What your passport allows
The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that Russian citizens with ordinary passports need no visa for visits of up to 30 days. The other nationalities on this site get 90 days, so the time between arrival and the residence filing is short. We agree the filing date with you before you travel and prepare the documents in advance.
Where you sign decides the documents
Many Russians live outside Russia, in Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, the UAE and elsewhere. What a power of attorney needs depends on the country where you sign, not on your nationality. If you sign in Russia, our power of attorney page lists Russia among the countries covered by a treaty with Serbia on legal assistance, where a notary’s certification is enough. If you sign somewhere else, that country’s rules apply. We confirm the exact form with your notary before you sign. See the power of attorney page.
Tax and reporting at home
Russia and Serbia have a double tax treaty in force. Russian tax residents have duties of their own about foreign accounts: reporting to the Russian tax authority, with an annual report, and notice when an account is closed. These rules have been changed several times, so confirm the current ones with a Russian adviser before you open an account. Serbian tax residency follows where you actually live, or 183 days in a twelve-month period. See the tax residency page.
Banks and the source of funds
Serbian banks carry out full checks on every foreign owner. They ask about the company, about who controls it, and about where the money comes from, and they want documents rather than explanations. For a Russian owner this means a clear business description, contracts, tax returns and statements. A careful file helps. It never guarantees an account, because the bank decides on its own.
We also do not arrange anything meant to get around sanctions or reporting duties. The company has to be real. Our page on what we do not do explains the limits.
How it runs, step by step
- You write to us in Russian or English: where you live, what the company will do, who moves with you.
- Written plan, engagement agreement and invoice, then payment by bank transfer.
- Power of attorney, signed under the rules of the country where you are, and the original to Belgrade by courier.
- Registration at the APR, usually about five working days after the original arrives.
- Residence application in Serbia, within the 30 days we planned, then the registered address with the white card and the bank account.
What it costs
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Our fee for company registration (d.o.o.) | €370 |
| Sworn translation of the power of attorney in Belgrade | €40 per power of attorney |
| Notary in Russia (apostille is not needed under the treaty, but is available if requested) | at local rates |
| State fee at the Business Registers Agency (APR) | per APR tariff |
| Registered address in Belgrade, with the white card (beli karton) | €480 for 12 months |
| Visa D | €550 per person, only if your passport needs one |
| Temporary residence permit | €850 per person |
| Basic bookkeeping | from €100 a month |
Third-party costs are always separate and charged at cost, with receipts. We send a written estimate before you pay anything, then an engagement agreement and an invoice. Payment is by bank transfer only.
Sources: Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visa regime pages; Hague Conference on Private International Law, Apostille Convention status table; KPMG Serbia, list of Serbia’s double tax treaties (situation 1 January 2025). Checked 2 November 2026. General information, not tax advice for your case. Rules change, so we confirm your position in writing before you sign anything.
Checked by our lawyer. Updated 2 November 2026. Next review: February 2027.