The U.S. Department of the Treasury has issued Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) a new specific license allowing the Serbian oil company to continue operating through 30 September 2026, extending the sanctions-related relief that had been due to expire on 28 August.
NIS said the license permits the continuation of business operations, contracts and other agreements involving the company and its operating subsidiaries. The authorization covers refining activities, crude-oil imports, transactions necessary for security of supply, technical maintenance and financial settlements.
The latest extension follows a previous U.S. Treasury license issued on 31 July that allowed NIS to operate through 28 August. Serbia has relied on the temporary authorizations while ownership negotiations continue over the Russian-controlled stake in NIS, which has been affected by U.S. sanctions on Russia’s energy sector.
NIS remains a strategically important supplier to the Serbian market. Earlier in August, Serbia’s Ministry of Mining and Energy said the company’s operating license was important to maintaining domestic fuel supply amid additional logistics pressure from low water levels on the Danube.
The new license is temporary sanctions relief, not a removal of NIS from the underlying sanctions framework. Its scope is limited to the activities authorized by the specific license and currently runs only through 30 September 2026.
