Work Permit in Serbia for Foreigners: The Single Permit, Step by Step, and Changing Employers
A guide for foreigners coming to work in Serbia and for their employers: when the single permit is required and how to set up the employment basis correctly.
If you are a foreigner who has received a job offer from an employer in Serbia, what you will normally obtain today is what people commonly call a work permit for foreigners. Its official name is the single permit for temporary residence and work (jedinstvena dozvola). Before applying, you need to check the entry regime that applies to you, choose the basis for work that matches your actual engagement, and prepare the evidence that goes with that choice.
Do you need a single residence and work permit
The term "work permit for foreigners" is still in everyday use, but when a foreigner is employed in Serbia, the relevant procedure leads to the single permit for temporary residence and work. In practice, it combines the foreigner's residence in Serbia with the right to work on the approved basis.
Applications are decided by the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia (MUP) in a single procedure. Previously, the procedures before the Ministry of Interior and the National Employment Service (Nacionalna služba za zapošljavanje) were separate. This does not mean the employer has no obligations regarding employment; the check of the conditions for work is simply built into the single procedure.
It is important to distinguish three things that are often confused:
- The single permit for temporary residence and work covers residence and work on the chosen basis, for example employment with a local employer.
- Temporary residence (privremeni boravak) is a foreigner's residence status in Serbia. The right to work may also follow from another residence basis where the law provides for it, but this must be checked before applying. Do not assume that every approved residence automatically allows work of every kind.
- Visa D for a longer stay may also be issued on the basis of employment. In that case it allows the foreigner to enter, stay and work in Serbia for the period of the visa's validity.
For someone coming to work for a company in Serbia, the most important thing is not to start from the name of a document but from the actual plan: who the employer is, what contract is planned and on what basis the foreigner will work. These are questions from the area of foreigners' rights that should be clarified before the contract and the application start to diverge.
If the foreigner needs a visa to enter
The first practical step is to check whether a citizen of the given country needs a visa to enter Serbia. A foreigner who needs a visa can apply for visa D electronically from abroad. That is why the visa question is settled before planning the arrival and starting the employment procedure.
For example, citizens of the Russian Federation can enter Serbia without a visa. A Russian citizen who is already in Serbia, or is planning a visa-free arrival, can apply for the single permit after arriving. This rule should not be applied to other nationalities. The entry regime is always checked for the specific nationality before choosing how to apply.
Choose the basis for work that matches the actual engagement
The basic rule is simple: the purpose of stay, the way the foreigner will work and the evidence submitted with the application must all match. The wrong basis is often chosen when different business arrangements are informally called "employment" even though their legal form is not the same.
This guide is mainly for foreigners hired by a company in Serbia. Still, before drafting a contract, you should distinguish all six bases for the single permit:
| Basis for work | Practical situation |
|---|---|
| Employment | The foreigner works for an employer in Serbia under an employment contract or another contract under the Labour Law. |
| Self-employment | The foreigner works through their own registered business. |
| Posted workers | A foreign employer sends its worker to work in Serbia. |
| Intra-corporate transfer | The engagement is tied to a transfer between affiliated companies. |
| Independent professionals | A separate basis for engagements that are not a standard employment relationship with a local employer. |
| Training and professional development | The purpose of the stay is training or professional development, with its own circumstances and evidence. |
Each of these bases requires different evidence. That is why a foreigner who sets up or runs their own business should not automatically choose employment. The same goes for a worker coming from an affiliated foreign company: an intra-corporate transfer is not the same as a contract with an unrelated local employer.
When the basis is employment with a company in Serbia
The employment basis fits the situation where a company in Serbia engages a foreigner under an employment contract or another contract under the Labour Law. This is the typical case when a foreigner has received an offer from a local employer for a specific position.
In this scenario, the employer plays a particular role in preparing the documentation for the position. Employment also involves a labour market test, which the National Employment Service checks within the same procedure. Preparation therefore does not begin when the foreigner arrives in Serbia, but as soon as the position and the planned contract are defined.
When the engagement is not standard employment
If the foreigner works through their own registered business, the starting point is self-employment, not employment merely because they will be doing business in Serbia. If a foreign employer sends them to Serbia, the basis for posted workers should be considered. When a foreign employer temporarily transfers an employee to its branch, representative office or affiliated company registered in Serbia, the relevant basis may be an intra-corporate transfer.
Independent professionals, as well as people coming for training and professional development, have particular circumstances that the application must reflect. In these situations it is not enough to rely on a job title or an informal business arrangement. First establish what the engagement will actually look like, and only then prepare the contract and the evidence.
What the employer and the foreigner prepare for employment
Once employment has been chosen as the basis, the employer and the foreigner should prepare, in parallel, the information and evidence that match the specific position. The employer should not treat the procedure as the foreigner's obligation alone, and the foreigner should not assume the employer can fill in gaps in their personal data and documents.
For the employment basis, the employer prepares, among other things:
- a draft employment contract or another contract under the Labour Law;
- proof of the foreigner's qualifications;
- compliance with the condition that the employer has not dismissed employees from that position in the previous 90 days, which the authorities check ex officio.
The foreigner should provide the personal data and evidence required for their application and the specific basis of residence and work. The exact set of documents should not be assumed in advance if the engagement differs from ordinary employment. It is useful to draw up a joint checklist before submitting: what the foreigner provides, what the employer provides, and whether the job description matches everywhere.
Republic administrative fees are payable. Check the current amounts on the Portal for Foreigners before applying, as they can change.
Preparing the contract, the qualifications and the employer's obligations relies directly on the rules of employment law. It is particularly important that the business need for the hire, the position and the contractual relationship do not contradict each other.
The most common mistake: documents that do not follow the chosen basis
A common mistake is marking employment in the application while the draft contract or the description of the planned work actually points to a different relationship. Likewise, the foreigner's qualifications and the position should be presented consistently in the documentation the employer prepares.
For example, if the company states one position but the draft contract describes a substantially different engagement, it should be clarified before submitting what the actual relationship is and whether the chosen basis fits it. An incomplete or inconsistent application can affect the course of the procedure. A final check of all evidence before electronic submission is therefore useful, without making assumptions about the outcome.
Who submits the electronic application and how the procedure runs
Once the basis for work and the documentation have been checked, the single permit application is submitted exclusively online through the Portal for Foreigners (welcometoserbia.gov.rs). It can be submitted by the foreigner, by the future employer on the foreigner's behalf, or by a person the foreigner authorises. Agree in advance who will handle the application, because that party will follow further communication in the procedure.
For employment with a local employer, the practical sequence looks like this:
1. Confirm the foreigner's entry regime and the basis for work that matches the actual engagement.
2. Prepare the data and evidence for the online application, including the documents on the position and the planned contract.
3. Submit a complete application through the Portal for Foreigners and keep the submission confirmation.
4. Follow the notifications received during the procedure and act in time if an addition or a further step is requested.
5. After the decision, complete the steps for biometrics, issuing the card and registration for compulsory social insurance.
The employer should take responsibility for the documentation on the position, the contract and the engagement. The foreigner should provide their own data and documents and attend in person where their presence is required. If an authorised person submits the application, the foreigner and the employer still need to align all the data before it is sent.
The final check is not a formality. The data on the employer, the position, the basis for work and the documents must match. A difference between what the application states and what the contract provides can complicate the procedure.
Who follows the notifications and what to keep
The electronic inbox is followed by the party that submitted the application. If the employer submitted it, the foreigner should not assume they will be informed informally. The employer, the foreigner and any authorised person should agree in advance on a contact person and how notifications will be shared.
Keep the submission date, the confirmation of the submitted application and every message received through the portal. A simple record helps: who submitted the application, on what date, which documents were attached, and who follows new messages. This reduces the risk that an important step is missed simply because each side expected the other to have taken it.
The Ministry of Interior's decision, biometrics and social insurance registration
The Ministry of Interior decides on a single permit application within 15 days of the submission of a proper, that is complete, application. This deadline applies to a complete application and does not guarantee that any particular case will be closed on a specific day or that the application will be approved.
If the procedure moves towards issuing the permit, the foreigner provides biometric data. The single permit is issued as a biometric document, that is, a card. After the biometric data are taken, the foreigner receives a confirmation with their foreigner's registration number (evidencijski broj stranca).
This confirmation matters directly to the future employer: on the basis of it, the employer registers the foreigner for compulsory social insurance. The steps after the decision should therefore be coordinated: the foreigner attends for biometrics, and the employer prepares the insurance registration based on the confirmation received. Do not assume that submitting the online application on its own completes all obligations related to starting work.
Permit validity, renewal and changing employers
The single permit can be issued for up to three years, depending on the basis and the evidence in the particular case. It can be renewed, but the renewal application must be submitted no later than the expiry of the current permit. The employer and the foreigner should therefore check the expiry date well in advance rather than leave the question of continued work to the last days.
Changing employers is not just a matter of signing a new contract. If, while the permit is valid, the foreigner changes employer, changes the basis for work or needs to work for two or more employers, an application for the change is submitted. The labour market check is carried out again for the change. The foreigner should not start working for the new employer before the change is approved.
For example, if an employee's contract with the first employer ends and another company offers them a position, the new engagement should not be treated as a simple move from one contract to another. The change procedure and the documents that go with it need to be checked. If the employment contract ends before the permit expires, the foreigner has 30 days from the end of the contract to conclude a new one.
These situations depend on the actual circumstances: the date the contract ended, the content of the new engagement, the chosen basis for work and the status of the current permit. An informal agreement between the foreigner and a new employer is therefore no substitute for the required application and approval.
When an additional legal check is needed
An additional legal check can be useful when it is unclear whether the engagement should be set up as employment or self-employment, when the contract and supporting documents are being prepared, and when changing employers. It may also be needed if the application has been rejected and the reasons for the decision and the next options in the particular case need to be assessed. For such a check, you can reach us through the law firm's contact page.
For a foreigner coming to work for an employer in Serbia, the key is not to skip steps: first confirm the basis for work and the entry regime, then prepare a complete online application, and after approval plan the biometrics, insurance and the permit's validity. Changing employers needs particular care, because it is not resolved simply by signing a new contract.
This text is general information, not legal advice. The specific basis, documentation and next steps depend on the circumstances of the particular case.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a single residence and work permit to work in Serbia?
In most cases, a foreigner who wants to live and work in Serbia needs to obtain the single permit for temporary residence and work. It combines the basis for residence with the right to work, but it is not chosen automatically just because a person is coming for work. First establish the actual arrangement: whether you are hired by a company registered in Serbia, whether you work through your own registered business, whether a foreign employer is posting you to Serbia, or whether you are coming from an affiliated company. The law also provides exemptions from the permit requirement, and these cannot be determined without checking your nationality, the planned duration and the basis of the engagement. These rules are set out in the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Employment of Foreigners. This is general information, and the specific circumstances should be checked with a lawyer before you start work.
Which purpose of stay and basis for work should I choose if I am coming to an employer in Serbia?
If you are hired by an employer registered in Serbia, the purpose of stay and the basis for work should correspond to employment with that employer. The application therefore does not state only a general intention to work in Serbia; the procedure is tied to a specific engagement and the employer's documentation. This matters because the evidence differs depending on whether the foreigner comes for employment, self-employment, posting by a foreign employer or a transfer within a group of affiliated companies. For example, someone signing a contract with a Serbian company should not choose the basis intended for a person working in Serbia for a foreign employer. A wrong choice can lead to requests for additional documents or problems in the procedure. Before applying, align the agreed working model, the employer's details and the chosen basis.
Does the foreigner or the employer submit the application, and is it submitted online only?
The single permit application can be submitted by the foreigner or by the employer, depending on the circumstances and the chosen basis. For employment, it is practical for the foreigner and the employer to divide the tasks in advance: the employer holds the documents on the position and the engagement, while the foreigner provides their personal data and the evidence relating to residence. The procedure runs through the electronic application system. Even so, online submission does not mean the foreigner will have no personal obligations. During the procedure they may need to follow notifications in the electronic inbox, provide requested additions and attend to give biometric data when the authority invites them. Before submitting, check who has access to the account, who follows the deadlines for additions and whether all attachments are consistent.
Does the employer have to carry out a labour market test?
When a foreigner is employed by an employer in Serbia under an employment contract, the employer generally needs to initiate the labour market test through the National Employment Service. The labour market test is not a formality to leave until the end. The employer should start it early, before the application is submitted, because without the relevant data the application may be incomplete. However, whether the test is required and how it is carried out depend on the legal basis of the engagement and any statutory exemptions. Do not assume the test is required in the same form for self-employment, posting of a foreign worker or a transfer within a group of companies. The employer should check the exact basis before starting the procedure.
Does a foreigner from a visa-required country need a long-stay visa before applying for the single permit?
A foreigner whose nationality is subject to a visa requirement should first check whether a long-stay visa is required for the planned entry. That visa is used for entry and for the intention to apply in Serbia for temporary residence or the single permit, but it is not the same as the single permit itself. Do not rely on rules that apply to another nationality, and do not assume that the possibility of applying online on its own resolves the question of entering Serbia. The order of steps depends on the specific visa regime, where the foreigner is applying from and the arrival plan. Before buying a ticket, signing an employment contract or setting a start date, check the regime that applies to the specific nationality. This avoids a situation where the application is ready but entry or the continuation of the procedure has not been properly arranged.
Can a foreigner change employers while the single permit is valid?
Changing employers while the single permit is valid should not be treated as an ordinary change of job. The permit was issued on the basis of specific circumstances, including the basis for work and the engagement declared in the procedure. The foreigner should therefore not start working for a new employer on the assumption that the existing permit automatically covers the new relationship. Before leaving the first employer and before agreeing an arrangement with the new one, check whether a change of data, a new application or another step before the competent authority is required. The new employer may have its own obligations, including checking whether a labour market test is needed where the engagement is employment under an employment contract. The exact step depends on the basis of the current permit, the type of new engagement and the timing of the change. A timely check matters so that there is no gap in lawful residence and work.
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