Property · Rental income · Updated November 2026
Renting out your Serbian home in 2027: long-term lets, Airbnb rules, tax and real returns
Short answer
Yes — a foreign owner can let a Serbian apartment or house long-term to a tenant or short-term to guests once the property is registered in their name. A short-term let is regulated by the Law on Hospitality: the city must categorise the unit, the host must be registered in the eTurista system and foreign guests must be reported within 24 hours. Long-term rent is taxed at 20% after a 25% standard cost allowance (Tax Administration), and rules can change in 2027.
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Facts checked 3 November 2026. This guide is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice. Your situation is decided case by case — contact us or your home-country adviser.
Can a foreigner rent out property in Serbia in 2027?
Yes. Serbian law does not ask a landlord to be a Serbian citizen or a resident. What it asks is that the property is legally yours and that the letting is registered the right way.
Whether a foreigner can own a home in Serbia at all depends on reciprocity between Serbia and the owner’s country. Our reciprocity guide explains how that works. Once the purchase is entered in the property register of the Republic Geodetic Authority (RGZ) in your name, the right to let the home comes with it.
Three things are worth settling before a tenant or guest moves in:
- Who owns it. If more than one person owns the home, the other owners have to agree in writing to a short-term let. If a Serbian company owns it, the company is the landlord, with company tax and bookkeeping.
- What the home is used for. Owning property in Serbia is one of the grounds for a temporary residence permit (Law on Foreigners). If your permit rests on this home, letting it out raises questions about that permit that are best answered first.
- Which type of let. Long-term and short-term lets are regulated by different laws, taxed in different ways and need different paperwork.
What is the difference between a long-term let and Airbnb?
A long-term let is a normal tenancy with a written lease. A short-term let to guests through Airbnb, Booking or similar platforms is treated as a hospitality service. In Serbian law it is called “accommodation in a private household” (domaća radinost).
| Point | Long-term let | Short-term let (Airbnb, Booking) |
|---|---|---|
| Main law | Law on Housing and Building Maintenance; written lease | Law on Hospitality (2019) |
| Registration | No hospitality registration. A foreign tenant must be registered with the police within 24 hours | City categorisation, host entry in eTurista, every guest recorded, foreign guests reported within 24 hours |
| Tax for a private owner | 20% after a 25% cost allowance, about 15% of the rent | Fixed yearly tax per bed, plus tourist tax |
| Work involved | Low once the tenant is in | High: prices, cleaning, check-ins, reviews, daily guest records |
| Main risks | Late rent, empty months between tenants | Fines for hosting without registration, empty nights, complaints from neighbours, wear and tear |
Short-term lets can bring in more money in a good month. Long-term lets are steadier and need far less time. Which one suits a property depends on where it is, how it is run and how much risk the owner is happy to carry.
What does a legal short-term let need in Serbia?
A short-term let is only legal when three things are in place before the first guest arrives.
- Categorisation. The city or municipality inspects the unit and issues a decision. It sets the category (stars) and the number of beds the home may offer. Under the Law on Hospitality, a private person may host up to 30 beds; above that, or with services beyond a bed for the night, a company or registered entrepreneur is expected.
- eTurista. The host must be entered in eTurista, the state’s central register of accommodation. Every guest is recorded in it, and it is also how foreign guests are reported to the police within 24 hours of arrival.
- Tax registration. The fixed yearly tax and the tourist tax are worked out from the categorisation and eTurista data, so the host needs a Serbian tax identity.
What you’ll usually need for the file:
- ownership record in your name
- co-owners’ written consent
- categorisation decision
- eTurista host entry
- Serbian tax number
- valid passport
Why it has to be right: a listing without categorisation is not a legal rental, however many good reviews it has. Fines for a private host who skips these rules start at RSD 150,000 (Law on Hospitality), and the Tax Administration and the tourism inspectors compare the registers with what is listed online. Get the free Serbia Relocation Checklist to see what to have ready.
The building matters too. House rules, the building manager and neighbours who complain about noise can make short-term letting hard in practice. It is worth looking at this before buying a flat with Airbnb in mind.
How is rental income taxed in Serbia?
The answer depends on who owns the property and how it is let. The figures below are the general rules as of November 2026. They are a summary, not tax advice.
| Situation | How it is taxed | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Private owner, long-term let | 20% on the rent after a 25% standard cost allowance, about 15% of the gross rent. Real costs can be claimed instead, with proof | The owner declares and pays within 30 days of each rent payment from a private tenant. A company tenant holds back the tax |
| Private owner, short-term let | Fixed yearly tax per bed, set from the average wage, the number of beds and the tourist category of the place. It does not rise with income | The owner, on a tax decision |
| Tourist tax, short-term let | Per guest per night: RSD 190–240 in first-category places from 15 October 2026 (Government decree). Belgrade set RSD 240. Private hosts pay it as a yearly amount per bed | Charged to the guest; the host pays it on |
| Company or entrepreneur | 15% corporate income tax on profit. 10% VAT on accommodation once VAT-registered, which is required above RSD 8 million turnover in 12 months | The company |
Late payment of tax on rent adds interest (Tax Administration). Owners who live abroad should also check how the income is treated in their home country. Our tax and bookkeeping service files the Serbian side for owners who do not want to track deadlines from abroad.
How much can a rental earn in Belgrade and Novi Sad?
Prices have risen faster than rents. The table compares average sale prices for the first half of 2026 with asking rents from March 2026.
| City | Average sale price per m² | Asking rent per m² a month | Rough gross yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgrade | €3,219 (first half of 2026) | €14.45 (March 2026) | about 5.4% a year |
| Novi Sad | €2,359 (first half of 2026) | €9.98 (March 2026) | about 5.1% a year |
The yield column is our own calculation from those averages. It is before tax, empty months, repairs and agency fees, and asking rents are not always what tenants end up paying.
Example (our calculation, not a forecast): a 50 m² flat in Belgrade at the average price costs about €161,000. At the average asking rent it would earn about €720 a month, or €8,670 a year if it is never empty. Tax on a long-term let to a private tenant would be about 15% of that. Repairs and empty months come off the rest.
Short-term lets are harder to predict. AirDNA counted about 7,700 Belgrade listings, filled on average 53% of nights at about $70 a night, over the 12 months before November 2026. Cleaning, laundry, platform fees, bills and management take a large share of that money. A short-term let usually earns more than a long-term one only when the flat is in the right street, is run well and is fully registered.
Buying with a loan changes these numbers. About 33% of apartment purchases in Serbia used a loan in the first half of 2026 (RGZ). See mortgages for foreigners.
Who looks after the property when you live abroad?
Very few owners who live abroad run a Serbian rental alone. The day-to-day work usually sits with people on the ground:
Short-term manager. Handles the listing, prices, guest messages, check-ins, cleaning and the daily eTurista records.
Letting agency. Finds and checks a long-term tenant, prepares the lease and handles problems during the tenancy.
Accountant. Files the tax returns on time and keeps the records the Tax Administration may ask for.
Repairs. A plumber or electrician who can reach the flat the same day. Boilers do not wait for your flight.
Fees are quoted property by property; there is no fixed public rate. What matters more than the fee is that the legal duties do not fall between owner and manager. Categorisation, guest records and tax stay with the owner, even when someone else runs the flat.
Our property service helps foreign owners choose a flat that suits their letting plan, checks its legal status, handles the purchase and registration and puts the tax and management set-up in place. You deal with the people who do the work.
Should you rent out as a private owner or through a company?
For one or two flats, owning and letting as a private person is usually simpler. A Serbian company tends to come up when an owner has several units, wants more than 30 beds, offers services beyond accommodation, owns with partners, or could not buy privately because of reciprocity.
A company brings 15% corporate income tax, VAT once turnover passes RSD 8 million, and monthly bookkeeping. A flat owned by a company is generally not your personal ground for residence. Moving a property into or out of a company later has tax costs, so the structure is best settled before the purchase. Our company setup service covers the company side, and our guide to buying property in Serbia covers the purchase.
What commonly goes wrong for foreign landlords in Serbia?
Reviews do not make a rental legal, and listings are checked against the registers.
Categorisation, guest records and tax stay with the owner.
Belgrade short lets were filled about half the year on average, and costs take a big share.
It applies to foreign long-term tenants as well as Airbnb guests. See our white card guide.
Who decides on registration, tax and residence?
Different bodies decide different parts. The city or municipality issues the categorisation decision. The Ministry of Interior (MUP) receives the 24-hour reports of foreigners and decides residence permits. The Tax Administration (Poreska uprava) decides tax, and tourism inspectors check that hosts are registered. Ownership is recorded by the Republic Geodetic Authority (RGZ). In recent cases, a categorisation decision a few weeks after a complete request has been typical. The city sets the timing and we don’t promise a date.
Relocation Serbia, with offices in Belgrade and Novi Sad, is one team for property, company setup, residence and accounting. Start with the €49 Relocation Roadmap (credited toward any package within 90 days — see pricing).
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner rent out an apartment in Serbia in 2027?
Yes, once the property is registered in their name. Short-term lets also need city categorisation and an eTurista entry before the first guest. Rules can change in 2027.
Is Airbnb legal in Belgrade?
Yes, when the flat is categorised by the city, the host is entered in eTurista, every guest is recorded and foreign guests are reported within 24 hours. Without these steps it is not a legal rental.
How is long-term rental income taxed in Serbia?
At 20% after a 25% standard cost allowance, about 15% of the gross rent. A private owner pays within 30 days of each rent payment; a company tenant holds the tax back.
Do I need to live in Serbia to rent out my property?
No. Residence is not required to own or let property, but registration, tax, guest records and repairs all need someone on the ground.
Who decides on short-term rental registration and tax in Serbia?
The city or municipality decides categorisation, the Tax Administration decides tax and the Ministry of Interior receives foreign guest reports. We prepare and follow the paperwork.
Updated November 2026 · Relocation Serbia. General information, not legal, tax or investment advice. Figures are published averages, not forecasts, and rules and rates change. Your situation is decided case by case — contact us or your home-country adviser.