Serbia is becoming more and more popular for relocation. In particular, people from post-Soviet countries are immigrating to Serbia by the thousand. They are opening business companies in the country and creating new jobs. Needless to say, the Government of Serbia welcomes the immigrants.
In March 2023, the Serbia Ministry of the Interior suggested amendments to the Citizenship Act that could simplify the naturalization procedure greatly. The amendments have not been passed yet but below we discuss what the procedure of acquiring Serbian citizenship is going to look like if they are passed.
Do you need a visa to enter Serbia?
Citizens of some countries do need to obtain visas to enter Serbia but most nationalities can do it without visas. Some of them can stay in Serbia for not more than 30 days without visas while others can stay for up to 90 days. The good news is that you could stay in Serbia for an indefinite period without a visa with the help of ‘visa runs’.
You can go to the neighboring countries of Montenegro, North Macedonia or Bosnia and Herzegovina for a day and then return to Serbia. There are groups on social networks where you can find organized visa run trips.
Please note however, that you will have to apply for a ‘white carton’ every time you return to Serbia after a visa run. A ‘white carton’ is a registration card that you have to get from the nearest police station. If you put up at a hotel or a hostel, the administration will do it for you but you should ask them for a copy to carry around with you.
How to become a citizen of Serbia
We dwell on the issue of acquiring Serbian citizenship briefly. Please follow the link if you want more detailed information.
The legal grounds for obtaining citizenship of Serbia include the following ones:
- By naturalization – a person who has lived in Serbia for a long time on legal grounds can become a naturalized citizen of the country;
- By right of blood – if one of the person’s parents is a citizen of Serbia, the person is also deemed a citizen of Serbia;
- By birth – if a child is born in Serbia to stateless persons or to refugees, he or she becomes a citizen of Serbia;
- By marriage – no comments are required here, we suppose;
- Children of new Serbian citizens – if a foreign national acquires citizenship of Serbia, his/ her children below 18 also become citizens of the country;
- Citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina – there is a special agreement between the two countries that allow citizens of one of them to request citizenship of the other one;
- Restoration of Serbian citizenship – if a person has once renounced citizenship of Serbia (to become a citizen of another country), he/ she can regain Serbian citizenship.
Citizenship of Serbia by naturalization
Let’s discuss the first option – citizenship of Serbia by naturalization – in more detail. Until the amendments are passed, you have to meet the following criteria to become a naturalized Serbian:
- Live in the country for 3 years before applying for citizenship;
- Hold a permanent residence permit;
- Renounce your original citizenship (or all of them if you are a citizen of several countries at a time);
- Declare Serbia your home country.
You can acquire a permanent residence permit only after living on a temporary residence permit for 3 consecutive years. You can apply for citizenship right after acquiring a permanent residence permit.
Thus, the road to Serbian citizenship starts with obtaining a temporary residence permit. There are multiple ways of doing that and the most popular one is opening a company in Serbia. Please note that even though studying in Serbia will make you a legal resident of the country, your residence permit cannot be turned into a permanent one.
Documents required for applying for citizenship of Serbia
You have to submit the following documents when applying for citizenship of Serbia:
- A notarized copy of your permanent residence permit;
- Your children’s birth certificates;
- Your marriage certificate;
- A confirmation of your intention to renounce your present citizenship;
- A copy of your passport;
- A receipt for paying the state duty.
Citizenship of Serbia within one year
Let’s see how the process of acquiring Serbian citizenship would change if the abovementioned amendments were passed.
In essence, it is proposed that a foreigner should be able to apply for Serbian citizenship after living in the country for 1 year only. Thus, acquiring a permanent residence permit would not be required: a temporary permit would suffice. In addition, the applicant has to meet the following conditions:
- Hold a diploma of a Serbian college or university or a diploma if a foreign educational institution recognized in Serbia;
- Have a job in Serbia or be a self-employed individual;
- Declare Serbia his/ her home country.
The applicant for Serbian citizenship would not be required to renounce his/ her present citizenship if the amendments were passed.
It is unclear if the amendments are going to be passed or not but it is obvious that the Government of Serbia wishes to attract qualified personnel from other countries. To be more precise, it wants to make it easier for foreigners to legalize in Serbia. Many of them already live in the country so why not make the legalization process simpler and faster?
The present state of affairs
Right after the proposed amendments were published, the European Commission said that the changes would not conform to the European standards of national security. The organization threatened to deprive Serbians of visa-free entry to the EU if they passed the amendments.
Naturally, the Serbian Government does not want any negative reactions on the part of the EU because the country has been a candidate for EU membership since 2003.
For this reason, the Citizenship Act had to undergo further revision. Currently, the changes to the Act are still in limbo. Here is where things stand at the moment:
- You can apply for citizenship when you acquire a permanent residence permit – after living on a temporary one for 3 years;
- You have to meet the following additional requirements:
– Have a college or university diploma;
– Have a job or be self-employed;
– Make an official declaration of you wish to become a citizen of Serbia; - You don’t have to renounce your present citizenship;
- Your grandchildren also can qualify for citizenship of Serbia.
There has been no ultimate resolution of the matter thus far so we have to wait and see. It is clear, however, that the authorities of the country want to make it easier for foreigners to become citizens of Serbia.
