Residence permit in Serbia through your own company: step by step

In one paragraph: you register a Serbian d.o.o. by power of attorney, open the company's account and a personal one, rent a flat you really live in, and apply for temporary residence on the basis of your work in the company. If your passport needs a visa for Serbia, Visa D comes before you travel. The permit can run for up to three years, and permanent residence is possible after three.

Before anything else: your passport

Everything depends on whether you need a visa to enter Serbia. EU citizens and many others don't: they enter, register their address and apply for residence here. Others apply for Visa D at a Serbian embassy first, on the basis of the company. Tell us your citizenship in the first message and we will tell you which route you are on.

Step 1. The company

We register your d.o.o. by power of attorney, usually about 5 working days after the original reaches Belgrade (the full timeline is here). You can own 100% of it and be its only director. Decide with us at this stage whether you will be employed by the company: it changes your monthly costs and how the residence file is built.

Step 2. Two bank accounts

The company needs its business account. You will also want a personal account, because the police want to see that you can support yourself, and a statement from a Serbian account is the simplest proof. Most banks need one visit; we book it and come with you. The bank decides, as always. See personal accounts for non-residents.

Step 3. A flat you actually live in

This is where some providers cut corners, and where files fail later. The address on your residence application must be where you live, backed by a lease or ownership. If you are not staying in a hotel, you register your address with the police within 24 hours of arriving. A hotel does this for you.

We don't arrange "virtual residence" or leases for flats you never see. A permit built on an address you don't use can be refused, or cancelled at renewal, and then the whole plan starts again.

Step 4. Visa D, if your passport needs it

You apply at the Serbian embassy or consulate responsible for where you live, with the company documents and the rest of the file we prepare. Processing is usually 30 to 45 days. Our fee is €550 per person.

Step 5. The residence application

Since 2024 Serbia issues a single permit that covers both residence and work, so founders who work in their own company no longer need two separate procedures. We prepare and file the application with proof of the company, your accommodation, your means and health insurance. Our fee is €850 per person, state fees on top.

Plan for a stay in Serbia when you file. You come back when the police call you for fingerprints and a photo, usually within 30 to 45 days, and the card is ready about a week after that.

Step 6. Family

Once you hold your permit, your spouse and children can apply for residence through family reunification. We prepare their files with yours, so the timing lines up.

Where files usually get stuck

• An address the applicant doesn't actually live at
• A company with no visible activity, no account and no contracts, so nobody can explain what it does
• Bank statements that don't show enough to live on
• Foreign documents without apostille or translation
• Assuming that a residence permit also makes you a Serbian tax resident. It doesn't, by itself. See Serbian tax residency

General information, not legal advice. Requirements depend on your citizenship, the embassy and current police practice; we confirm them for your case. Nobody can guarantee a visa or a permit, and we don't.