Serbia has simplified obtaining a residence permit and citizenship

What has happened? Serbian Parliament has finally approved the changes to the two laws of major importance for foreigners seeking job opportunities or establishing businesses in Serbia. 

The Serbian Government has introduced the legal framework back in March 2023 and was waiting to be brought up for vote on the Parliament agenda.

The main changes that will positively affect the legalization of foreigners in Serbia include:

• Amendments to the Citizenship Law change the duration of the work permit, which will be valid for three years, and not one year as before.
• A unique single procedure is introduced for residence and work permits, which are both to be issued simultaneously, as a single permit (jedinstvena dozvola).
• It will be possible to obtain permanent residence in Serbia after three years of having a residence permit (instead of five years before).
• Visas to enter Serbia will be issued in electronic format, which will facilitate the arrival of citizens of those countries where Serbia does not have consular representations.
• A foreigner will also be able to apply for Serbian citizenship after three years of permanent residence in the country.
• It will be possible to apply for a residence permit extension before the expiration of the residence permit, and not at least 1 month in advance, as it was before.

Quote.  “According to the new changes, the residence permit will now be issued for three years instead of one year. Also, now it will be possible to apply for permanent residence after three years, bur not five years as it was before”, - says Dmitry Efuni, the expert of Icon Invest.

“An interesting fact is that after obtaining а permanent residence, foreigners would be eligible to apply for Serbian citizenship right away. These changes open up new opportunities for foreigners who want to settle and work in Serbia,” the expert concludes.

Source: 021

Photo by Ljubiša Mitrović on Unsplash

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