Serbia: National Stadium moves forward despite lacking building permit

29.08.2025 13:02 source: StadiumDB.com; author: Paulina Skóra

The Serbian Ministry of Finance has received a rejection regarding the building permit for the National Stadium project. The submitted application was deemed incomplete. According to the documents, the planned venue would feature a basement, a ground floor and seven levels above, with a height of 51.5 meters. The application also covered auxiliary infrastructure and parking facilities.

What was missing?

In the justification, the authorities pointed out that the main technical description must list in detail all planned accompanying facilities. It is also necessary to present previous permits for works already carried out, as well as the opinion of the chief designer concerning the existing electrical infrastructure (10 and 1 kV) and the potential need for its protection or relocation.

The deficiencies also related to documentation on connections — sewage, water and energy. The plots through which access to the stadium would run were not precisely identified. In cases where the public road does not yet exist, proof of its planned construction must be submitted — either a permit or an agreement with a completion deadline.

The Ministry of Finance has 30 days to complete the missing documentation and resubmit the application. In that case, it will not be required to pay administrative fees again or reattach all annexes.

Will they make it on time?

Outside the stadium, 31% of the planned budget for EXPO 2027 facilities has already been used, with around 24% spent on land acquisition. The value of completed construction works fell by more than 10% in the first quarter of 2025, a result of funds being redirected from other projects toward EXPO.

According to the official website Serbia2027.gov.rs, the National Stadium, although not officially part of the exhibition, is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026 and will have a capacity of 52,000 spectators. Construction began in April 2024, but a permit for the first phase was only issued in August of that year. The EXPO residential complex, planned for 3,500 residents, is to be built nearby, along with a new railway line linking Zemun Polje, the airport and the exhibition grounds.