main benefits of the new system lies in precise statistics - the number of requests submitted and the number of building permits issued - which will be available through the Business Registers Agency as early as the next year.

NALED worked on this project with the USAID Business Enabling Project (USAID BEP), GIZ Open Regional Fund for Modernization of Municipal Services, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The electronic building permit system, valued at EUR 400,000, will remain in the possession of the state.

Electronic permits allow for construction work to start sooner

Goran Rodic from the Serbian Chamber of Construction Industry believes that electronic building permits will speed up the start of works and make it possible for investors to find a better use for the time they used to spend collecting the documentation at various counters.

- The main effect on the construction industry will be faster commencement of works, and the time for issuing a building permit has recently been limited to 28 days. It will definitely contribute to a certain cost reduction as well, but it won't have some drastic impact on the growth and development of the entire industry - Rodic says in a talk with eKapija.

He is of the opinion that the introduction of electronic building permit system will generally improve the terms of doing business in the domestic market and that this will particularly benefit physical persons.

Marko Andrejic
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