Work Permit in Serbia
How a foreign national works in Serbia
To work legally in Serbia you need two things at once: a lawful basis to stay and the right to work. For employment, both are granted together in one document, the single permit for temporary residence and work. It is a biometric card and it can be issued for a period of up to three years.
The starting point is always a job offer from an employer registered in Serbia. Without it there is nothing to apply on. What comes after depends on one question: whether your citizenship requires a visa to enter the country. Nationals who need a visa first obtain a D visa on the ground of employment, then apply for the single permit. Nationals who enter visa free apply for the single permit directly.
One thing that catches people out: a tourist stay does not convert into a work permit. Time spent in Serbia visa free or on a C visa is a tourist stay, and you cannot work on it, whatever your employer tells you.
What a work permit application needs
This is the core of the file. The exact list depends on your case, but these six turn up in almost every employment application.
Employment contract or job offer
A signed contract or a written offer from a company registered in Serbia. Everything else rests on this.
Valid passport
Valid for at least the period you intend to stay, with enough validity left when the permit is issued.
Proof of accommodation
A registered lease or proof of ownership for the address where you will live, which also feeds your address registration.
Health insurance
Valid medical cover for your stay in Serbia, arranged before the file is submitted.
Proof of means of support
Evidence that you can support yourself during your stay, usually through your salary and a bank statement.
Registered address, the white card
Your stay must be registered within 24 hours of entering Serbia. It is a separate obligation that the application relies on.
Documents issued abroad usually need certified translation into Serbian, and depending on the country of issue an apostille as well. We tell you which of yours do before you order anything.
How the procedure runs
The application can be filed by you, by your employer on your behalf, or by an authorised person. Serbia also runs an online portal for foreign nationals, and part of the procedure can be completed through it.
If you are the employer rather than the applicant, our checklist for hiring a foreign worker in Serbia sets out what the company has to prepare and in which order.
- Check whether your passport needs a D visa for employment
- Job offer and employment documentation from your employer
- Document list, certified translation and apostille
- Address registration, the white card, within 24 hours of entry
- Filing the single permit application, by you or your employer
- Decision, and collection of the biometric card
TRC card and work visa explained
People looking for a Serbia work permit often search for the Serbia TRC card or the Serbia work visa instead. Both terms point to the same thing. TRC stands for temporary residence card, and in employment cases that card is the single permit for residence and work. There is no separate product behind either name, so an offer described as a TRC is the ordinary residence procedure.
If your passport requires a visa, the route is a D visa for employment first and the single permit after arrival. We check the entry rule for your nationality before anything is prepared, and we work directly with your employer in Serbia so that you are not left translating requests between two countries.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get a work permit in Serbia?
Once a complete file is submitted, decisions commonly arrive within about four to six weeks, and cases with missing documents take considerably longer. The realistic planning horizon, counted from the day your employer makes the offer to the day you hold the card, is two to three months, because obtaining and translating documents from abroad usually takes longer than the decision itself.
Can I apply for a Serbia work permit online?
Serbia runs an online portal for foreign nationals through which applications for a D visa and for temporary residence and work can be filed, by the applicant or by the employer. Not every case is finished online, since some documents are presented in person and the biometric card is collected in person. We tell you which parts of your case run through the portal and which do not.
Can I work in Serbia on a tourist stay or a C visa?
No. A visa free stay of up to 90 days and a C visa are tourist stays, and they do not carry the right to work. Working on them puts both you and your employer at risk. If you are already in Serbia as a visitor and receive a job offer, the right move is to check your entry route first, which is exactly what the first consultation is for.
Do I need a D visa before the work permit?
It depends on your citizenship. Nationals of countries whose passports require a visa for Serbia obtain a D visa on the ground of employment first, and apply for the single permit afterwards. Nationals who enter Serbia visa free apply for the single permit directly, without a D visa.
Who submits the application, me or my employer?
Either. The application can be submitted by the foreign national, by the employer on the foreign national’s behalf, or by an authorised person. In practice employers who hire regularly prefer to run it themselves, and we work with whichever side is handling the file.
Is the Serbia TRC card the same as a work permit?
TRC is the informal name for the temporary residence card. In employment cases that card is issued as the single permit for residence and work, so it covers both your stay and your right to work. If you are searching for a Serbia TRC card because of a job offer, this is the procedure you are looking for.
How long is a Serbian work permit valid?
A single permit can be issued for a period of up to three years, depending on the ground of stay and the documentation submitted, and it can be extended while your employment continues. Time spent on an approved permit counts towards the period of continuous residence that opens the way to permanent residence.
