The Serbian dinar is the currency of the Republic of Serbia. Their ISO 4217 code is RSD. The dinar is also abbreviated to RSD or Din.
Currency history
A coin called “dinar” (derived from the ancient Roman coin unit “denar”) was first introduced in Serbia around 1214 by Stefan Nemanjić (around 1165 to 1227), who from 1217 was the “king of all Serbs”. This silver coin had copper coins as a sub-unit: so-called “Perper”. Until 1459, Serbian kings and princes minted dinars as a single currency. With the conquest of Serbia by the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman coins were also introduced.
After the end of Ottoman rule in Serbia in 1867, a variety of different gold, silver and copper currencies were in circulation. From 1868, Prince Mihailo Obrenović reintroduced a uniform Serbian currency, the Para, in the form of copper coins.
From 1875 silver denarii at 100 para and later the first gold coins at 20 dinars were added. From 1882 onwards, the “Milandor” (“golden Milan”), a gold coin worth 10 dinars or a 2 milandor piece worth 20 dinars, was issued.
The dinar remained until 1999 as the “Yugoslav dinar” with the sub-unit “100 Para” currency of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Since then it has lived in Serbia as the “Serbian Dinar” with 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 dinar pieces and is still officially divided into 100 Para.
However, the 50 para coin has ceased to be legal tender since January 1, 2008. The dinar therefore de facto no longer has a sub-unit. Since January 1, 2010, the 1, 2 and 5 dinar pieces with the designation “SR Jugoslavija” are no longer valid.
The current coins are called “Republika Srbija”. The same applies to the banknotes that are in circulation with the values 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 5,000 dinars. Since January 1st, 1007 only notes with the inscription “Nardodna Banka Srbije” are valid. Older notes with the name “Narodna Banka Jugoslavije” are invalid.
Exchange into local currency
The exchange rate between the Serbian dinar and the euro in Germany can be easily determined using a currency converter. It is advisable to take cash with you and change it to the local currency in an exchange office or bank, as the rate in Serbia is much cheaper than in Germany.
Cash can often be withdrawn free of charge at ATMs using credit and Maestro cards. In advance, you should ask the credit institution that issued the card whether there are any fees. Payments with the Maestro card on site are usually charged with fees of 1-2% of the payment amount.