Visas are not required for EU member countries, EU membership candidate countries, and numerous other countries, if staying in Serbia less than 90 days.
Expatriates who wish to reside in Serbia are required to obtain a temporary residence Type D visa. Within 24 hours of entering the country, they are obliged to register at a police station within the territory of residence. In addition, those who are eligible for a residence permit have to submit the application to the Secretariat of Internal Affairs in whose territory the foreigner has registered his or her place of abode. It normally takes less than three weeks to process the application, and the temporary residence permit is issued for a period of up to one year. Upon expiration of the temporary residence permit, it may be extended for another year. The holder of a residence permit is also obliged to notify the local police of any change of address.
Visas are no longer required for: EU member countries, EU membership candidate countries, and a number of other countries, if staying in Serbia less than 90 days. Therefore, nationals of Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, FYR Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Singapore, Seychelles, Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Spain, Slovak Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Ukrain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island, Uruguay and the USA may visit Serbia at any time. For citizens of other countries, it is necessary to obtain invitation letters approved by the authorized institution in order to obtain a Serbian visa. To start employment in Serbia, a foreigner must be granted approval for temporary residence, as well as approval for employment.
EU citizens, as well as those from Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland can now travel to Serbia with just an ID cards. They no longer need to have a passport for entering Serbia. People from these countries who visit Serbia with valid ID cards will be able to stay in the country for up to 90 days.
For all information regarding temporary and permanent residence in Serbia please contact the nearest Embassy/Consulate General or www.mfa.gov.rs and www.mup.gov.rs
Major hotel chains, boutique hotels, private rental units, and high-end apartments cater to the most sophisticated clients.
A number of hotels in Serbia, whether belonging to world hotel chains or recently privatized, can meet business travelers' highest standards. The vast majority of Serbian hotels are 3-star and 4-star hotels and many of them are undergoing privatization as a way to raise the quality of their services. A number of privately owned 4-star and 5-star boutique hotels have recently been open in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Nis. Prices vary heavily from one city to another, but can range from excellent to seriously overpriced (app. €50 up to €300/night).
Information on specific hotels and accommodation can be found at www.tob.rs and www.srbijahoteli.com
By air you can easily reach all parts of Europe within 2 hours and all international destinations are available either directly or with a layover.
Easy to Get to and Move Around
Within a city, one can commute using public transportation, taxi or rental car.
The cost of taxi services varies from one city to another. In Belgrade, the start costs around €1.5, while the price per kilometer is €0.6. Taxi costs in other major cities are significantly lower.
The cost of renting a car is similar to that in other countries and depends on the type of car and duration of renting period.
When traveling cross-country by a car, one should bear in mind the prices of fuel and tolls. Fuel prices are at the level of those in the neighboring countries, about €1.3 for both, diesel and petrol.
For parking in downtown Belgrade, one can use a designated area or parking lots. A street parking spot can be used only up to 3 hours on working days and Saturdays, while on Sundays it is free. As for the parking lots, the fee is around €0.7 per hour.
You may choose from a number of outstanding international schools in Serbia, whether you wish to enroll your children or continue your own education.
In addition to Serbia's public schools that do not require tuition, there is an increasing number of private schools that cater to the needs of foreign expats. They offer pre-school, primary and secondary education in several foreign languages (English, German, Italian, French and Russian). Most of these programs have been introduced in recent years as the international community in Serbia began to grow rapidly. They are small in size, and thus able to focus on each of their students. Programs are mostly based on US or UK curricula with internationally recognized examinations.
Besides primary and secondary education, Serbia offers an increasing number of foreign universities that are opening branches in Belgrade. They offer Bachelor`s and Master`s degrees following foreign curricula. All these studies may be combined with spending a part of the education in the university's country of origin.
World Travel Guide in 2010 marked Serbia as one of the Eastern European Hotspots, Lonely Planet labeled Belgrade as one of the world's Ultimate Party Cities in 2012 and The NY Times Style Magazine named Belgrade the Europe's Latest Urban Success Story in 2013.
The rich cultural life of Serbia's major cities guarantees expats an enjoyable stay in our country. A great variety of cultural events reflect the vibrant creative force and spiritual wealth of our nation. Each year there are numerous festivities cherishing Serbia's tradition, customs, folklore, and handicrafts, including the famous Dragacevo Trumpet Festival in Guca (www.guca.rs). Belgrade hosts a number of important festivals, such as: Belgrade International Theater Festival - BITEF (www.bitef.rs), International Film Festival - FEST (www.fest.rs), Belgrade Summer Festival- BELEF (www.belef.org), Belgrade dance Festival - BDF (www.belgradedancefestival.com) and Belgrade International Music Festival- BEMUS (www.bemus.rs). Serbia is also home to officially "Best Major Festival" awarded by European Festival Awards in 2014, Exit Festival (www.exitfest.org), which attracts over 200,000 people. Moreover, there are a series of film and theater festivals in other cities, like Novi Sad, Nis, Vrnjacka Banja, Uzice and Palic.
Belgrade boasts some of the greatest nightlife in Europe with a variety of performance arts, including world class operas, concerts and theater performances. There are numerous theaters featuring various artistic directions: from the theater of movement and contemporary dance to the latest local and international plays. For a night out, one can choose between dinner with live music in the Bohemian Skadarlija district, relaxing at one of the city's modern cafes, on a house boat, or enjoying the burgeoning club scene.
Belgrade is also a candidate for the 2020 European Capital of Culture (www.beograd2020.com).
Serbian national cuisine reflects strong Turkish, Hungarian, and Austrian influence, particularly in the wide range of grilled meat available. In Serbia, one should not pass up the opportunity to taste traditional specialties, like kebab ("cevapcici"), bread meat patties ("fasirane snicle"), mixed meat ("mesano meso"), Karadjordje escalope ("Karadjordjeva snicla"), stuffed peppers ("punjena paprika"), musaka, or stuffed grape leaves ("sarma"). In addition, unique appetizers, such as ajvar, thick jam ("slatko"), clotted cream ("kajmak"), or cornbread ("proja"), as well as delicious baked delights (cheese pie-"gibanica", for example) are warmly recommended. The abundance of fruit grown in Serbia represents a raw base for excellent alcoholic drinks. Plums, apricots, pears, apples, grapes, and other are distilled into a brandy, known as "rakija", while local beer and wine are also worth tasting.
Belgrade abounds with restaurants, cafes and bars for all tastes. Most of the international cuisine is Italian, but one can also enjoy French, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Mexican, Lebanese, and other national cuisine. Some of the world's largest fast food chains are also present in Serbia like McDonald's, KFC etc.
Usual working hours of the restaurants are from 8am to 11pm, but some are open from noon to 1am.
Shops in Serbia are normally open from 8am to 8pm from Monday to Friday, 8am-3pm on Saturdays, and some are also open on Sundays. At local or international supermarkets one can readily find most of the items one would find at home. Payments can be made with all major types of credit cards, including Visa and MasterCard.
With its population of 1.7 million, Belgrade is a highly attractive market for many world famous store chains. There is hardly any top international brand that cannot be found in some of the Belgrade's shopping zones and shopping malls at prices lower than in western cities. Pret-a-porter lovers, for example, can choose between the latest collections by Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Hugo Boss, Prada, Pal Zileri, Max Mara, and many other top world designers.
For more information, log onto the website of the Tourist Organization of Belgrade.
+381113398500 
office@ras.gov.rs 
