Following the recent amendment of the Tax Certification and Collection Act, under which designated payment beneficiaries are obliged to accept card payment instruments at the completion of payment transactions carried out by consumers, the Council of Ministers issued a Decree (C.I.P. 259/2021) which was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic under number 5548 on 18/6/2021.

It is clarified that neither the Decree nor the Law make it compulsory for consumers to pay by card. Consumers can still use other means of payment (e.g. cash). What becomes an obligation is the obligation of designated payment beneficiaries to accept a card as a means of payment together with the other means available.  

The Decree defines the categories of payment beneficiaries who have an obligation to comply within three (3) months of the publication of the Decree (i.e. until 18/9/2021). The persons liable for payment who start an activity during the last thirty (30) days before 18/9/2021, they must comply within four (4) months of the publication of this Decree (i.e. until 18/10/2021) while those who initiate an activity or a change after 18/9/2021 must comply within one (1) month of that commencement, or change.