How to move to Serbia in 2026: from visa-free entry to a Serbian passport

90 days without a visa, 9 routes to a residence permit for up to 3 years with fees of about $250, permanent residence after 3 years and citizenship from 6, a 10% tax and a flat tax for sole proprietors, Belgrade from $1,300 a month and a plan for the first 30 days.

In detail

Moving to Serbia in 2026 starts without a visa for most Western passports: citizens of the EU, the US, the UK, Canada and Australia can stay up to 90 days in any 180, and an application for residence filed in that time lets you stay until the decision. A temporary residence permit is issued for up to 3 years through a job, your own company, sole proprietorship, a home you own, family, study, a recognised degree or an investment. Fees for the first permit with the card are about $250, permanent residence comes after 3 years and citizenship from 6 years.

People move to Serbia for the low cost of living, a 10% tax on salaries, a short path to permanent residence and a central location in Europe. Amounts in dollars are at about 105 dinars and $1.1177 per euro as of 14.10.2026, rounded up.

Visa-free entry and address registration within 24 hours

Citizens of the EU, the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and many other countries enter Serbia without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180; many other nationalities can enter with a valid Schengen, UK or US visa. That is enough time to rent a home and apply for residence. Under Article 41 of the Law on Foreigners, anyone who applies in time stays in Serbia until the decision, and the application can be filed online, even before you fly.

Your address is registered within 24 hours of moving in: the landlord or hotel does it online through the e-government portal or at the police. The registration confirmation goes with your residence application, and the bank asks for it when you open an account.

Serbia residence permit: 9 routes in 2026

A temporary residence permit is issued for up to 3 years and renewed for the same term under Article 44 of the Law on Foreigners. You choose the route that fits your situation:

The single permit combines residence with the right to work and goes to employees, company owners and sole proprietors. Owners of a home, spouses of Serbian citizens and students work without it. Remote workers with foreign clients usually register a company or a sole proprietorship, as shown on the Serbia residence through a business page. The law sets no minimum property price; prices and the purchase process are in buying an apartment in Serbia, retirees often use the home route described in retiring in Serbia, and the degree route is in Serbia residence by diploma. Spouses and children follow the steps in Serbia family reunification, and every route with its documents is on the Serbia residence permit page.

How to apply: documents, timing and fees

The single permit is applied for online only, on the Serbian government portal for foreigners, and the decision comes within 15 days of a complete file. Under Article 43 of the Law on Foreigners you attach:

• a passport valid for 3 months beyond the requested term;
• confirmation of your registered address in Serbia;
• health insurance for the whole term;
• proof of funds: a bank statement or proof of income;
• documents for your route: an employment contract, a company or sole proprietorship registration extract, a land registry extract or a marriage certificate;
• the receipt for the fees.

Fees in 2026: $5 (430 dinars) for the application, $220 (22,770 dinars) for the single permit or $230 (23,450 dinars) for another temporary permit, and $20 (2,028 dinars) for the card under the government decree of 12 September 2026. That is about $250 per adult, or about $140 through marriage or kinship with a Serbian citizen. Adults apply online, a child under 18 applies in person at the police, and while the application is pending, citizens of visa-free countries can leave and return. Want the file checked before you apply? A manager will review it.

Permanent residence after 3 years, citizenship from 6

Permanent residence in Serbia is granted after 3 years of continuous temporary residence or single permit under Article 67 of the Law on Foreigners, and the Ministry of the Interior decides within 60 days. Study years count at half. Trips abroad of up to 10 months in total, or up to 6 months at a time, do not break the 3 years. Documents and the procedure are in permanent residence in Serbia.

Citizenship by naturalisation comes after 3 years with permanent residence and a registered address, so from 6 years after the move, under Article 14 of the Citizenship Law. Spouses of Serbian citizens can apply after 3 years of marriage with permanent residence and keep their first passport under Article 17; the rules on two passports are in Serbia dual citizenship. Every path to a passport is on the Serbian citizenship page.

Taxes after moving to Serbia: 10% on salaries and a flat tax for sole proprietors

You become a Serbian tax resident after 183 days in the country in any 12 months or when your centre of vital interests is here, and a resident pays tax on worldwide income. Salaries are taxed at 10%, dividends and capital gains at 15%. A sole proprietorship with turnover up to $58,000 (6 million dinars) a year can pay a flat tax: the tax office sets the amount of tax and contributions in advance, and it does not grow with income. Freelancers and consultants choose it most often; minimum contributions in 2026 are about $180 (17,980 dinars) a month. Registration and regimes are in self-employed in Serbia, the rates on taxes in Serbia.

Cost of living in Belgrade and Novi Sad in 2026

One person in Belgrade needs $1,300-1,700 a month including rent, while the average net salary in Serbia in July 2026 was about $1,200 (121,346 dinars), according to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia. Rent in Novi Sad is about a third lower than in Belgrade.

Rent is usually quoted in euros, leases run for a year with a one-month deposit, and the lease is also needed to register your address. The full breakdown is in cost of living in Serbia, and buyers who need a loan will find the terms in mortgage for foreigners in Serbia.

Moving to Serbia from the US, the UK, Canada or Australia

• Entry - 90 days without a visa in any 180, so you can arrive, rent a flat and apply for residence on the spot.
• Income - remote workers with foreign clients most often register a sole proprietorship or a company and pay a flat tax or 10% on profit.
• US citizens keep filing US returns, but up to $132,900 of foreign earned income in 2026 can be excluded and tax paid in Serbia is credited.
• UK citizens become non-resident under the statutory residence test once they leave and pay UK tax only on UK income.
• Documents - birth and marriage certificates and diplomas need an apostille and a certified Serbian translation.

Is Serbia a good place to live?

Five reasons people choose Serbia in 2026: visa-free entry for most Western passports, a 10% tax on salaries, permanent residence after 3 years, a cost of living well below Western Europe and free public transport in Belgrade. Serbia is not in the Schengen area, so residents apply for Schengen visas at consulates in Belgrade, while citizens of visa-free countries travel as before. Choosing between neighbours? Compare Serbia vs Montenegro and Serbia vs Bulgaria.

A bank account and moving your savings

A foreigner opens an account in a Serbian bank in the first days with a passport and proof of address. In the first year you are a non-resident under the Law on Foreign Exchange Operations and hold a dinar and a foreign currency account; after a year on a residence permit you tell the bank and switch to a resident account. Deposits are insured up to $56,000 (€50,000) per person per bank. Account options are on the bank account in Serbia page, and a manager will choose a transfer route for your amount: discuss moving your savings.

Your first 30 days in Serbia

Bring passports for the whole family, birth and marriage certificates, diplomas and proof of income, all with an apostille. Then, step by step:

1. Days 1-2. A home with a lease, address registration within 24 hours and a Serbian SIM card.
2. Days 3-10. Steps for your route: registering a company or sole proprietorship with the Business Registers Agency, a contract with an employer or recording your flat in the land registry, then a bank account.
3. Days 10-15. Health insurance, translations by a court interpreter and the application on the portal for foreigners with about $250 in fees.
4. Days 15-30. A decision on the single permit within 15 days, biometrics and the card; until the decision you stay in Serbia legally.

All programmes for the country are on the Serbia page.

How Murblz helps

We handle the move to Serbia end to end: we choose the route to residence, register your company or sole proprietorship, check the lease and documents before you apply, support the application on the portal and the card, and after 3 years the application for permanent residence. The first step is free: in the chat a manager will look at your situation and suggest a week-by-week plan.

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