Immigration and citizenship legal services

Immigration and citizenship legal services

Stojković Attorneys help individuals realise their legitimate and lawful immigration and citizenship objectives. 

Stojković Attorneys is one of the leading immigration law firms in Serbia, whose team consists of experts specialized in all areas of Serbian immigration law.

We attempt to make the immigration process for our clients as pleasant, cheaper, simpler and faster as possible while maximizing the chances of a successful outcome.

If you are planning to visit, reside or extend your stay in the Republic of Serbia, our experts for immigration law and practice are here to help you, your family and your friends with addressing all issues and overcoming typical challenges.

As part of our bespoke services, you will be assigned an immigration lawyer who perfectly matches your individual needs and guides you through the whole immigration process, supporting you every step of the way.

WHAT SERVICES DO WE OFFER?

We provide legal support in the following immigration procedures:

  • Visa application for all types of visas for the Republic of Serbia;
  • Obtaining a temporary and permanent residence permit for foreigners in Serbia;
  • Obtaining a work permit for foreigners in Serbia;
  • Acquisition of citizenship of the Republic of Serbia;
  • Release from the citizenship of the Republic of Serbia;
  • Asylum;

VISA FOR THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

One of our professionals will prepare and submit your visa application, assist you in obtaining supporting documentation and coordinate the whole visa procedure to ensure that your visa application has a successful outcome.

The application for a visa is submitted to the diplomatic or consular mission of the Republic of Serbia abroad in person or exclusively electronically. There are two types of visas: 1) Short-Term Visa (category “C” visa); 2) Long-Term Visa (category “D” visa).

SHORT TERM VISA (category “C” visa) “Tourist visa”

If you are a foreigner who needs a visa in accordance with the visa regime of the Republic of Serbia and if the reason for your arrival is tourism, a short business trip or something else, you need a C visa. A short-term visa is a permission to enter the Republic of Serbia, transit over the territory of the Republic of Serbia or stay on the territory of the Republic of Serbia for up to 90 days within any period of 180 days, from the date of first entry.

A short-term visa cannot be grounds to apply for temporary residence in the Republic of Serbia. A short-term visa can be issued for single, double, or multiple entries into the Republic of Serbia.

The duration of a short-term visa cannot exceed five years.

LONG TERM VISA (category “D” visa)

A long-term visa is a permission to enter and stay on the territory of the Republic of Serbia between 90 and 180 days.

A foreigner who, in accordance with the visa regime for entry into the Republic of Serbia needs a visa, and who intends to apply for temporary residence in the Republic of Serbia, shall obtain a long-term visa. The basis for obtaining a D visa must be the same as the basis for obtaining a temporary residence permit.

TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

TEMPORARY RESIDENCE

If you are a foreigner who plans to live and work in the Republic of Serbia, you first need to obtain a residence permit on the territory of the Republic of Serbia.

Temporary residence is a residence permit for a foreign national in the Republic of Serbia granted to a foreigner who intends to stay in the Republic of Serbia for over 90 days, on the grounds of:

  • Employment;
  • School or learning the Serbian language;
  • Studies;
  • Participation in international exchange programs for pupils or students;
  • Specialist, professional training and practice;
  • Scientific research or other scientific or educational activity;
  • Family reunification;
  • Performing religious service;
  • Treatment or care;
  • Ownership over immovable property;
  • Humanitarian stay;
  • Status of a presumed victim of trafficking in human beings;
  • Status of a victim of trafficking in human beings;
  • Other legitimate reasons in accordance with the law or an international treaty.

The request for a temporary residence permit is submitted to the competent police station in person or electronically.

PERMANENT RESIDENCE IN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

If you are a foreigner who is legally residing in the Republic of Serbia for a few years, you are a step away from citizenship. That step is the permanent residence permit. Of course, it is necessary that you fulfil other legal requirements and submit a proper request with the accompanying documentation.

The foreigner shall submit a request for permanent residence if he meets one of the following conditions:

  • If, until the day of submitting the request for permanent residence in the Republic of Serbia, the foreigner has resided in the Republic of Serbia continuously for more than 5 years on the basis of a temporary residence permit, with the possibility of multiple stays outside the Republic of Serbia up to ten months or single stay up to six months
  • If the foreigner has been in a marriage or extramarital union for at least 3 years with a citizen of the Republic of Serbia or with a foreigner who has permanent residence in the Republic of Serbia;
  • If the minor is temporarily staying in the Republic of Serbia, and one of his parents is a citizen of the Republic of Serbia or a foreigner who has permanent residence in the Republic of Serbia;
  • If the foreigner originates from the territory of the Republic of Serbia;
  • If he has been granted temporary residence, and reasons of humanity or interest in the Republic of Serbia require that the permanent residence shall be granted.

The Ministry of the Interior shall decide on the request for permanent residence of a foreigner in the Republic of Serbia within 60 days from the day of submitting the request.

WORK PERMIT

Our team has extensive experience in providing support to foreigners who want to work in the Republic of Serbia. We offer a range of services in the field of labor and immigration law to help employers and employees in the realization of their business ventures.

If you are a foreigner looking for a job in the Republic of Serbia, a necessary condition for work is having a work permit.

There are several types of work permits:

  1. Personal work permit

A personal work permit may enable you employment, self-employment, and the use of all rights provided by the law in the event of unemployment. This permit may be issued to

  • a foreigner who possesses a permanent residence permit,
  • a foreigner who has the status of a refugee;
  • a foreigner who belongs to a special category of foreigners.

As can be seen from its name, this type of work permit is closely related to the personal status of a foreign citizen. This is even more pronounced when we know that this permit can also be issued for family reunification (at the request of a close family member of a foreigner who has been granted permanent residence or who has refugee status, at the request of a foreigner of a close family member degree of kinship in a straight line).

  1. Other work permits

Other work permits can be in the following forms:

  • work permit for employment;
  • work permit for special employment cases;
  • work permit for self-employment;

Unlike a personal work permit, this type of work permit is not related to the personal status of the foreigner.

The request for issuance or extension of a work permit is submitted to the organization responsible for employment according to the place of temporary residence or permanent residence of the foreigner, i.e. according to the seat of the employer or the place where the work is performed, depending on the type of work permit.

CITIZENSHIP OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

If you are a foreigner who wants the Republic of Serbia to become your permanent home and to become a Serbian citizen, our immigration lawyers are at your full disposal.

The law provides several grounds for acquiring Serbian citizenship, and which will be applicable, of course, depends on the circumstances of each case.

  1. Acquiring of citizenship by origin:

If you are a foreigner who has a child with a citizen of the Republic of Serbia and it has not reached 18 years of age, there is a possibility that your child acquires citizenship of the Republic of Serbia by the preferential procedure. It is only necessary for a parent who is a citizen of the Republic of Serbia to register him as a Serbian citizen with the competent diplomatic and consular mission and to submit a request for registration of the child in the register of citizens to the competent authority in the Republic of Serbia, until the child is not 18 years old.

Also, if you are 18 years, born abroad, still not 23 years old, and one of your parents had the citizenship of the Republic of Serbia at the time of your birth, you can easily acquire citizenship of the Republic of Serbia by submitting the request for registration of citizenship with the competent authority.

  1. Acquisition of citizenship on the basis of marriage with a Serbian citizen

If you are a foreigner who has been married for at least three years to a citizen of the Republic of Serbia and who has been granted permanent residence in the Republic of Serbia, you may be admitted to citizenship of the Republic of Serbia if you submit a signed statement that you consider the Republic of Serbia to be your country.

  1. Acquisition of citizenship based on Serbian Nationality:

If one of your ancestors has Serbian nationality and you have proof of that, you can apply for citizenship of the Republic of Serbia even if you do not reside in the Republic of Serbia without release from foreign citizenship. Other conditions are: you are 18 years old and have not been deprived of civil capacity and you shall submit a signed statement that you consider the Republic of Serbia to be your country.

  1. Acquisition of citizenship for emigrants from the Republic of Serbia:

If you are an emigrant from the Republic of Serbia or a descendant thereof you may be admitted to citizenship of the Republic of Serbia if you have turned 18 and have not been deprived of civil capacity and if you submit a signed statement that you consider the Republic of Serbia to be your country.

The application for citizenship of the Republic of Serbia is submitted in person or through an agent in the police station at the place of residence of the applicant and can also be submitted through the competent diplomatic and consular mission of Serbia.

The Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia decides on applications for the acquisition of citizenship of the Republic of Serbia by admission in the form of a decision, and the procedure itself is urgent.

TERMINATION OF CITIZENSHIP BY RELEASE

A citizen of the Republic of Serbia can be deprived of citizenship of the Republic of Serbia by release if he applies for release and if he fulfills the following conditions:

  • that he is over 18 years old;
  • that there are no obstacles regarding the military service;
  • that he settled the taxes and other legal liabilities in Serbia and Montenegro;
  • that he regulated property-legal obligations from matrimonial relations and relations between parents and children, to the persons living in the Republic of Serbia;
  • that against him no criminal proceedings are instituted for criminal offenses prosecuted ex officio in Serbia and if he was convicted to imprisonment in Serbia and that he served such a sentence;
  • that he has foreign citizenship or possesses an evidence that he shall be admitted to foreign citizenship.

ASYLUM

If you have left your homeland and cannot return to your country of origin for fear of persecution, because of the risk of suffering injustice, or you belong to a group of mass displaced persons, you can seek asylum, and we are here to help you.

One of our professionals will dedicate himself to your case and explore the possibilities for your safe stay in the Republic of Serbia through the asylum procedure.

Our lawyers provide support throughout the procedure, both in terms of preparing the necessary documentation and in the process of examining asylum seekers by the competent authority.

Preparation for the hearing is especially important here because your statement is the key to a positive outcome.

However, if an unfavorable outcome occurs, it does not mean that everything is over. Our lawyers provide legal support in preparing an appeal and a possible lawsuit in case your asylum application is rejected. Be sure that our experts will do everything to make the outcome of the procedure positive.

Asylum procedure

A foreigner who has expressed an intention to apply for asylum, shall immediately after expressing that intention, register and be sent to the Asylum Center or another facility designated for the accommodation of asylum seekers, where he must report within 72 hours from the moment when the registration certificate has been issued.

The asylum procedure is considered to be initiated by submitting an asylum application to an authorized official of the Asylum Office, on the prescribed form no later than 15 days from the day of registration.

The authorized official of the Asylum Office interrogates the asylum seeker as soon as possible on all facts and circumstances that are important for deciding on the submitted asylum application, and in particular for determining:

  • identity of the asylum seeker;
  • the reasons on which the asylum application is based;
  • movements of the asylum seeker after leaving the country of origin or the country of habitual residence;
  • whether the asylum seeker has already sought asylum in another country.

The authorized official of the Asylum Office may interrogate the asylum seeker several times in order to determine the factual situation.

The asylum seeker is obliged to personally attend and participate in the hearing, regardless of whether he has a legal representative or a proxy.

The asylum seeker is also questioned in the absence of a duly summoned attorney who did not justify his absence.

Members of the asylum seeker’s family shall be heard separately, except when deemed necessary by the officer conducting the hearing to establish the relevant facts on which the asylum application is based.

The public is excluded at the hearing of the asylum seeker.

Exceptionally, a UNHCR representative may attend the hearing if the asylum seeker does not object.

The asylum seeker’s hearing may be audio or audio-visual recorded, if the asylum seeker has been notified.

The decision on the application for asylum in the regular procedure shall be made no later than three months from the day of submitting the application for asylum or the allowed subsequent application for asylum. The decision must be made no later than 12 months from the date of the asylum application.

Discover up-to-date, valuable information on immigration and citizenship in Serbia at https://immigratetoserbia.com/. This specialized platform offers current, free, and useful resources for foreigners seeking immigration support. Don’t miss out on the latest insights for your journey to Serbia!

Находите актуальную, полезную информацию о иммиграции и гражданстве в Сербии на сайте https://immigratetoserbia.com/ru/ Это специализированная платформа, предоставляющая бесплатные и полезные ресурсы для иностранцев, ищущих поддержку в иммиграционных вопросах. Не упустите последние сведения для вашего пути в Сербию!

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