Serbian residence permit through business or property
Serbian residence after registering as a sole trader or a company, or buying a home.
Serbian residence is arranged on three different grounds: sole trader (preduzetnik), company (d.o.o.) or property. The price on the card is for the first two. Support for the property route is quoted separately at the consultation.
Serbia's Law on Foreigners (article 54) expressly requires this to be housing “in which the foreigner resides” — if the property is let out and the applicant does not actually live there, renewal of the residence permit may not be approved (law firms are unanimous in warning about this risk, although the wording “main/only home” does not appear in the law verbatim). There is no official minimum for the value of the property. But since the property route generates no income of its own, under the general rules of Serbia's Ministry of the Interior (MUP) the applicant separately needs to prove “means of subsistence” — one accepted option, stated directly on the official MUP page, is a statement showing at least €50,000 in an account with a Serbian bank. That sum is on top of the cost of the housing and is not included in the price of the service.
What temporary residence in Serbia is
Temporary residence is the main status for anyone living in Serbia longer than 90 days in any 180. It is issued as a card: either a temporary residence permit or a single permit for residence and work.
Which of the two cards is issued depends not on the applicant's choice but on the ground: the system determines it automatically once the person states why they came. The card itself carries a note saying whether it gives the right to work without a separate permit.
The permit is issued for up to three years and renewed for the same period. The exact term depends on the ground.
How a residence permit differs from citizenship by investment
A residence permit is the right to live in a country lawfully for a limited period, with renewal. It gives no passport, no right to vote and is almost always tied to a ground: once the ground falls away, the status is not renewed.
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For the individual that means three things. The status has to be maintained: keep the investment, the income or the housing, and file for renewal on time. The status can be lost — for breaching the conditions or for being out of the country too long. And the status does not convert into citizenship automatically: the naturalisation clock runs separately, and some programmes do not count towards it at all.
In return, a residence permit costs many times less than citizenship by investment and opens up what people most often take it for: lawful residence, a bank account, healthcare, school for the children and travel within Schengen.
On what grounds a Serbian residence permit is granted
- Employment — under an employment contract, self-employment, posting, intra-corporate transfer, independent professional activity
- Study, school, learning Serbian, exchange, scientific research
- Investor
- Serbian origin
- Start-up
- Talent
- Property ownership
- Family reunification
The ground determines both the set of documents and the term. It cannot be changed along the way: if you arrived on a D visa, you may only apply on the same ground the visa was issued for.
How the documents for a Serbian residence permit are filed
Since 1 February 2024 applications for the single permit for residence and work are accepted electronically only — through the single portal for foreigners. The foreigner may file from their own account, or the employer from theirs.
Applications for an ordinary permit may be filed either electronically or in person. For a minor the documents are filed by their legal representatives — in person only.
The passport must be valid for at least three months longer than the period of residence applied for. It is a formality that applications get rejected on.
If the conditions are met, the portal itself sets the date and time of the visit to give biometrics and have the card produced.
After how many years permanent residence in Serbia is granted
You may apply for permanent residence after three years of continuous temporary residence. That is noticeably faster than in most European countries.
“Continuity” is not counted literally: over those three years absences of up to ten months in total, or a single absence of up to six months, are allowed. Exceed that and the three-year count starts again.
The application is filed no earlier than 60 days before the three-year period expires and no later than the end of the current permit. In person only.
What a Serbian residence permit is refused for
- The passport is valid for less than three months beyond the period applied for
- The general conditions of the law on foreigners are not met
- A removal or expulsion measure or an entry ban is in force
- Reasonable suspicion that the residence will be used for a purpose other than the one stated
- A forged travel document, or forged or unlawfully obtained evidence
- Grounds to believe that the foreigner will not observe Serbia's legal order
- On renewal — it is established that the previous permit was used on a ground other than the one it was issued for
What the service includes
| Registration | |
| The residence permit | |
| Support | |
| The investments themselves— billed separately |
How the process runs
2–4 months- Шаг 1Выбираем основание: работа, инвестиции, недвижимость, стартап, происхождение, семья — от него зависит всё остальное.
- Шаг 2Проверяем паспорт: он должен быть действителен на три месяца дольше запрашиваемого срока пребывания.
- Шаг 3Готовим комплект под основание: жильё с согласием арендодателя на регистрацию адреса, подтверждение средств, медстраховка.
- Шаг 4Регистрируем аккаунт и подаём заявление на едином портале для иностранцев, оплачиваем пошлины.
- Шаг 5Портал назначает время визита — сдаём биометрию.
- Шаг 6Получаем карту на срок до трёх лет с отметкой о праве на работу.
- Шаг 7Продление — не раньше чем за три месяца до окончания и не позже даты окончания.
What we need from you
- 1A business or property
- 2A clean background
Frequently asked questions
How long is a Serbian residence permit granted for?
Does a Serbian residence permit give the right to work?
How soon can permanent residence be obtained?
Can the documents be filed remotely?
Can the ground of residence be changed?
Residence through property: other options
Compare terms in other countries and delivery formats.
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