Immigration to Serbia
Serbia is a regional business and manufacturing hub, and a burgeoning start-up technology center. Serbia offers business opportunities and quality of life to skilled professionals, astute entrepreneurs, and their families.
Belgrade has been the business center of the Balkans for centuries. Alongside university city Novi Sad, it has recently become an important tech and start-up center.
Serbia offers amongst other benefits:
- Welcoming local culture, familiar with foreigners and with English widely spoken
- Good Central European climate with four seasons.
- Direct air connections to Europe, North America and Asia.
- Foreign investors are expressly welcomed by government policy, such as tax incentives for the IT industry or in free zones. Serbia ranks number one in the world as the country that creates the most FDI jobs per million inhabitants (source: IBM). It has a diversified foreign investment base with the top foreign investors being Germany, USA, Italy, Russia, China, and France.
- High value-added economy with a highly qualified labor force, and a strong industrial base that’s visible in a particularly diverse export mix.
Whilst the population of Belgrade has grown approximately 40% since the 1990s, Serbia’s population as a whole is in decline due to emigration. This, combined with the need for foreign investment, is why the Serbian government adopted a proactive policy is to encourage skilled immigration. It’s important to point out that as a non-EU country, Serbia is free to pick and choose its new residents and seeks only those who bring a benefit to the country.
From manufacturing to finance, Serbia offers a fertile ground for entrepreneurs, with a business-friendly environment and a robust legal framework safeguarding investors’ interests.
At Belgrade Family Office, we specialize in guiding individuals and businesses through Serbia's immigration regulations.
Most clients prefer to start with a Serbian Temporary Residence Permit, allowing them to test the market without obligation. Temporary Residence is generally granted for three years initially and gives the right – but not the obligation – to live in Serbia full time.
To qualify for Temporary Residence, the most common and easiest route is to form a local company. Being the shareholder of a local company is sufficient – although there is no restriction on company directors being non-residents or temporary residents, it is generally convenient to have a full-time Serbian resident in a management role in order to deal with local authorities, banks etc. Citizens of some countries will require a specific visa issued abroad (D Visa) in order to apply for temporary residence, whilst others are exempt from this requirement by treaty or otherwise.
Temporary Residence does not automatically trigger Serbian tax residence, meaning that the new Resident will only be taxable on a territorial basis (local income). However, if the client wishes to adopt Serbian fiscal residence immediately, bearing in mind Serbia’s network of double tax treaties and the fact that tax rates are low by European standards, the client may opt to enter the Serbian tax system (for example by becoming an employee or an individual entrepreneur). As Temporary Residence becomes Permanent Residence after a few years, Serbia will be considered the client’s economic base. Professional planning is essential at this transitional stage.
Immigration rules change frequently. Ensuring a smooth transition and seamless integration into Serbia is what we do at Belgrade Family Office. Our team of legal experts is dedicated to navigating the complexities of immigration law, providing tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of our clients. We take a personalized approach to every case, and we offer a one-stop service including immigration advice, company formation, virtual office, real estate purchase or rental, bank account opening and ongoing management services. Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss your situation in more detail.
in Serbia