Illustrative example, not a real client. Names and details are made up to show how a typical case goes. The steps, timing and costs are the ones we see in practice. Your case depends on your passport, your business and the decision of the bank or the police.
People rarely ask "how do I register a d.o.o." in the abstract. They ask from their own situation: I'm a developer, I own a company in Switzerland, I live in Dubai. So here are six typical situations, written the way I would explain them in a first reply.
- A German freelance developer who wants to live in Belgrade
- A Swiss company owner who wants a development team in Serbia
- An American remote employee of a US company
- A British consultant with a UK Ltd who wants an account in Serbia
- A Dutch couple buying a flat in Belgrade and staying
- A Dubai-based founder who wants a base in a European time zone
1. A German freelance developer who wants to live in Belgrade
Illustrative example, not a real client. Names and details are made up to show how a typical case goes.
The situation. A software developer from Germany, 34, works for three clients in the EU and invoices them as a freelancer. He spent a few weeks in Belgrade, liked it, and now wants to stay most of the year without breaking any rules.
The usual path.
- A Serbian d.o.o. is registered by power of attorney. He signs it at a German notary, adds the apostille and sends the original.
- He becomes the director and an employee of his own company. The company invoices his clients, he gets a salary.
- Once the company and the employment are in place, the single permit (residence and work) is filed online. The police decide.
- Business account: the bank wants to meet him once in person. Then a licensed accountant every month.
Where people get stuck. Germany, not Serbia. Before he moves, he has to look at the German rules on leaving tax residency and at the treaty between the two countries. If he keeps his flat in Germany and lives in Belgrade 183 days or more, both countries may see him as a resident. That conversation belongs at the start, with his German tax adviser as well.
Time and money. Company registration usually takes about 5 working days after the original power of attorney arrives. The residence decision usually comes within a few weeks of filing. Our fees: company €370, temporary residence €850 per person, plus €480 a year for the registered address if he has no office. State fees, the German notary and sworn translations are extra and listed in writing before anything starts.
2. A Swiss company owner who wants a development team in Serbia
Illustrative example, not a real client. Names and details are made up to show how a typical case goes.
The situation. The owner of a small Swiss software company, 51, wants to hire four developers in Novi Sad. Hiring them as contractors from Switzerland feels shaky, so he wants a Serbian subsidiary that employs them properly.
The usual path.
- The Swiss company founds a Serbian d.o.o. The founding resolution and power of attorney are signed in Switzerland, apostilled and sent to Belgrade.
- Registration at the Business Registers Agency, tax number at the same time.
- Business account: the director comes to Belgrade once for the bank meeting. Banks ask about the parent company, its owners and where the money comes from.
- An accountant handles payroll, contributions and monthly reporting. Employment contracts are written under Serbian law, not copied from Swiss templates.
Where people get stuck. The bank file. A Swiss parent company with a clear ownership chart is usually fine, but missing documents on the ultimate owner slow everything down. The other trap is pricing between the parent and the subsidiary: invoices for development work should reflect a market price, and that is worth setting up with the accountant from day one.
Time and money. Registration about 5 working days after the originals arrive. The bank is the slowest and least predictable step, and the bank decides. Our fee for the company is €370, plus €480 a year for the address if needed. The business account is priced after we see the structure.
3. An American remote employee of a US company
Illustrative example, not a real client. Names and details are made up to show how a typical case goes.
The situation. A product designer from the US, 29, works remotely for an American company and wants to spend a year in Belgrade. Her employer has no entity in Europe and does not want one.
The usual path.
- With a US passport she can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. She registers her address within 24 hours of arrival.
- For a longer stay she needs residence on a legal basis. Working for a US employer does not give her one by itself.
- The common route: she opens her own Serbian d.o.o., works as a contractor for the US company through it, and gets residence through employment in her own company.
- Bank, accountant and the 183-day tax line follow, as for any company owner.
Where people get stuck. The employer. Many US companies don't allow employees to switch to a contractor setup, and some don't like an employee being resident abroad at all. She has to clear that with her employer first. And once she lives here 183 days or more, Serbian tax residency comes into play, together with her US tax filing, which the US requires from citizens anywhere.
Time and money. The first 90 days cost nothing in permits. If she goes the company route: registration €370, temporary residence €850 per person, address €480 a year if needed. State, notary and translation fees are extra and listed upfront.
4. A British consultant with a UK Ltd who wants an account in Serbia
Illustrative example, not a real client. Names and details are made up to show how a typical case goes.
The situation. A management consultant from the UK, 46, has his own Ltd and clients in the Balkans. He wants a non-resident business account for the Ltd in a Serbian bank, to receive payments in euros and dinars.
The usual path.
- We look at the Ltd first: certificate of incorporation, register of shareholders, recent accounts, and where the clients and payments come from.
- Documents are apostilled and translated by a sworn translator.
- We prepare the file, book the appointment and come to the branch with him. Usually one visit.
- The bank decides. If it says no, we ask why and see whether another bank fits better.
Where people get stuck. Explaining the business. A UK Ltd with real clients, invoices and a website is a normal file. A Ltd with no activity yet, or with money arriving from places the bank can't connect to the business, gets questions, and sometimes a no. Nobody can promise an account, and anyone who does is guessing.
Time and money. Preparation takes a week or two, mostly waiting for apostilles and translations. The appointment itself is one day in Belgrade. Our fee for a business account is quoted after we see the company, because the work depends on the structure.
5. A Dutch couple buying a flat in Belgrade and staying
Illustrative example, not a real client. Names and details are made up to show how a typical case goes.
The situation. A couple from the Netherlands, both in their fifties, want to buy a flat in Belgrade, live in it for most of the year and keep their life in the Netherlands for the rest.
The usual path.
- Before signing anything, the flat is checked: the title in the land registry, any mortgages or notes, whether the building and the flat are legalised, and who exactly is selling.
- The purchase contract is signed before a public notary in Serbia, then the ownership is registered.
- Owning property in Serbia can be a basis for temporary residence. One spouse applies on that basis, and the other joins through family reunification, or both apply where the rules allow.
- Marriage certificate with apostille and a sworn translation, health insurance, proof of means.
Where people get stuck. The flat, not the permit. Flats with unclear title, unregistered extensions or a seller who is one of several heirs are common in Belgrade. A clean contract and a clean land registry entry come first. On the tax side, living here for most of the year raises the same 183-day question as for anyone else.
Time and money. Checking the title takes a few days. Registration of ownership after signing usually takes a few weeks. Our fee for temporary residence is €850 per person. The property check and the contract are quoted separately, once we see the flat. The notary, the transfer tax and land registry fees are extra.
6. A Dubai-based founder who wants a base in a European time zone
Illustrative example, not a real client. Names and details are made up to show how a typical case goes.
The situation. A founder living in Dubai, 38, runs a free zone company there. His clients are mostly in Europe and he wants a company and a small team in a European time zone, without the cost of Western Europe.
The usual path.
- A Serbian d.o.o. is registered by power of attorney signed in Dubai, legalised and sent to Belgrade.
- A registered address in Belgrade, a local accountant and, when the team grows, a real office.
- Business account: the bank meets the director once and looks closely at the UAE company and the source of funds.
- If he wants to spend time in Belgrade, residence through employment in his Serbian company.
Where people get stuck. Substance and paper. Banks and tax authorities look at whether the Serbian company actually does something here: staff, office, contracts. A Serbian company that only passes invoices through gets questions. Documents from the UAE also need the right legalisation, and that takes longer than people expect.
Time and money. Registration about 5 working days after the originals arrive. Our fees: company €370, address €480 a year, temporary residence €850 per person if he moves. The business account is priced after we see the structure. State fees, legalisation and translations are extra.
Your situation
If yours looks like one of these, or like none of them, write to me on WhatsApp at +381 65 678 4991. Tell me your passport, where you live now and what you want to do in Serbia. The first written reply is free. Before you pay anything, check us.
General information, not legal or tax advice for your case. Banks, the police and embassies make their own decisions.