Serbia election 2026 results: what changes for residence, property and banks

The Student List took 52.5% of the vote and a majority in parliament, and Vučić conceded after 12 years in power. The timeline for the new government, the winners' stance on the EU and what it means for residence permits, buying a flat, bank accounts and business in Serbia.

On Sunday, 25 October 2026, Serbia voted against Aleksandar Vučić for the first time in 12 years. According to preliminary official results, with 8,077 of 8,392 polling stations counted, the Student List won 52.54% of the vote and the United Serbia coalition led by Vučić's Serbian Progressive Party 39.29%. Turnout reached 68.78%, the highest in more than 30 years. The same night Vučić conceded defeat.

The Student List grew out of protests that ran across the country for almost two years after a station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad in November 2024, killing 16 people. For anyone who lives in Serbia, is applying for residence, buying a flat or running a business there, the key question is simple: what changes? The short answer: the laws on foreigners, taxes and banking stay in force, and the first decisions of the new government will not come before spring 2027. The details are below.

Serbia election results in numbers

The remaining seats go to national minority lists: Hungarian, Albanian and Bosniak. The 3% threshold does not apply to them, so they enter parliament with fewer votes.

What happens next: the timeline for the new government

The new parliament convenes within 30 days of the final results, and the government is formed within 90 days after that. A single list with a majority removes long coalition talks, so the cabinet may arrive before the deadline.

• Prime minister. The Student List did not name a candidate before the vote. The most likely choice is Ilija Srdanović, a cardiologist and professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Novi Sad who led the campaign.
• President. Vučić resigned as president on 27 September, and the speaker of parliament, Ana Brnabić, is acting head of state. An early presidential election must take place no later than 27 December 2026. Serbia elects its president directly, but the post is largely ceremonial.
• Key ministries. Who will run the interior, finance and justice ministries has not been announced. Residence permits, taxes and the courts depend on exactly these three.

The EU, sanctions and visas: where the winners stand

Brussels congratulated the winners on day one. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa said they stand ready to support reforms on the rule of law, media freedom and the fight against corruption. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos wrote that "the door to the EU is open". Before the vote the accession talks had stalled: in July 2026 eight EU member states blocked a new negotiating cluster because Belgrade had not joined EU sanctions on Russia and had made no progress on the rule of law.

The Student List does not plan to introduce those sanctions: its foreign policy programme, published in September, says so. On EU membership it proposes to carry out reforms and close all negotiating clusters first, and to leave the final decision on joining to the citizens.

Entry rules stay the same. 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, and an application for residence filed in that time lets you stay until the decision. Serbia has to bring its visa policy in line with the EU lists only by the moment it joins, which is still several years away.

Serbian residence permits after the election

Residence permits are issued under the Law on Foreigners, and the election does not change it: pending applications are processed as usual, and issued cards stay valid until they expire. A temporary residence permit is issued for up to 3 years and renewed for the same term while its ground still exists. After 3 years of legal residence you can apply for permanent residence.

The new government puts the fight against corruption and independent institutions first. The practical conclusion for a foreigner is to keep the ground of the permit alive: a company needs real activity, accounts and an address, a sole proprietor needs paid taxes, and a flat has to remain your home. All routes with documents and timelines are on the page Serbia residence permit.

Property in Serbia: what happens to prices

Serbia's housing market has grown for three years in a row. According to official data, in the second quarter of 2026 the average square metre in Belgrade cost about $3,700 and in Novi Sad about $2,700, while small towns in Vojvodina and the south have flats below $1,130 per metre. Foreigners buy homes on the basis of reciprocity, restrictions apply mainly to farmland, and a flat you own is on its own a ground for residence.

On election night Vučić warned that the change of power could send a negative signal to investors: attracting foreign money was a pillar of his economic policy. For a flat buyer there is no direct risk. Title is registered in the cadastre, a notary certifies the contract and payment goes through a bank, and none of this depends on who forms the government. In the coming months some buyers will wait for the new cabinet, which makes it a good time to negotiate with sellers. In the long run the winners' focus on the rule of law and the EU path supports demand from foreign buyers.

Prices by district, property checks and transaction support are on the page property in Serbia, and loans for foreigners in the article mortgage in Serbia.

Banks, the dinar and transfers

The rules for opening accounts for foreigners are set by the National Bank of Serbia, not the government, and they stay the same: a non-resident opens an account in dinars and in foreign currency, and the card is issued to the account. Personal deposits are insured up to 50,000 euros per bank, about $57,000. The central bank keeps the dinar stable against the euro at about 117 dinars per euro, so a change of government does not mean exchange rate swings.

How to open an account and get a card is in the article Serbian bank card, and how to move money into the country in how to send money to Serbia.

Business and taxes

The Student List has announced no tax changes. Its programme centres on fighting corruption and organised crime, higher living standards and employment, education, media freedom and independent institutions. Rates stay the same: 10% tax on salaries, 15% corporate profit tax and 20% VAT.

For business owners the rule is simple: until the new government is formed, that is until spring 2027, the tax and registration system works under the current laws. Flat-rate sole proprietors, companies and residence through business are set up as before. Rates and incentives in detail are on the page taxes in Serbia.

What to do if you live in Serbia or plan to move

• You have applied for residence or are renewing your card. Change nothing: the procedure follows the Law on Foreigners and the timelines are the same. File the renewal early, before your current card expires.
• You are choosing a country. Serbia remains one of the most accessible countries in Europe for residence: several routes, permanent residence after 3 years and a 10% tax on salaries. Our comparisons Serbia or Montenegro and Serbia or Bulgaria help you weigh the neighbours.
• You are buying a flat. A cadastre check and payment through a bank protect the deal under any government, and the pause in the market over the coming months is a time to negotiate.
• You run a company in Serbia. Watch the line-up of the new government and its first laws, and until then keep your accounts, taxes and company address in order.

Our services in Serbia

We handle a move to Serbia from the first consultation to permanent residence and a passport: we choose the route, register a company or sole proprietorship, support the flat purchase and the residence application.

All programmes are on the page Serbia: all programmes, and life in the capital in our Belgrade guide.

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