How much Serbian citizenship costs in 2026

8 min read · Published 6 October 2026

State fees for the whole path to a Serbian passport are about $750 per person. The citizenship fee itself is about $250, and one covers the whole family. The main price is six years of living in the country.

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Key point	2026 figures
Route	naturalisation after permanent residence
Residence	3 years on a temporary permit and 3 years with permanent residence
Citizenship fee	~$250, one per family
All state fees per person	~$750
Exam	not required
Previous citizenship	renunciation required for naturalisation
By investment	no programme

Amounts checked: 2026-10-06

A Serbian passport cannot be bought: Serbia has no citizenship by investment programme, and admission by government decision in the country's interest is an exception, not a service. An ordinary foreigner gets the passport through naturalisation: three years on a temporary permit, then permanent residence and three more years with a permanent registered address.

Fees here are low, and there is no language exam. But there are two expensive items that are not in the tariff: six years of living in the country and renouncing Russian citizenship. Below are all the payments, the family minimum, timelines and what happens after a refusal.

We will work out online when you can apply and what fees and documents will cost for your family.

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What the cost is made of

Cost item	Amount	Who pays
Temporary residence	$230	each adult
Permanent residence decision	$165	each adult
Permanent resident ID	$60	each adult
Citizenship decision, one fee per family	$250	once per application
Passport	$45	each family member
Filing the citizenship application	~$5	once per application
Spouse's family reunification permit instead of a standard one	~$120	spouse
Temporary residence renewals	at the Serbian Interior Ministry tariff	each adult
Apostilles and certified court translation	per document	each adult
Renouncing Russian citizenship	at the Russian consulate tariff	each adult

Fees are set by the Law on Republic Administrative Fees as indexed for 2026, converted at the official rate of the National Bank of Serbia and rounded up. A new citizen's passport costs about $45.

If a spouse, minor children and non-working children under 26 are admitted to citizenship at the same time, one fee is paid for the decision.

Fees are $750, the costly part is a mistake with renunciation

Serbia charges little for citizenship, but six years and your previous passport at stake make every mistake expensive: a missed deadline for permanent residence, absences longer than allowed, renouncing Russian citizenship before the decision is clear. Murblz chooses the basis for your family, arranges temporary and permanent residence, counts days in the country and represents you before the Serbian Interior Ministry together with locally licensed partners.

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How much it costs for a family of 2, 3 and 4

Family	Minimum
Two adults	from $1,300: temporary and permanent residence and IDs for both spouses, one citizenship fee and two passports
Two adults and a child	from $1,300 plus the child's temporary and permanent residence
Two adults and two children	from $1,400 plus the children's temporary and permanent residence

One citizenship fee covers the whole family if admitted together. Temporary and permanent residence, IDs and passports are issued for each person, and every adult has to renounce their previous citizenship.

What the cost does not include

housing and living in the country for six years;
temporary residence renewals and health insurance;
children's temporary and permanent residence;
apostilles, translations and certificates from your country of citizenship;
renouncing Russian citizenship through the consulate.

Timeline by step

Step	Time
Temporary residence for work, business, study or family	3 years of living in the country
Permanent residence decision	60 days by law
Living with permanent residence and a registered address	3 years
Citizenship application and Interior Ministry certificate for renunciation	the certificate is valid 2 years
Renouncing Russian citizenship through the consulate	months
Citizenship decision	a few months to a year
Birth register entry, ID card and passport	after the decision

The minimum to a passport is 6 years. For Russians waiting on renunciation, the decision has taken more than 2 years. Years on a temporary permit count by actual residence: absences of no more than 10 months in total or 6 months at a time.

Is money refunded if you are refused

There is no investment, and fees are not returned. The main risk is different: renouncing Russian citizenship and not getting Serbian. By December 2025 at least 32 citizens of Russia and Belarus had been left without citizenship this way.

So renunciation starts only after the Serbian Interior Ministry certificate and with a clear view of when the decision will come. If a ministry request is not met, the application can be treated as withdrawn 3 months after a warning.

Comparison with neighbouring programmes

Country	Route	Minimum for one	Time	Dual citizenship
North Macedonia	Special economic interest: fund investment	from $224,500	No set deadline, approvals are rare	allowed
Germany	Naturalisation	from $400	5 years of residence, 3 for spouses of citizens	allowed
Argentina	Naturalisation through a federal court	from $210	2 years in the country plus a year or more in court	allowed

North Macedonia grants a passport for a fund investment without six years of residence, but approvals there are rare. Germany naturalises after 5 years, but with language and a test. Argentina takes 2 years of residence and a court case with no fee. Serbia has no exam and low fees, but loses on time and the requirement to renounce your previous citizenship.

How to shorten the path and keep your passport

Route	Residence in Serbia	Renouncing previous citizenship
Naturalisation	permanent residence and 3 registered years, from 6 years	required
Marriage to a Serbian citizen	permanent residence and 3 years of marriage, about 4 years	not required
Emigrants from Serbia and their descendants	not required	not required
Ethnic Serbs abroad	not required	not required
Interest of the Republic of Serbia	not required	not required, no fee

Marriage saves about two years and keeps the previous passport, while Serbian roots remove both the residence period and renunciation. A sham marriage for a passport is dangerous: the Interior Ministry may annul citizenship obtained on false grounds.

Documents for the application

passport and the permanent residence decision;
birth and marriage certificates with apostille and certified court translation;
a citizenship certificate no older than 6 months;
proof of three years of permanent registered address;
a written statement recognising Serbia as your state;
a renunciation document or an Interior Ministry certificate that it will be issued after admission.

You file at the police directorate where you live or at a Serbian consulate, in person or by power of attorney.

Who Serbian citizenship suits

Those who plan to live in Serbia for years anyway, spouses of Serbian citizens and descendants of Serbs. For them the passport costs a few hundred dollars in fees.

It does not suit those who need a second passport quickly without relocating, or Russians without a marriage or Serbian roots who are not ready to give up Russian citizenship.

This topic in other countries

Citizenship cost in other countries:

More about the country:

All programmes and a family calculator - how much citizenship costs in different countries.

FAQ

How much does Serbian citizenship cost in 2026?

The citizenship fee is about $250, and one covers the whole family. Together with temporary and permanent residence, an ID and a passport, state fees come to about $750 per person.

Can you buy Serbian citizenship?

No, there is no citizenship by investment programme. The passport comes through naturalisation, marriage, Serbian roots or by government decision in the country's interest.

How much does Serbian citizenship cost for a family?

From $1,300 for a couple: temporary and permanent residence and IDs for each, one citizenship fee and two passports. Children's residence permits come on top.

How many years must you live in Serbia for citizenship?

At least six: three years on a temporary permit before permanent residence and three more with permanent residence and a registered address.

Do you have to give up Russian citizenship?

For naturalisation, yes: the law requires renouncing your previous citizenship. Marriage, Serbian roots and government decisions do not require it.

Is there an exam?

No. The Serbian Citizenship Law requires no exam in language, history or the constitution.

How long does a Serbian citizenship decision take?

Usually a few months to a year. For Russians waiting on renunciation it has taken more than 2 years.

Don’t want to figure this out alone?

We handle the whole process end to end: we check your documents, match a program to your situation and give you honest timelines and costs. Ask your question in the chat: the free consultation starts right here. Legal representation before authorities and courts is handled by Murblz specialists together with locally licensed partners.

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