3 biggest risks when extending a temporary residence permit in Serbia
When your temporary residence permit in the Republic of Serbia (“Serbia”) is approved for the first time, you may think that the job is done and that you have finally defined your status in our country. However, it is not quite like that. Temporary residence permit is limited in time and there are many risks that it will not be extended upon later request.
Therefore, in the following article, we will draw your attention to the most prevalent risks and explain how to make sure that they don’t materialize – so that you can extend your stay in Serbia.
You didn’t submit a request for the renewal of your temporary residence permit within the deadline
Serbian Law on Foreigners[1] (“Law”) stipulates that you must submit the request for the renewal of temporary residence permit no earlier than 3 months, and no later than 30 days, before the expiration date of the approved temporary residence permit.
If you do not submit the request within this period, not only is there a risk that your temporary residence permit will not be renewed but you will commit a misdemeanor which carries a fine from RSD 5.000 to RSD 150.000.
You’re not using the approved temporary residence permit for the intended purpose
The Law stipulates that the request for the renewal of temporary residence permit will be rejected if there is reasonable suspicion that you will not use the temporary residence permit for the intended purpose.
It is up to the competent authority to assess whether reasonable suspicion exists, but if you haven’t used the already approved temporary residence permit for the intended purpose – that’s a clear indicator.
We shall make this risk clearer by giving the example for one of the bases for temporary residence permit:
You obtained a temporary residence permit based on the establishment of entrepreneurship, but you did not have a flow of funds in the entrepreneurial bank account – One of the documents that you must submit in this case alongside a request for the renewal of temporary residence permit approved on the basis of the establishment of entrepreneurship is a certificate of payment transactions on your entrepreneurial bank account.
In connection with the previously described risk of not using the temporary residence permit for its intended purpose, this certificate serves to show that there is a flow of funds in your entrepreneurial bank account – indicating that you’re actively operating as an entrepreneur.
Hence, if there is no flow of funds in the period of the previously approved temporary residence permit, the competent authority shall almost certainly deny your request for renewal.
You stayed in Serbia less than half of the time for which your temporary residence was approved
The competent authority can reject your request for the renewal of temporary residence permit if you stayed in Serbia during the validity of the previously approved temporary residence for less than half of the time for which your temporary residence permit was approved – unless you provide proof that will justify your absence.
If the competent authority determines that this condition is not met, it may conduct an informative interview with the applicant on the reasons for their absence, before making a decision.
P.S. Immigration matters are extremely sensitive and demand a detailed and committed approach. Therefore, it’s essential that you ensure, before submitting a request for the extension of your temporary stay, that you carefully consider all aspects of your case to avoid any unfavorable outcomes that may hinder the process and make it costly and even unsuccessful.
[1] Law on Foreigners („Official Gazette“, no. 24/2018 and 31/2019)