Do Russian citizens need a visa for Serbia?

No, entry is visa-free — up to 30 days per visit. For a longer stay you need a boravak (residence permit), which is applied for inside Serbia. The white registration card (kartón) at your place of residence must be obtained within the first 24 hours of arrival.

How to get a boravak in Serbia?

The most common route is registering your own company (d.o.o.) or sole proprietorship and obtaining a residence and work permit tied to it. A boravak is also available through employment, study, and family reunification. Applications are submitted online through the Interior Ministry portal, followed by an in-person appointment at the local police station where you are registered.

Can you get a Schengen visa from Serbia?

Yes, Schengen consulates in Belgrade accept applications from residents holding a boravak. Without a residence permit, applications must be submitted from your country of permanent residence. Serbia itself is not part of Schengen, and its residence permit does not grant entry into the EU.

How do you open an account at a Serbian bank?

With a boravak, nearly every bank will open an account. Without a residence permit, some banks will open a non-resident account using a passport and white card, but policies vary by institution and change frequently — it is worth checking directly at the specific branch.

Russians in Serbia — Belgrade, boravak, life, and community

What needs to be done in Serbia?

Select the services you need — the total is shown at the bottom. Send the list and we’ll get back to you for each line.

Two or more services — minus 5% on each

Prices are in euros and are all-inclusive — nothing is added on top. Government fees are paid separately and directly: ~€230 per person for status, including biometrics and an ID card. VAT (PDV) of 20% does not apply to these services. A consultation if you are not sure where to start — 80 €, it is applied toward the cost of the service.

Visa and residence permit

Residence permit, any basisfees of ~230 € on topWhat is included →850 €
Student residence permitstatus through study: the university issues the enrolment certificate, we handle the rest of the file and submission; fees of ~230 € on topWhat is included →850 €
Child residence permit through family reunificationfees of ~230 € on top, no discounts for childrenWhat is included →300 €
Residence permit renewalapplications must be filed before expiry — a lapse resets the three yearsWhat is included →450 €
Change of basiswe align the dates so there is no gap in continuityWhat is included →450 €
Registration of a domestic partnershipat a notary with two witnesses — required for reunification if the marriage is not registeredWhat is included →350 €

Documents and daily life

Certified translation of a document3,000–5,500 dinars at a court-certified translatorWhat is included →from 30 €
Diploma nostrificationgovernment duty of 94–112 € on top; mandatory for the ’Talent’ foundationWhat is included →from 200 €
Criminal record certificate or marriage certificateobtaining status within SerbiaWhat is included →from 100 €
Marriage registration supportdocument preparation and bookingWhat is included →from 200 €
International passport on Serbian territoryhelp with consulate appointmentsWhat is included →from 300 €

Housing

Finding a property and guiding the purchaseflat fee, not a percentage. Transfer tax of 2.5% on topWhat is included →from 1 600 €
Long-term rental searchsearch, contract review, and documents from the ownerWhat is included →50% of one month’s rent, minimum 350 €
Cadastral property check and title extractswithin the agreed scopeWhat is included →from 100 €

School and children

School: selection, documents, and enrolmentacademic year runs September to June, enrollment in spring. Certified translations and nostrification fees billed separately; child’s status is a separate service at 300 €, combined 600 €What is included →300 €

Taxes, banking, business

Business registration (preduzetnik)APR government fee ~21 € on topWhat is included →150 €
Company registration (DOO)APR government fee ~68 € on topWhat is included →350 €
Electronic signatureWhat is included →150 €
Registered legal address, monthlyWhat is included →33 €
Bookkeeping for your business, per monthsubscription; market priceWhat is included →100 €
Company bookkeeping, per monthsubscription; reporting is mandatory for companiesWhat is included →150 €

Car and driving licence

Driver’s license exchangefor SerbianWhat is included →300 €
Vehicle registrationustoms clearance is calculated separatelyWhat is included →from 300 €

Didn’t find your task? Describe it in the request or open full price list in Serbia.

Popular bundles in Serbia

If you have several tasks at once: a package costs less than the same services booked separately.

Three years of legal residence — and you can apply for citizenship

· A three-year establishment strategy
· Continuity counter tracked throughout the entire period
· Permanent residence and naturalisation

from 2 400 €Contents and price →Three-year residence permit — based on one of three grounds

· Three grounds to choose from, one price
· Account, work permit, MUP
· Three-year maintenance cost estimate

850 €Contents and price →One status for the whole family, one price — no ’plus 400 € per person’

· Flat rate for four, not multiplied
· Reunification for a spouse and children
· One package, one submission

1 800 €Contents and price →

How we work

1Select servicesor describe your task in your own words if it’s not on the list.
2We respond within two hoursduring business hours — via Telegram, WhatsApp, or email, whichever works best for you.
3We quote the final price before paymentand separately — what is not included: government fees, translations, charges.
4The specialist works on-siteand you stay connected with us from the first question to the final result.

How to pay

Payment method depends on the country and service — we’ll specify it along with the price before you begin of work. Each price indicates whether government fees are included. Where applicable, we issue an invoice and contract. The consultation is credited toward the cost of the service.

If something went wrong

If the work fell through on our end or we were unable to complete it, we refund money. No one can guarantee approval: scheduling, timelines, and decisions on visas and residence permits or account depend solely on the authority and the bank. We prepare documents so that there are no questions about them, and we stay with you until you get an answer.

The country at a glance

Since 2022, Belgrade has become one of the main hubs for Russian-speaking expats in Europe: visa-free entry, a straightforward company registration process and a familiar language. Serbia is neither in the EU nor in the Schengen Area — days spent here do not count against your Schengen allowance, but they do not grant European status either. The primary route to a residence permit is registering your own company or sole proprietorship; renting or buying property alone no longer guarantees residency.

Entry and residence permit

Visa-free entry

Russian citizens — visa-free entry, up to 30 days per visit.

Paths to a residence permit

Boravak through your own company (d.o.o.) or sole proprietorship (preduzetnik)
Boravak through employment — a single combined residence and work permit
Boravak for study
Family reunification
Permanent residence — after three years of continuous residence permit

Cost of living

Medium

Advantages

Visa-free entry for Russian citizens
Not Schengen — days spent here do not count against your Schengen allowance
A related language and Cyrillic script in official documents
A large and active Russian-speaking community in Belgrade
Setting up a company is a well-trodden and straightforward path to a residence permit

Downsides

Neither EU nor Schengen — a separate European visa is still required
Rents in Belgrade have risen and remain high relative to local salaries
Banks are cautious with Russian citizens; opening an account is not always possible
Administrative procedures move slowly and timelines shift
The local job market is small and salaries are below European levels

Cities in Serbia

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Belgrade

Serbia

Belgrade is the main hub for Russian-speaking relocation in the Balkans: visa-free entry, a straightforward residence permit through a company or employment, shared cultural roots, and a large, active community.

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Schools and universities Serbia

Where to take your child and where to study yourself: public and private options schools, language courses, colleges, and universities. A city-by-city breakdown — from those who who study and bring their children there.

Schools and kindergartens

Schools in Belgrade

Program selection, documentation, diploma recognition, and filing — this is a service SVOY. Applying to universities abroad follows its own rules, and deadlines submission is almost everywhere earlier than it seems.

Explore the options

Russians in Serbia