PROCEDURE FOR THE REGISTRATION

PROCEDURE FOR THE REGISTRATION OF FOREIGNERS AND GRANTING PERMISSION TO STAY TEMPORARILY IN SERBIA 

1. OBLIGATION OF FOREIGNERS TO REGISTER ON THEIR ARRIVAL IN SERBIA

The organizations as well as individuals providing services to foreigners against payment, and persons with whom foreigners are staying as visitors, are obliged to register the foreigner's stay with the competent authorities (according to the place of residence of the foreigner - the police department) within 12 hours from the moment of rendering the service, i.e. of providing accommodation to the foreigner, or from the moment of his arrival as a visitor. A foreigner who is not using the services of accommodation provision as indicated above is obliged to register with the competent authorities and to inform of the change of address the next day following the day of arrival in Serbia, i.e. within 24 hours from the moment of the change of the place of abode or the change of address.

2. GRANTING PERMISSION FOR A TEMPORARY STAY IN SERBIA

The application for being granted permission for temporary stay should be submitted to the Secretariat of Internal Affairs in whose territory the foreigner has his registered place of abode. In order to be granted permission to stay temporarily on the basis of marriage it is necessary to submit the following: 1. valid passport; 2. completed form; 3. written acknowledgment of the registered place of abode; 4. two photographs; 5. extract from the marriage certificate (not older than 6 months); 6. proof of the possession of means of subsistence for the spouse, and the prescribed tax. For a temporary stay to be granted on the grounds of studies or specialization, training and practice, it is necessary, in addition to the payment of the prescribed tax and the first 4 above listed documents, which are obligatory for the approval of temporary stay on all grounds, it is necessary to submit a certificate issued by the faculty, school or other institution, and proof of the means of subsistence (acknowledgment of the provider of scholarship or of a bank). If permission for temporary stay is applied for on these grounds, foreigners are requested to submit the application within 3 days from the day of the arrival in Serbia. The application for permission to stay in Serbia temporarily on the grounds of opening an enterprise should be accompanied, in addition to the compulsory documents, also by a written decision-approval of the opening of the firm issued by the commercial court, and by the founding act. In the case of a request for temporary stay based on employment of foreigners, in addition to the compulsory documents, the following papers should be produced: written decision of the commercial court relating to the registration of the firm; annual balance of operations of the firm and the firm's current balance; employment contract with the firm, and the opinion of the labour market authorities confirming that the foreign citizen involved may take up employment. The said opinion is not required if employment relationship is contracted by a foreigner for the purpose of performing professional duties provided for under the contract on business and technical cooperation, on long-term production cooperation, on the transfer of technology, and on foreign investments. The procedure for granting permission for temporary stay on all grounds normally takes up to 15 days.

Registration with police
All foreigners visiting Serbia are obliged to be registered with the police. This is normally done automatically by hotels on checking in. You will be registered anew each time you change hotels and given a registration card when you check out. If you are staying somewhere privately, or camping, then it is up to you or yours hosts to ensure that you are registered with the police within12 hours of arrival and to report any subsequent change of address within 24 hours. This may seem a mere formality but it is important to do so, as you may be asked to provide the necessary registration documents when you leave Serbia.