What your passport allows
The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists US citizens with ordinary passports as visa-free for up to 90 days within a six-month period that starts on the day of first entry.
Because you need no visa to come, you generally do not need a Visa D either. The temporary residence application is normally filed in Serbia during the permitted stay. That makes the calendar the real constraint: we fix the filing date before you fly, not when the 90 days are nearly gone. If you carry a second passport, tell us, because the rules follow the passport you enter on.
Signing the power of attorney in the US
You do not travel to register the company. A notary in the US certifies your signature on the power of attorney we prepare, and the document then needs an apostille. For notarial documents that usually comes from the Secretary of State of the state where the notary is commissioned. The United States has been in the Hague Apostille Convention since 1981. The signed original then goes by courier to Belgrade. The rules for every country are on our power of attorney page.
The US tax side, honestly
Serbia has no income tax treaty with the United States. It is not on the list of Serbia’s double tax treaties in force as of January 2025. That means no treaty tie-breaker and no treaty rate on dividends. Relief comes from US domestic rules, such as the foreign tax credit or the foreign earned income exclusion, and your US preparer decides which one fits.
US citizens and green card holders file US returns wherever they live. Foreign accounts are reportable too, with the FBAR once the combined balances pass 10,000 USD at any point in the year, and a Serbian company you own is reportable as well. We are not your US tax adviser. We tell you what Serbia needs and list the questions to put to your preparer before you decide.
Banking and FATCA
Serbia applies FATCA under an agreement with the United States. A Serbian bank will therefore identify you as a US person, ask for a W-9 and report the account. That is not a refusal. It means more forms and more questions about where the money comes from. Which institutions are comfortable with US clients changes over time, so we check before you book a flight. The bank decides, always. More in bank account in Serbia for US citizens.
How it runs, step by step
- You write to us by WhatsApp or email: citizenship, where you live, what the company will do, who comes with you.
- You receive a written plan and an invoice. Engagement agreement and invoice first, payment by bank transfer second.
- You sign the power of attorney at a US notary, add the apostille and send the original to Belgrade.
- We register the company at the APR, usually about five working days after the original arrives, with its tax number.
- Residence. You come in visa-free, we file the temporary residence application, and the bank account follows once the company and your status are in place.
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 and apostille or legalisation in the United States | 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.