Companies in Serbia that hire from abroad usually discover the procedure in the wrong order: they sign someone first and then find out what that person needs in order to legally start. This is the same checklist read from the employer’s side.
Before you make the offer
Check the candidate’s passport. Whether their nationality needs a visa to enter Serbia changes the entire timeline. Nationals who need one obtain a D visa on the ground of employment before they can apply for the permit. Nationals who enter visa free apply for the permit directly.
Know what you are actually applying for. In employment cases residence and the right to work are granted together, as the single permit for residence and work. It is a biometric card and it can be issued for up to three years.
Do not let anyone start work first. A visa free stay or a C visa is a tourist stay. It carries no right to work, and the exposure is not only the employee’s.
What the company contributes to the file
- The employment contract or a written job offer
- Company documentation as required for the application
- A contact person who answers within a day rather than a week
That last one is not a formality. In practice the single biggest variable in how fast a case moves is how quickly the employer returns documents.
What the employee contributes
- A valid passport, with enough validity left for the intended stay
- Proof of accommodation, usually a registered lease
- Health insurance
- Evidence of means of support
- Certificates from their home country, translated by a certified court interpreter and, where required, apostilled
Who files the application
The application can be submitted by the foreign national, by the employer on their behalf, or by an authorised person. Companies that hire regularly usually prefer to run it themselves, because it gives them control over the timeline. Companies hiring their first foreign employee usually prefer not to, because the learning curve costs more than the help.
The 24 hour rule your new hire will not know about
Every foreign national has to register their address of stay within 24 hours of entering Serbia. If your new employee is staying in a hotel, the hotel does it. If they are in an apartment your company arranged, it has to be handled separately. Applications for residence rest on this registration, so a missed white card in week one becomes your problem in week six.
A realistic timeline
For a straightforward case with responsive parties, plan two to three months from offer to card. The decision itself is commonly a month to two months once a complete file is submitted. The rest is documents arriving from abroad.
If you need someone to start sooner than that, the honest advice is to start the paperwork earlier, not to look for a shortcut. There is not one.
How we work with employers
We are a consulting company in Novi Sad. We check the candidate’s entry route, give both sides a written document list, coordinate with your HR and with certified court interpreters, and keep the case moving so that neither side is guessing. Where a matter needs a lawyer or an accountant, we bring one in.
If you are about to make an offer to someone abroad, the cheapest moment to talk is before the contract is signed.
