A Guide – How to Get a Temporary Residence and a Work Permit in the Republic of Serbia?

Step 1 – Do I need a visa to enter the Republic of Serbia?

Check whether you need a visa to enter the Republic of Serbia and how long you can stay in the Republic of Serbia without a visa, at the following link:

https://www.mfa.gov.rs/en/citizens/travel-serbia/visa-regime

Step 2 – Do I need a D-visa before entering the Republic of Serbia?

If you have the citizenship of a member-state of the EU or the Schengen zone, you can skip this step. Also, Russian citizens are exempt from the obligation of acquiring the D-visa.

If you are not a citizen of an EU member state or a state within the Schengen zone, it is most likely that it is necessary to acquire the D-visa before you arrive to the Republic of Serbia.

The D-visa is a visa for a long stay / visa for employment, which is valid for 180 days. At the same time, it is a pre-requirement for submitting the request for a temporary residence in the Republic of Serbia for citizens of the states which are not EU members and which are not inside the Schengen zone.

In order to get the D-visa, it is necessary to find an employer in the Republic of Serbia, and we are available for providing full support during the process of the issuing of the visa.

More about the requests for the issuing of the D-visa can be found at the link:

https://www.mfa.gov.rs/en/citizens/travel-serbia/visa-requirements

Step 3 – Do I need a temporary residence in the Republic of Serbia?

If you intend to stay in the Republic of Serbia for over 90 days, take a look at this step in more detail.

A temporary residence lasts up to 1 year and can be extended an unlimited number of times. There has to be the basis for a temporary residence, in the form of employment, self-employment (founding a company or an enterprise), owning real estate in the Republic of Serbia, family merging, education, studying and so on.

More about the temporary residence can be found at the following link:

http://www.mup.gov.rs/wps/portal/en/information/temporary+residence/temporary+residence

Step 4 – Do I need a work permit in the Republic of Serbia?

If you intend to be employed or self-employed in the Republic of Serbia, take a look at this step in more detail.

The duration of the work permit will be harmonized with the duration of the approved temporary residence or the issued D-visa, which are the pre-requirements for submitting a request for a work permit.

There are two basic types of work permits, with several subtypes:

– the work permit for employment, which your employer in the Republic of Serbia has to obtain in order for your work to be legal (based on employment / hiring for a job outside a labor contract / referral from you employer from abroad and so on);

– the work permit for self-employment, which you need if you are an entrepreneur or you have founded your own company.

The procedure of obtaining the work permit requires a previous preparation of the Test of the Labor Market of the Republic of Serbia (in case of employment), the preparation of the draft labor agreement or the agreement on hiring on other basis and the submitting of the documentation to the National Employment Service, with the required guarantees regarding the accommodation of the employee, the catering during the work and so on.

If you need more detailed information or support regarding any of the presented steps, you may contact the Vukovic and Partners Law Office at: info@vp.rs.

Author: Jelena Plamenac – Senior Attorney at Law

VP advokatska kancelarija Beograd

Vuković i partneri

Vukovic and Partners

Jelena Plamenac

work permits

employment of foreigners