RESIDENCE PERMIT

The stay of foreigners on the territory of the Republic of Serbia is regulated by the Law on Foreigners.

Foreigners can stay on the territory of the Republic of Serbia in three ways. They may have:

stay up to 90 days,
temporary residence,
permanent residence.

Is a visa always required to stay in Serbia?

A visa is not always required to enter Serbia in all countries.
On the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, you can check which countries require a visa.

Stay of foreigners in Serbia

Stay up to 90 days

A stay up to 90 days is a stay of a foreigner in Serbia for a maximum of ninety days. The stay can be with or without a visa, unless otherwise provided by law or an international treaty.

Foreigners must respect the legal norms of our country. In order to be able to stay, they do not need special permission from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but the address at which they are located is required.

The stay, i.e. the place of residence, must be reported to the competent authorities. It is registered either by a foreigner personally or by the owner of the address (hotel, hostel, house, apartment...) where he will live during his stay in Serbia. The deadline for applications is no later than 1 day after their arrival.

The obligation is the same in the case when the accommodation is paid, and when he comes to visit, where he does not pay for the accommodation.

Registration of foreigners is carried out in person at the Police Department, but can also be submitted electronically.

The document that is issued on this occasion is called the Prijava boravišta (prebivališta), and is better known as the "Beli Karton".

Temporary residence

Temporary stay is the stay of a foreign citizen in our country, which lasts more than 90 days. If he plans to stay in Serbia for more than ninety days, he may be granted temporary residence. There are several reasons that make this possible, including the following:

work, employment, economic or other professional activities,
study or study of the Serbian language, study, professional specialization, scientific and research work, internship and practice, participation in international student exchange programs and other scientific and educational activities, family reunification, performing a religious service, treatment or care, ownership of real estate in the Republic of Serbia, humanitarian stay, presumed trafficking victim status, trafficking victim status, other good reasons in accordance with the law or international treaty.


When foreigners come to Serbia for employment or to start a private business, it is necessary to provide the relevant documents in order to obtain the appropriate work permits for foreigners in Serbia.

To obtain an extension of stay, a foreigner must apply for an extension. The period for which he can extend it is from 90 days to one year. It is also possible to extend the stay for the same period.

The request for extension of temporary stay must be submitted within a certain period - at least ninety days before, and no later than 30 days before the validity period of temporary stay expires.

Permanent residence


The Ministry of the Interior can grant permanent residence to a foreigner if several conditions are met:

if by the date of submission of the application for permanent residence he has resided in our country for more than five years, without interruption, based on a temporary residence permit,
if he is married to a citizen of the Republic of Serbia for at least three years or to a foreigner who has permanent residence in Serbia,
if the foreigner is a minor on temporary residence in our country, where one of his parents has Serbian citizenship or is a foreigner (who has approved permanent residence), and the other parent gives his consent,
if he has an approved temporary residence, and due to reasons of humanity or interest for the Republic of Serbia, permanent residence is ordered,
if he is a foreigner who in the previous period already had a temporary stay due to studying or education in Serbia, but later changed the basis of his stay in our country,
a request for permanent residence can be submitted after 5 years of temporary residence for foreign nationals who reside in our country on the basis of company ownership, as well as for work and employment.