Emergency preparedness in Serbia: official guidance in English

Short answer. Serbia sets no official stockpile duration or per-person quantities. The Ministry of Interior's Sector for Emergency Situations asks families to prepare water, food, medicines, documents, money, blankets, first aid and torches for a sudden departure ¹. The country has 1,442 public and block shelters ², a national siren system and location-based SMS warnings ³⁴, and uses 192, 193 and 194 for police, fire-rescue and ambulance ⁵.

Information checked against official Serbian sources on 20 October 2026. Civil protection is led by the Ministry of Interior (MUP), Sector for Emergency Situations; radiation and nuclear safety is the job of the Directorate for Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security (SRBATOM) ⁶⁷.

What is Serbia's official preparedness guide?

The main household document is the Porodični priručnik za ponašanje u vanrednim situacijama (Family handbook for behaviour in emergencies), published by the MUP Sector for Emergency Situations with the OSCE Mission to Serbia ⁵. It helps families draw up a family emergency response plan and covers floods, earthquakes, nuclear accidents, terrorism and first aid ⁵. No year is printed in it; the PDF file is dated 13 June 2012, and the print run was 2,000 copies ⁵.

The Sector's "Advice to citizens" page adds short instructions for each hazard ¹. In 2021 the Ministry of Defence published a series of video tutorials, Praktični tutorijali: Šta raditi u slučaju..., including one on warning and danger signals ⁸.

What does each Serbia page cover?

Where should I start?

Three steps cover most of what the Serbian authorities ask of households:

1. Prepare for a sudden departure. Gather water, food, medicines, documents, money, blankets and torches, and an evacuation kit ¹. Start with the kit checklist.
2. Know the warnings. Learn the all-clear signal and how SMS warnings reach your phone ³¹⁰. See alerts.
3. Know where to shelter. Ask your municipality or the shelter company where residents of your area are meant to shelter ⁶⁹. See public shelters.

Then put it in writing with a family emergency plan, as the family handbook suggests ⁵.

What is still being confirmed?

Some points in our Serbian data are not confirmed and are not presented as fact on these pages:

• Iodine tablets. A November 2024 press report, citing data from the medicines agency ALIMS, said potassium iodide is not registered as a medicine in Serbia; this could not be checked in the ALIMS register ¹². The iodine page is marked accordingly.
• Cell broadcast. An upgrade was announced for the end of 2025, but no official confirmation that it is live was found ⁴.
• Danger siren patterns. The official patterns for the danger and air-raid signals were not found in an accessible official text.
• Mandatory household equipment. A 2011 decree on protection equipment is still listed by the Ministry; its text could not be retrieved ¹⁴.

Frequently asked questions

Who is in charge of civil protection in Serbia?

The Ministry of Interior's Sector for Emergency Situations leads it ⁷. Local governments plan the sheltering of residents and maintain local sirens ⁶, and SRBATOM handles radiation and nuclear safety ⁷.

How many days of supplies does Serbia recommend?

None is set. Official advice names the items to prepare but gives no duration or per-person quantities ¹. Our 72-hour kit and two-week supplies guides compare other agencies' figures.

What is the emergency number in Serbia?

192 for police, 193 for firefighters-rescuers and 194 for emergency medical help ⁵. The 2018 law introduces 112; 1985 is used until 112 covers the whole country ⁶.

Where can I read the official handbook?

The family handbook is available as a PDF on the OSCE website, in Serbian ⁵.

Sources

1. Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova, Sektor za vanredne situacije — Савети грађанима — http://prezentacije.mup.gov.rs/svs/saveti.html (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. Državna revizorska institucija — Послеревизиони извештај о мерама исправљања Јавног предузећа за склоништа Београд – Нови Београд по ревизији сврсисходности пословања „Управљање јавним склоништима у Републици Србији“ (бр. 400-272/2023-03/23, 29. март 2024) — https://www.dri.rs/storage/newaudits/2024-1-PR%20SV%20Upravljanje%20javnim%20sklonistima%20JP%20Sklonista.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova — УПОЗОРЕЊЕ! – Платформа за пренос хитних информација грађанима — https://upozorenje.mup.gov.rs/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
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5. Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova Republike Srbije, Sektor za vanredne situacije / Misija OEBS u Srbiji — Porodični priručnik za ponašanje u vanrednim situacijama — https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/4/1/118659.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
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