In order to work in Serbia, you must have an appropriate visa or residence and work permit, and in some cases, you can acquire the right to work with a temporary residence permit.

It is also important to mention that there are certain jobs that you can perform without a work permit for a shorter period of time, up to 90 days (more information about this at the end of this text).

Which rule applies to you depends on the work you want to do, the purpose of your stay in Serbia, the length of your stay, and it also depends on which country issued the passport with which you enter the territory of the Republic of Serbia.

Work visa - who needs it and what it allows

A work visa is required for foreign citizens who are in the visa regime and come to work in Serbia.

To find out whether you need a work visa with a maximum duration of 180 days or whether you can apply directly for a temporary residence permit on the basis of employment with a maximum duration of 36 months, visit My Guide to Entry, Visas and Residence.

A work visa is actually a visa D issued for the purpose of employment. This visa allows you to stay and work in Serbia for a maximum period of 180 days, in which case you do not need to obtain a work permit. If you want to stay longer and continue with the same employment, you need to apply for a single temporary residence and work permit.

Types of employment for which a visa D can be obtained are as follows:

• Employment on the basis of an employment contract or another contract that exercises rights in accordance with the Labour Law (employment in the narrow sense),
• Self-employment (registration certificate),
• Referred person (agreement on business and technical cooperation),
• Movement within the company,
• Independent professional,
• Training and development (professional practice, specialization, training, internship, work practice, professional training/development),
• Volunteering,
• Accredited foreign journalist,
• Realization of the project in cooperation with the state authorities of the Republic of Serbia,
• Realization of an audio-visual work (hiring a member of the author's and acting crew who produces an audio-visual work on the territory of the RS).

Foreign citizens from certain countries do not need a visa D to enter, reside and work in Serbia, but can submit an application for temporary residence based on employment electronically (whether they are already in Serbia or not).

Temporary residence and work permit, Single permit

Employment is the purpose of stay on the basis of which you can obtain a residence and work permit. There are types of employment that require a work permit, and it will automatically be integrated into a permit called a single residence and work permit.

Types of employment on the basis of which a single residence and work permit is obtained:

• Employment on the basis of an employment contract or another contract that exercises rights in accordance with the Labour Law (employment in the narrow sense),
• Self-employment (registration certificate),
• Referred person (agreement on business and technical cooperation),
• Movement within the company,
• Independent professional,
• Training and development (professional practice, specialization, training, internship, work practice, professional training/development).

Temporary residence permit

Within the residence purpose which implies employment, there are certain types of employment that do not require a work permit:

• Volunteering,
• Accredited foreign journalist,
• Realization of the project in cooperation with the state authorities of the Republic of Serbia,
• Hiring a member of the author's and acting crew who produces an audio-visual work on the territory of the RS.

If the reason for your stay is one of the four listed, your temporary residence permit will be a permit with the right to work. Your right to work is integrated through the temporary residence permit that is issued for a maximum of 36 months.

Submitting a request

You can apply for a visa D and a temporary residence permit on the basis of employment yourself or your employer can apply for you. You can apply for a visa D electronically on this Portal. You can submit a request for temporary residence in person or electronically, and you can submit a request for a single permit exclusively electronically on this portal.

Right to work on other bases

Acknowledging the need for foreign citizens who have been approved temporary residence on other bases prescribed by the current Law on Foreign Citizens, to have the opportunity to work in our country, thereby contributing to the development of the country, it has been made possible for a large number of foreign citizens to have the legally approved right to work in the Republic of Serbia without being issued a single permit for temporary residence and work. This group of foreign citizens primarily includes foreign citizens who have been granted temporary residence on the basis of family reunification with a citizen of the Republic of Serbia, foreign citizens who have been granted temporary residence on the basis of owning real estate, on the basis of studying (within the time period prescribed by the Law on the Employment of Foreign Citizens), foreign citizens who have been granted temporary residence on the basis of scientific research work, volunteers, foreign journalists, foreign experts who are engaged in projects with state authorities of the Republic of Serbia, religious officials, foreign citizens on humanitarian stays, foreign citizens who are victims of human trafficking and other foreign citizens in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Employment of Foreign Citizens, as well as foreign citizens with permanent residence.

Jobs that do not require a work permit if you perform them for a period of up to 90 days

If you do not stay in Serbia for more than 90 days in a period of 180 days counting from the date of first entry, then you have the right to work in the specified period without a single permit, provided that:

• you are the owner, founder, representative or member of a legal entity registered in the Republic, who is not employed with that legal entity;
• you are staying in the Republic of Serbia for the purpose of establishing business contacts or attending meetings without generating income in the Republic of Serbia, you perform other business activities related to the preparation of a foreign employer to establish a presence and start operating in Serbia;
• you are a lecturer or researcher who participates in organized professional meetings or research projects or you perform work with the aim of presenting or implementing various scientific and technical achievements. On this basis, the right to work is also exercised by your supporting staff;
• you perform temporary educational, sports, artistic, cultural and other similar activities or you attend a scientific, artistic, cultural or sports event in the Republic of Serbia organized by authorized organizations, state authorities or bodies of autonomous provinces and local self-government units, including accompanying organizational and technical staff;
• you are a referred person (you come within the framework of business cooperation between two business entities) who performs work on the basis of a contract for the procurement of goods, the procurement or rental of machines or equipment, their delivery, installation, assembly, repair, or training for working on these machines or equipment;
• you are staying in the Republic of Serbia independently or for the needs of a foreign employer for the purpose of equipping and exhibiting equipment and exhibits at trade and other fairs and exhibitions.

Note: A decisive role in whether you need a visa to stay in Serbia for up to 90 days is played by the visa regime of the country you are coming from, as well as the purpose of your stay. Visit My Guide to Entry, Visas and Residence and find out which visa you need. You can also get information on the website of the Ministry of the Interior.