Serbia SMS Guide - sms-compliance -

Frequently Asked Questions

Use an SMS API like Twilio, Sinch, or MessageBird, ensuring the recipient's number is in E.164 format (+381...). Register an alphanumeric sender ID for better deliverability and brand recognition. Remember to comply with Serbian regulations, including obtaining consent and providing opt-out instructions.
Utilize a queueing system like Bull to manage high-volume sends, incorporating exponential backoff for rate limiting and error handling. Batch APIs are recommended for efficiency, and ensure compliance with Serbian regulations by obtaining consent and providing opt-out instructions.
Short codes are not supported within Serbia. For transactional messages, alerts, and notifications, international long codes are supported as an alternative.
Adhere to Serbian business hours (9:00 AM to 8:00 PM CET) and avoid sending during national or religious holidays. Respect weekend quiet hours (before 10:00 AM and after 6:00 PM) to minimize disruption.
Obtain explicit consent before sending marketing messages, include a clear opt-out instruction ("Odjava STOPMFL na 1599, 0din") in every message, and process opt-outs within 24 hours. Maintain records of consent and opt-out requests.
Serbian regulations require processing opt-out requests within 24 hours. Include the opt-out phrase "Odjava STOPMFL na 1599, 0din" in every message. Use "STOP" or "STOPMFL" keywords and recognize them in both Serbian and English. Maintain a database of unsubscribed numbers.
Concatenated messages and alphanumeric sender IDs are supported, enabling longer messages and brand recognition. Two-way SMS is not supported while MMS messages are converted to SMS with embedded links to access rich content
No, sending SMS to landline numbers in Serbia is not supported and will result in a 400 error (code 21614). No charges are incurred for these failed attempts.
Both GSM-7 and UCS-2 are supported. However, messages with Serbian characters require UCS-2 encoding, limiting each segment to 70 characters instead of the standard 160 characters for GSM-7.
Pre-registration for alphanumeric sender IDs in Serbia takes approximately 16 days. Registered IDs are preserved, while unregistered ones may be overwritten with a generic sender ID.
Gambling, adult content, cryptocurrency promotions, unauthorized financial services, and political campaign messages without authorization are restricted. Content filtering by carriers may also block messages with certain keywords, URLs, or excessive punctuation.
Keep messages concise, include a clear call to action, personalize thoughtfully, and maintain a consistent brand voice. Limit messages to 2-4 per month per recipient, respect holidays and quiet hours, and prioritize Serbian language (Latin script).
Obtain explicit written or electronic consent before sending marketing messages. Clearly state the purpose of communication during the opt-in process. Double opt-in is recommended for marketing campaigns and records of consent should be maintained
The Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (RATEL) website (www.ratel.rs/en) provides detailed information on telecommunications regulations, including those pertaining to SMS.
Implement exponential backoff strategies for retry logic to handle rate limits imposed by SMS providers. Utilize batch APIs for high-volume sending and consider queue systems for large campaigns to manage throughput effectively.
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