Opening an online store company in Serbia as a foreigner

Short answer: yes. You can register a d.o.o. in Serbia with yourself as the only owner and director, choose online retail as the main activity and run the store without shop premises. Registration takes about five working days once the documents are in, and it can be done by power of attorney.

Many people start with an online store because it needs much less money up front than a café or a shop. That is a sensible order. The company can add other activities later, and premises can come when there is income to pay for them.

What the company needs

• Activity code 4791, retail sale via the internet. In Serbia a company may do any lawful business, but the main code should match what you really do, because banks and the police read it.
• A registered address. A virtual office in Belgrade is enough for an online store. Novi Sad and other cities are possible too.
• A business bank account in a Serbian bank. The bank decides on its own, so the file should explain what you sell, who your suppliers are and where the money comes from.
• An accountant. A Serbian company keeps books from the first day, even before the first sale.

Rules for selling online

• Your website has to show the company name, address, registration number and tax ID, plus clear terms of sale, delivery and returns.
• Customers who buy online usually have 14 days to withdraw from the purchase. Put this in your terms and plan returns into your prices.
• Sales to private customers generally need fiscal receipts (e-fiscalisation), which can be sent by e-mail.
• Food, supplements, cosmetics and medical products have their own rules. Tell us what you plan to sell before you order stock.
• VAT registration becomes mandatory once turnover passes RSD 8 million in 12 months. Many small stores register earlier on purpose, for example to reclaim VAT on stock.

Getting paid

Most stores take cards through a bank or a payment provider and also accept bank transfers and cash on delivery. Card acquiring is a separate request to the bank, and banks ask for the website to be live and the terms of sale to be published. We usually prepare that request together with the business account.

Living in Serbia with your store

An online store can be the basis for Visa D and temporary residence as the owner and director. The police check that the company is real. In practice that means a business account with real payments, invoices, an accountant and taxes paid. A store with no sales after six months makes the renewal harder. See residence through your own company.

What it costs to start

Our fees are on the price list: company registration, the registered address, Visa D and residence are separate items, and state, notary and translation costs are paid at cost. Before you pay anything, you get a written offer and an engagement agreement.

Where foreign owners get stuck

• Choosing the wrong main activity, then explaining it to the bank
• Opening the website before the terms of sale and company details are on it
• Ordering regulated goods before checking the rules for them
• Expecting the bank to approve card payments the same day as the account

General information, not legal advice. Rules depend on what you sell and change from time to time; we confirm them for your case. Banks decide on accounts on their own.