ALTA depositors: frequently asked questions
Now, after the court decision of 03.11.2026
Section titled “Now, after the court decision of 03.11.2026”Can I file my claim with the court yet?
Yes, the deadline is running. Claim for the amount above €50,000 — by 4 February 2027. File without waiting for the insurance payout.
Where this deadline comes from · Where to find the notice · Law, art. 7
People say the 90 days are already running from 3 November. Is that so?
No. The 90 days run from publication of the notice in the Official Gazette (Službeni glasnik), not from the court decision date of 03.11.2026 (decision 10 St 275/2026, item IV). The notice came out on 06.11.2026. Claim for the amount above €50,000 — by 4 February 2027.
Should I rush to Poštanska now?
Not before 13.11. On 06.11 AOD announced that the payout of up to €50,000 starts on 13.11.2026 at the Poštanska branches designated for ALTA depositors, during working hours. AOD published the branch list on 06.11. The list has 54 branches in 13 cities. One of them, in Belgrade (Kraljice Marije 3), is marked “specialised, for payout only” (SPECIJALIZOVANA EKSPOZITURA SAMO ZA ISPLATU). What this mark means is not clear from the AOD document; we are waiting for clarification. Addresses and hours are on «How to get the insured amount up to €50,000», section «Poštanska branches». You can apply until 03.11.2029. What to bring (individual, sole trader, company): see «How to get the insured amount up to €50,000».
AOD branch list (PDF) · AOD notice, 06.11 (PDF) · AOD announcement, 03.11
Personal account and sole-trader account: one limit or two?
Two: the €50,000 limit applies separately to the individual and to the same person as a sole trader. AOD confirmed this in writing on 02.11.2026. Sole traders and micro, small and medium-sized companies are paid only by transfer to an account (AOD procedure, section VIII).
Has the court decided? What is the case number?
Yes. The Commercial Court in Belgrade opened ALTA's bankruptcy on 03.11.2026, case 10 St 275/2026, with AOD as the bankruptcy administrator. This shows in the APR register and on the courts portal.
What can I do in advance?
Keep your statements and contracts: for the payout up to €50,000 the paying bank needs an ALTA document for the deposit (contract, savings book or account card) and a photo ID (AOD procedure, section VIII).
My transfer left but never arrived. Where is the money?
ALTA must complete the transactions made up to and including 30.10.2026 (the day the licence was revoked). AOD: «Алта банка ад Београд је у обавези да спроведе сва књижења трансакција које су обављене закључно са 30. октобром 2026. године». AOD says it will give more information about other transfers and funds later.
I signed a flat contract but the payment from ALTA did not go through. Will there be property tax?
According to the written answer of the Belgrade Secretariat for Public Revenue of 06.11.2026: for a finished flat the tax arises on the contract date, even without payment or handover, unless the contract sets a condition. On cancellation the tax authority goes by the cancellation document; if a notary certified it, the notary sends it to the tax authority and you do not file PPI-2. For a flat in a building under construction, signing alone creates no tax.
Up to €50,000: AOD payout
Section titled “Up to €50,000: AOD payout”How much will AOD repay and how much is left?
AOD pays up to €50,000 per depositor. All your accounts and deposits at ALTA are counted together, with interest up to the day bankruptcy was opened. The rest you claim in the bank's bankruptcy (art. 16 and 18 of the Law on Deposit Insurance).
I still have unused ALTA cheques. What happens to them?
The insured amount is paid minus the potential liability for uncashed cheques. The unused cheques you hold are handed in (settled) at ALTA banka in bankruptcy; the settlement confirmation issued by the bank in bankruptcy is the basis for paying the withheld part, up to the value of the cheques handed in (AOD notice, 06.11.2026).
Do I need to file an application anywhere to get up to €50,000?
Not with the court. At a branch of the paying bank, staff show you how your amount was calculated and print the payout request; you sign it if you agree. If you disagree with the amount or the currency, you file a complaint (AOD, questions and answers).
Step by step: getting up to €50,000 · AOD: questions and answers
In what currency will I be paid?
Dinar deposits in dinars, deposits in euros and other currencies in euros, at the NBS middle rate of 03.11.2026, the day of the court decision (AOD). If you have both, the payout is split in proportion (art. 17 of the Law on Deposit Insurance).
AOD: questions and answers on ALTA · AOD: questions and answers
Is it true that euros on a Poštanska account cannot be withdrawn in cash, transferred or converted into dinars?
According to the bank's documents, no — all of this is possible. Poštanska's tariff for individuals: foreign cash withdrawal is free (item 2.4.1); transfers abroad and SEPA are done at the counter (items 2.6.1.1.2 and 2.6.1.1.1.7; the tariff lists item 2.6.1.1.1.7 under payments to an account in Serbia); a transfer to your own dinar account at the bank is done at the counter, free (item 2.6.1.1.1.2). For the app the tariff lists only transfers between your own FX accounts. On 06.11.2026 AOD announced that foreign-currency deposits are paid in euros; to transfer euros to another bank in Serbia you need instructions with the bank, name, account number or IBAN, SWIFT (AOD notice). An individual can take the money in cash or ask for a transfer to an account (AOD, ALTA questions and answers).
Details with quotes · AOD notice, 06.11.2026 (PDF) · Poštanska tariff
I am not in Serbia. What should I do?
There is no rush: you can collect the insured amount for 3 years (art. 16 para. 9 of the Law on Deposit Insurance). It can only be transferred to an account at a bank in Serbia, not abroad (AOD letter, 02.11.2026). The request is submitted at Poštanska branches (AOD notice, 06.11.2026). Without travelling, you can give a power of attorney, made before a notary and dated no earlier than the day the licence was revoked (30.10.2026), to someone in Serbia, translated into Serbian and with an apostille (AOD forms; AOD, ALTA questions and answers). That person can take the money in cash or ask the paying bank to transfer it to your account at another bank in Serbia (AOD, ALTA questions and answers).
AOD letters · Power of attorney · AOD: ALTA questions and answers · AOD notice, 06.11.2026 (PDF)
Can someone collect the money with a power of attorney?
Yes. According to AOD's answers for ALTA, the power of attorney is made at a notary (javni beležnik); if you are abroad, it must be translated into Serbian and apostilled. On AOD's forms page, the form for individuals also says the power of attorney must be certified by a notary, dated no earlier than 30.10.2026 (the day the licence was revoked); powers of attorney issued before the revocation are not accepted at Poštanska. AOD published authorisation forms for individuals and companies on 04.11.2026.
Power of attorney: AOD quote · AOD: questions and answers on ALTA · AOD forms
I have no contract with ALTA. What can I bring instead?
AOD accepts more than a contract: a savings book, «картица текућег динарског или девизног рачуна», an inheritance decision or another valid document under which you used the deposit before 30.10.2026. It is shown in the original. If there is no original, AOD's procedure requires a certificate from the bank in bankruptcy or a copy of the contract certified by it; AOD has not yet said how to request it from ALTA.
AOD's list verbatim · AOD: questions and answers on ALTA · AOD procedure, section VIII
I am a foreigner without a JMBG. Will I get the payout?
Yes: a non-resident needs a passport or other photo ID at the paying bank (AOD procedure, section VIII). For the claim with the court the law asks for a JMBG; what to do without one, see the link below.
I had a securities trading account at ALTA. What happens to it?
It is not a deposit: AOD deposit insurance up to €50,000 does not cover it; such funds are protected separately, under the Capital Market Law. AOD: «ваша потраживања су заштићена до износа од 20.000 евра у динарској противвредности» (protected up to €20,000 in dinars). This covers money on that account, listed securities and fund units. On 06.11.2026 AOD published the call to small investors: apply on AOD's form by 03.05.2027 (for a justified reason, by 03.11.2027), by post or at AOD's registry office (Masarikova 5, Belgrade).
AOD: ALTA questions and answers · AOD call to investors, 06.11.2026 (PDF) · If you had investments
Sole traders and companies: payout up to €50,000
Section titled “Sole traders and companies: payout up to €50,000”Are a company's deposits insured?
Yes, if it is a sole trader or a micro, small or medium-sized company: up to €50,000 per depositor, as for individuals. A legal entity founded in the current year that does not yet have financial statements is treated by AOD as small (AOD procedure). Deposits of large companies are not insured (art. 2 and 3 of the Law on Deposit Insurance): they file the whole amount with the court, in the fourth rank (art. 20 item 4 of the Law on Bankruptcy and Liquidation of Banks). AOD also names as insured: «кућни савети, регистрована пољопривредна домаћинства, верска удружења и удружења грађана, адвокати и адвокатске канцеларије, синдикалне организације, спортски клубови, привредни субјекти у стечају и ликвидацији» (residential building councils, registered farms, religious and citizens' associations, lawyers and law offices, trade unions, sports clubs, companies in bankruptcy or liquidation).
AOD: who is insured · Law on Deposit Insurance · AOD procedure
What to bring to the paying bank for a sole trader or company?
The request form is handed out at the branch. It contains the name, address, registration number (matični broj) and tax number (PIB), the account or term deposit number, the total amount and the account for the transfer (AOD, questions and answers). Bring the original ALTA document on the deposit (contract or account card), the ID card of the representative entered in the register (a passport only by way of exception), and the OP form with certified signatures of the representatives; if an authorised person comes, the OP form must also contain that person's details (AOD notice, 06.11.2026). If someone else comes, also an authorisation on company letterhead, signed by the representative and stamped; AOD has published the form, and a register extract no older than 3 months on the day of submission to the paying bank is attached to it (AOD form for companies; AOD procedure, section VIII; AOD, questions and answers on ALTA).
AOD authorisation form · AOD form for companies (Word) · AOD: questions and answers · AOD procedure, section VIII
How is a company paid and what if the amount is wrong?
Only by transfer to the account the company names; no cash (AOD procedure, section VIII). The bank employee shows you the calculation. If you agree, you sign the request and the bank pays on behalf of AOD. If you disagree with the amount or currency, you file a complaint (reklamacija) on the form the employee gives you (AOD procedure, section VIII; art. 17 para. 3 of the Law on Deposit Insurance).
Are ALTA bank guarantees still valid?
No. AOD: «Не, кредитне гаранције Алта банке више не важе» (no, ALTA banka credit guarantees are no longer valid). If your company relied on an ALTA guarantee, arrange a new one with another bank.
Above €50,000: claim with the court
Section titled “Above €50,000: claim with the court”What amount goes to the court: all of it or only the rest?
Only what insurance does not cover. AOD's example: a depositor has €60,000, AOD pays €50,000, and the €10,000 is claimed with the court handling the bankruptcy. You do not need two court filings: the insured amount is paid without the court.
Is it a lawsuit? Do we need a class action?
No. It is a written claim (prijava potraživanja) to the Commercial Court in Belgrade. Each creditor files it individually, using AOD's template or in free form, with the mandatory items from art. 111 of the Bankruptcy Law (AOD, questions and answers on bankruptcy).
Template and what to write · AOD forms · AOD: questions and answers
Do I need a lawyer?
The law does not require one: a creditor can draft the claim alone, using AOD's template or in free form (AOD). A lawyer can help with the Serbian text and the interest calculation, but this does not change your rank or payout share: everyone in the first rank gets the same share (art. 20 of the Law on Bankruptcy and Liquidation of Banks; art. 54 para. 3 of the Bankruptcy Law).
AOD: questions and answers · A lawyer: why and how to choose
Where do private depositors stand in the payment order for the amount above €50,000?
First. Private individuals, sole traders and micro, small and medium-sized companies share the first rank and are paid in proportion to their claims (art. 20 of the Law on Bankruptcy and Liquidation of Banks; art. 54 para. 3 of the Bankruptcy Law).
Does it matter if I file among the first?
No. Within a rank everyone gets the same percentage of their claim, whatever the filing date (art. 20 of the Law on Bankruptcy and Liquidation of Banks; art. 54 para. 3 of the Bankruptcy Law). What matters is not missing the deadline.
How do I find out whether my claim was recognised? Can I challenge it?
AOD reviews claims within 6 months after the filing deadline, and the court hearing follows within 60 days (art. 17 of the Law on Bankruptcy and Liquidation of Banks). The court posts the list on its notice board; if your claim is disputed, the administrator notifies you personally, you can ask for a review with new documents, and then you have 15 days to sue (art. 113, 116, 117 of the Bankruptcy Law).
When will money above €50,000 be paid?
The law sets no deadline: money is paid as the bank's assets are sold. At Univerzal banka (2014) the first 50% of recognised first-rank claims was paid after 6 years 7 months (09.2020); ALTA's timeline and percentages may differ.
Class action and a shared lawyer
Section titled “Class action and a shared lawyer”Why can't we file a class action? Which law says so?
A bankruptcy claim is not a lawsuit. Each creditor states in the claim their own name, personal or registration number, account and amount (art. 111 of the Bankruptcy Law; it applies to banks through art. 22 of the Law on Bankruptcy and Liquidation of Banks). The Law on Civil Procedure did have a separate class action procedure (chapter XXXVI, art. 494–505), but the Constitutional Court found it unconstitutional (decision IUz-51/2012 of 23.05.2013, Službeni glasnik 49/2013), and it is not in force.
Constitutional Court, IUz-51/2012 · Law on Civil Procedure · Bankruptcy Law
What do depositors gain by teaming up with one lawyer?
The group gets no special rights in the procedure: there is no creditors' assembly in a bank bankruptcy (art. 22 of the Law on Bankruptcy and Liquidation of Banks), and the five-member creditors' committee is appointed by the judge on AOD's proposal, taking the size of claims into account (art. 8). The lawyer charges under the Serbian Bar Association tariff and must issue a fee statement (art. 23 of the Law on the Legal Profession).
Law on Bankruptcy and Liquidation of Banks · Law on the Legal Profession
What should I ask a lawyer?
1) Will you file a separate claim and take a separate power of attorney from each client? 2) How much is one claim, and under which item of the Bar tariff? 3) How will you calculate interest and currency (a foreign-currency claim is filed in that currency, art. 111 of the Bankruptcy Law)? 4) If the claim is disputed, will you handle the lawsuit? 5) How will you tell me the claim was accepted, and what work is included after filing? Before signing, check the lawyer in the Bar register.
Loans and safe deposit boxes
Section titled “Loans and safe deposit boxes”I have a loan at ALTA. Do I keep paying?
Yes. Clients' debts to the bank are part of its estate, which the administrator collects (art. 101 of the Bankruptcy Law). On 06.11.2026 AOD announced: pay to the dinar account of ALTA in bankruptcy held at the NBS, no. 780-282-42, and enter the loan account number in the «poziv na broj» field. If your loan is with ALTA GROUP DOO Beograd (not the bank), pay to account 200-3408551901000-45 at Poštanska štedionica, with the loan account number in the «poziv na broj» field (NBS, 06.11.2026). The NBS: «Важно је истаћи да се ради о два различита правна лица, која се тренутно налазе у различитом правном статусу.» (these are two different legal entities, currently in a different legal status). Pay only to these two accounts. Our tip: which of the two entities your loan is with is stated in your loan agreement.
NBS: two entities, two accounts, 06.11.2026 · AOD instruction for borrowers, 06.11.2026 · AOD notice, 2014
How do I get my things from a safe deposit box?
The contents of safe deposit boxes are not part of the bankruptcy estate and are handed over without restriction, by prior arrangement with the bankruptcy administrator (AOD). AOD will announce on aod.rs how exactly to do this.