Residency services
Serbian Residency Permit for Foreigners
A Serbian temporary residence permit allows foreigners to live legally in Serbia for one year, renewable annually. The most common pathways are company formation, property ownership, or employment. Applications typically take 4–6 weeks from complete document submission. Relocation Serbia manages the full process — documents, translation, submission, and the single required appointment — on your behalf.
- Three recognised pathways — company, property, or employment
- 4–6 weeks processing time from complete document submission
- One in-person appointment required — we schedule and accompany you
- Family members included — simultaneous applications for all
- No Serbian language required — bilingual team handles all authority communication
3 yrs
Temporary residency before permanent eligibility
10%
Flat personal income tax rate in Serbia
15%
Corporate tax rate - amoung europe's lowest
90 days
Visa-free entry for most western nationalities
Residency pathways
Three ways to qualify for Serbian residency
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Most foreigners qualify through one of these three pathways. The right choice depends on your situation, timeline, and long-term plans in Serbia. We'll confirm which is best for you on the eligibility call.
COMPANY FORMATION (DOO)
Register a Serbian limited liability company and apply for residency as the company director or employee. 1€ minimum capital requirement. The fastest setup-to-permit pathway available.
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Company registration 5-7 days
Permit approval 4-6 weeks
Minimum capital €1
Work authorisation Included
Ideal for entrepreneurs, remote workers, freelancers
PROPERTY OWNERSHIP
Purchase residential property in Serbia and use ownership as the legal basis for temporary residence permit. Combines investment and residency into a single coordinated process.
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Property purcahse 1 week - 8 weeks
Permit approval 4 - 6 weeks
Minimum Investment No threshold
Work authorisation Separate permit
ideal for long-term settlers, retirees, property investors
FAMILY REUNIFICATION
If you have a close family member already residing in Serbia, you may qualify for residency on this basis. Depending on their statues family may gain residency as well.
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Work permit Required first
Permit approval 4-6 weeks
Employer Required Yes
Work Authorisation Included
Ideal for employees transferring to Serbia, family members joining residents
Permit types
Temporary vs permanent residency in Serbia
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Most clients start with temporary residency and transition to permanent residency after three years. Here is what each permits.
Temporary Residency
The standard entry point for all foreign residents of Serbia. Issued for one year and renewable annually without leaving Serbia, as long as the qualifying basis remains in place.
- Legal right to live in Serbia
- Right to work (depending on permit basis)
- Access to private healthcare and banking
- Ability to sign contracts and lease property
- Children can enrol in Serbian schools
- Renewable annually for up to 3 years
Permanent Residency
Available to those who have held temporary residency for five consecutive years. Provides an indefinite right to remain in Serbia and is the gateway to citizenship by naturalisation.
- Indefinite right to remain in Serbia
- Full right to work without restrictions
- Access to public services on equal footing
- No annual renewal required
- Prerequisite for citizenship by naturalisation
- Significantly stronger legal status than temporary residency
The process
What happens from your first call to approved permit
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Every client follows the same five-stage process. Here is exactly what we handle at each stage — and what you need to do.
Eligibility & pathway assessment
A 60-minute call where we assess your nationality, situation, and goals to confirm which residency pathway is right for you, what documents you'll need, what the realistic timeline is, and what the total cost will be. You leave the call with a clear plan.
Your only action: book the call and show up.
Document preparation
We provide a personalised document checklist and manage the full preparation process — certified translations, apostilles, legalisation, and any company or lease documentation required for your chosen pathway. You provide the source documents; we handle everything else.
Documents with incorrect translations or expired apostilles are the single biggest cause of rejection. This stage is where we prevent that.
Application submission
We schedule your appointment with the Serbian police administration authority, accompany you on the day, and submit your complete application file. This is the one day you need to be physically present in Serbia. Most clients fly in specifically for this appointment.
We handle all communication with Serbian authorities throughout — you do not deal with them directly.
Parallel settlement support
While your application is being processed, we run your housing search, bank account opening, school placement, and any other settlement services simultaneously. So when your permit is approved, you're ready to move — not waiting on logistics.
Running settlement and permit processes in parallel saves 4–8 weeks of total relocation time.
Approval, collection & handover
We notify you immediately upon approval, collect your permit, and brief you on your renewal date, obligations, and any next steps — including what to maintain to keep your permit valid. We remain your point of contact for renewals, upgrades to permanent residency, and any further services.
Renewals are managed by us annually — you won't need to manage this yourself.
Client outcomes
Completed residency cases
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Anonymised outcome snapshots from completed engagements. Real timelines, real results.
DOO registered, Serbian bank account opened, and temporary residence permit approved. Working legally from Belgrade within three weeks of first arriving in Serbia.
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Residency permits approved for all four family members simultaneously. Apartment secured, two children enrolled in international school, bank accounts opened within the first week.
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Property identified, purchased, and residency permits approved for both in a coordinated 11-week process. Both permits run concurrently from a single property ownership basis.
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Ready to get your Serbian residency permit?
Book a free 60-minute call. We'll confirm your pathway, timeline, and cost — and tell you exactly what needs to happen next.
Bilingual English-Serbian team
Belgrade & Novi Sad offices
Relocation Serbia is a trade name of Helion Global Group LLC, a limited liability company registered in the State of Wyoming, USA. Services in Serbia are delivered by Globalna Poslovna Rešenja DOO, a company registered in Serbia, under agreement with Helion Global Group LLC.
Relocation Serbia is a trade name of Helion Global Group LLC, a limited liability company registered in the State of Wyoming, USA. Services in Serbia are delivered by Globalna Poslovna Rešenja DOO, a company registered in Serbia, under agreement with Helion Global Group LLC.
Relocation Serbia is a trade name of Helion Global Group LLC, a limited liability company registered in the State of Wyoming, USA. Services in Serbia are delivered by Globalna Poslovna Rešenja DOO, a company registered in Serbia, under agreement with Helion Global Group LLC.