Travel to Serbia

Travel and visits to Serbia are trouble-free and visitors should not pay attention to numerous prejudices and demonization, but find the truth by themselves. People traveling to Serbia should take the same security precautions in Belgrade as they would in any large city in the world. Tourists are almost never the targets of violent crime, but Mafia-style reprisals have occurred, including in places where tourists gather such as hotels, restaurants, shops and busy streets.

We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel insurance which will cover all overseas medical costs, including medical repatriation/evacuation, repatriation of remains and legal costs. According to the UN reports, Countries of the South-East Europe belong to the safest countries in the world, in terms of personal safety, with lower level of incidents in Serbia, than in big EU cities.

To obtain a Serbian visa please contact in person by telephone or by e-mail the nearest diplomatic or consular mission of the Republic of Serbia. Information for foreign nationals visiting Serbia who are required to obtain visas: Valid Passport; Letter of invitation (verified by the competent Serbian authority) or an invitation by a company for a business visit or a receipt or authorized tourist company certifying that the travel arrangement has been paid for (letter of credit or other payment receipt); Return ticket; Proof of sufficient funds in hard currency and Certificate that a health fund shall cover the medical costs in Serbia, if any.

Note: Transit visa applicants are required to obtain the visa for the country they will enter after the transit through Serbia.

Serbian Visas are required for foreign citizens from the following countries :

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Brazil /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Colombia, Comoro Islands, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville, Cote d Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Egypt /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Equatorial Guinea, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Guatemala, Guinea /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, India /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Indonesia /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Iraq, Iran /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea DPR /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mauritania, Micronesia, Morocco /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Moldova /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Mongolia /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Palau, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/,. Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Surinam, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam /for holders of ordinary passports and other travel documents/, Western Samoa, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabve, UN member states with no diplomatic relations by the Republic of Serbia

TYPES OF VISAS

Types of available Serbia visas:
1) Short stay visa (type C visa)
2) Transit visa (type B visa)
3) Temporary residence visa (type D visa).

VISA C (For short stay in Serbia up to 90 days):

Short stay visas are mainly issued for tourism, business as well as other traveling needs including a single, double or multiple entries into the Republic of Serbia. The duration of an uninterrupted stay, and/or the total duration of successive visits of a foreigner with a short stay visa shall not exceed 90 days within a period of six months which began on the day of the first entry. A short stay visa with the multiple entry option is issued with the validity of up to one year, with a maximum stay of 180 days).

VISA C REQUIREMENTS (Short stay in Serbia up to 90 days):

– Valid passport (passport must be valid at least 90 days from issue date of visa)
– Completed Visa Application Form (PDF format)
– Photo (Size 3,5 x 4,5 cm)
– Invitation letter.
For a private visit, a certified invitation letter from a relative or a friend from Serbia is required. If applying for a business visa, please enclose an official invitation from the company in Serbia, stating the nature of the business, expected duration of the visit as well as the name and address of the company or institution you are visiting. Also needed is a letter from the pertinent company which you are representing.

– Proof of residence (if you are not residing in your native country)
– Proof of sufficient funds for staying in Serbia
– Return ticket or Itinerary (copy of International Driving License, Title and Insurance if you travel by car)
– Money Order in the amount of 65 euros payable to the Embassy of Serbia/Consulate General of Serbia (cash acceptable when applying in person). If the visa request is not granted by the Serbian authorities, the amount of 2 euros will be returned to the applicant.

Notice: Money Order in the amount of 5 euros payable to the Embassy of Serbia/Consulate general of Serbia is required from all citizens of the following countries: Armenia, China, Mali, Pakistan, Ukraine and Syria. Money Order in the amount of 155 euros is required from all citizens of the United Arab Emirates.

VISA B (Transit visa)

A transit visa is issued to all foreigners planning for a single, double or multiple transits through the territory of the Republic of Serbia. A transit visa is valid for up to six months in addition, the duration of stay in the country per one transit shall not exceed five days. A transit visa may be issued to a foreigner who is in possession of the visa for entry into the destination country or the country through which he/she is transiting if his/her obligation to have that visa is not abolished by an international treaty. (Article 17 of the Law on Foreigners)

Kosovo does not currently apply a visa regime. Therefore, any foreign citizen can enter the territory of Kosovo without a visa and stay in Kosovo for up to 90 days if an appropriate set of documentation is presented upon entry. The following documents are required: Passport,  Return ticket to home country, Proof of sufficient funds for duration of stay, Invitation letter from host entity verified by the Ministry of Internal Affairs

The border police reserve the right to deny entry in case of reasonable suspicion regarding a visitor’s documentation or reason for entering Kosovo. For specific requirements visitors should contact their country’s embassy in Kosovo to confirm entry procedure. Upon arrival to Kosovo, visitors intending to stay for more than 90 days, must register at the Kosovo Police and obtain a stay permit.

Entering Serbia from Kosovo – Serbian authorities do not administer border crossings between Kosovo and Macedonia, Albania and Montenegro. Entry stamps from these border crossings are considered null and void by the Serbian authorities. If you have entered Kosovo via one of these border crossings (or the Priština airport) and intend to proceed to Central Serbia, you will be denied entry at the administrative crossing. You need to leave Kosovo and enter Serbia via one of the border crossings with Macedonia or Montenegro. Any Kosovo entry/exit stamps you might have in your passport will be cancelled.

VISA B REQUIREMENTS (Transit visa):

– Valid passport (passport must be valid at least 90 days from issue date of visa)
– Completed Visa Application Form (PDF format)
– Photo (Size 3,5 x 4,5 cm)
– Entry visa to the country to which you are traveling. If visa is not required for that country, other proof of stay in the country is required. (voucher, invitation letter).
– Proof of residence (if you are not residing in your native country)
– Proof of sufficient funds for staying in Serbia
– Return ticket or Itinerary (copy of International Driving License, Title and Insurance if you travel by car)
– Money Order in the amount of 65 euros payable to the Embassy of Serbia/Consulate general of Serbia (cash acceptable when applying in person). If visa request is not granted by the Serbian authorities, the amount of 2 euros will be returned to the applicant.

Notice: Money Order in the amount of 5 euros payable to the Embassy of Serbia/Consulate general of Serbia is required from all citizens of the following countries: Armenia, China, Mali, Pakistan, Ukraine and Syria. Money Order in the amount of 155 euros is required from all citizens of the United Arab Emirates.

VISA D (Visa for temporary stay – more than 90 days):

A temporary residence visa implies permission of entry as well as temporary residence for foreigners in the Republic of Serbia. A temporary residence visa is issued under certain conditions and with the term of validity stipulated by this Law with respect to the permission for temporary residence. If a foreigner intends to stay more than 90 days in the Republic of Serbia, he/she will be obligated to obtain the visa referred to in paragraph 1 hereof, or to obtain the permission for temporary residence from the competent authority during his/her stay in the Republic of Serbia. (Article 19 of the Law on Foreigners)

VISA D REQUIREMENTS (Visa for temporary stay – more than 90 days):

• – Valid passport (passport must be valid at least 90 days from issue date of visa)
  – Completed Visa Application Form (PDF format)
  – Photo (Size 3,5 x 4,5 cm)
  – Proof of reasons for stay in Serbia. Please check HERE to get the information on required documents depending on the reason of your temporary stay in Serbia.
  – Proof of residence (if you are not residing in your native country)
  – Proof of sufficient funds for staying in Serbia
  – Money Order in the amount of 35 euros payable to the Embassy of Serbia/Consulate general of Serbia (cash acceptable when applying in person). If the visa request is not granted by the Serbian authorities, the amount of 2 euros will be returned to the applicant.
• Notice: Money Order in the amount of 5 euros payable to the Embassy of Serbia/Consulate General of Serbia is required for all citizens of the following countries: Armenia, China, Mali, Pakistan, Ukraine and Syria. Money Order in the amount of 155 euros is required for all citizens of the United Arab Emirates.

Notice: Request for temporary stay can also be submitted in Serbia.

NOTICE FOR ALL TYPES OF VISAS
The Embassy reserves the right to request additional documentation. Incomplete applications will not be accepted and they will be returned to the applicant at their cost. When completing the application forms, please print and note all requested information, including your full address in the country you are residing (P.O. Box not accepted) and telephone number.

Visa processing time is usually more then three weeks given that all types of visas must be granted by the Serbian authorities. Please contact the nearest Embassy/Consulate General of Serbia for any additional information.

Beginning from June 12, 2010, citizens of European Union countries, the Swiss Confederation, Kingdom of Norway and Republic of Iceland may enter the Republic of Serbia using their identity cards and stay up to 90 days.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Serbia
24-26 Kneza Milosa St.
11000 Belgrade, Serbia

Tel. +381 11 3616-333
+381 11 3615-666
+381 11 3615-055, Fax +381 11 3618-366

• E-mail: mfa@mfa.rs