How to enter Serbia – All about necessary visas

How to get a visa for the Republic of Serbia

Initial consideration

The Law on Foreigners of the Republic of Serbia (“Official Gazette of the RS”, No. 24/2018 and 31/2019, the “Law“) regulates the conditions for entry, movement, stay and return of foreigners, as well as the competence and affairs of state administration bodies of the Republic of Serbia, in connection with the entry, movement, stay of foreigners on the territory of the Republic of Serbia and their return from the Republic of Serbia.

According to the Law, a foreigner is any person who does not have the citizenship of the Republic of Serbia.

Regarding the entry of foreigners into the Republic of Serbia, there is a difference between the visa and visa-free regime.

Citizens of the countries that are signatories to the Schengen Agreement, the United States, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and others can stay in Serbia without a visa for up to 90 days, intermittently or without interruption for a period of 6 months starting from the day of first entry.

On the other hand, e.g. citizens of the People’s Republic of China, India, the Russian Federation – can stay in the Republic of Serbia without visas for up to 30 days.

The website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists all the countries in the world, where by selecting a certain country, you can easily get all the necessary information regarding the visa regime.

Visa application

The application for a visa is submitted to the diplomatic-consular mission of the Republic of Serbia abroad, in person, on the prescribed form, no earlier than three months before the start of the intended trip.

The diplomatic mission or consular post may deviate from the personal submission of the visa application if it is determined that the applicant has legally used the previously issued visas.

When applying for a visa, an alien must meet the general conditions:

1) completed visa application form;

2) travel document – a foreigner must enclose a foreign travel document valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure from the Republic of Serbia, which contains at least two consecutive blank pages and which has been issued in the last ten years.

3) a photograph;

4) proof of payment of visa fee;

5) evidence of the purpose and reasons for the stay in the Republic of Serbia;

6) invitation letter-

• for a private visit – the invitation letter must be certified by a notary public in the Republic of Serbia;
• for a business visit – an invitation letter is sent by a company established in the Republic of Serbia;
• for a tourist visit – confirmation of the travel agency about the paid arrangement (e.g. voucher)

7) appropriate and valid travel health insurance.

Types of visas

Types of visas are:

• airport transit visa (visa A);
• short stay visa (visa C);
• visa for longer stay (visa D)

AIRPORT TRANSIT VISA (VISA A)

A foreigner who does not leave the international transit area of ​​an airport or aircraft during an intermediate landing at an airport in the Republic of Serbia does not need a visa.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia may determine that citizens of certain countries, if required by security reasons of the Republic of Serbia and its citizens, must have an airport transit visa.

Airport transit visas are not obtained by foreigners who do not need a visa to enter the Republic of Serbia, foreigners who have a valid visa to enter the Republic of Serbia or a residence permit, family members of citizens of the Republic of Serbia, holders of diplomatic and official passports, and aircraft crew members. with the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

An airport transit visa is issued with a validity period of up to 6 months and allows one or more crossings through the international transit area of ​​the airport without the possibility of entering the territory of the Republic of Serbia.

SHORT STAY VISA (VISA C)

A short-stay visa is an approval for entry into the Republic of Serbia, transit through the territory of the Republic of Serbia or stay in the territory of the Republic of Serbia for up to 90 days in any period of 180 days, counting from the day of first entry.

A short-stay visa is issued for all travel purposes except for those for which a longer-stay visa is issued or a temporary stay is granted.

A short-stay visa cannot be the basis for submitting a request for a temporary stay in the Republic of Serbia. This visa is issued for one, two or more entries into the Republic of Serbia. The validity period of a short-stay visa may not exceed five years.

LONG STAY VISA (VISA D)

A visa for a longer stay is an approval for entry and stay on the territory of the Republic of Serbia for a period of 90 to 180 days.

An alien who, in accordance with the visa regime, needs a visa to enter the Republic of Serbia and who intends to submit a request for a temporary residence permit in the Republic of Serbia obtains a visa for a longer stay.

Deadline for decision making

As a rule, the decision on the issuance of a visa is decided within 15 days from the submission of the application.