Visitors to Serbia must obtain a visa from one of the Serbian diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries.

Visa policy of Serbia is similar to the visa policy of the Schengen Area. Serbia grants visa-free entry to most Schengen Annex II nationalities, except for Brunei, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Kiribati, Malaysia, Mauritius, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nicaragua, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Taiwan. It also grants visa-free entry to several additional countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, China, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Suriname and Turkey.

Visa policy map

Visa exemption

Ordinary passports

Holders of ordinary passports of the following countries and territories may enter Serbia without a visa for the following period:[1][2]

90 days within any 180 days

30 days

30 days within any 1 year

14 days

ID - May enter with a national ID card (incl. Irish passport card).
IDA - May enter with any proof of nationality in lieu of a passport.
A - For Chinese citizens with People's Republic of China passports, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports or Macao Special Administrative Region passports only.
B - Including all classes of British nationality.

Date of visa changes

Dates of entry into force of the bilateral visa waiver agreement/unilateral decision or ratification by Serbia (marked *)

  • Unknown: Mexico
  • April 1966*: Tunisia[3]
  • August 1966*: Cuba[4]
  • October 1971*: Costa Rica[5]
  • May 1973*: Chile[6]
  • October 1985*: Bolivia[7]
  • February 1987*: Seychelles[8]
  • November 1989*: Argentina[9]
  • March 1998*: North Macedonia[10]
  • December 1999*: Belarus[11]
  • May 2003*: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City.[12] (unilateral)
  • June 2007: Romania[13] (unilateral)
  • March 2008: Russia[14][15] (unilateral)
  • December 2009*: Israel[16]
  • October 2010*: Brazil,[17] Turkey[18]
  • December 2010*: Kazakhstan[19]
  • May 2011: Japan[20]
  • October 2011*: Albania[21] (resumed), Ukraine,[22] Uruguay[23]
  • November 2011: Hong Kong[24]
  • January 2013*: Macao SAR[25]
  • August 2013: United Arab Emirates[26] (unilateral)
  • July 2014: Mongolia[27]
  • June 2015: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar[28] (unilateral)
  • August 2015: Moldova[29][30]
  • January 2017: China[31][32]
  • May 2017: Peru[33][34] (unilateral)
  • September 2017: India[35][36] and Iran[37] (unilateral)
  • October 2017: Indonesia[38] (unilateral)
  • December 2017: Guinea-Bissau[39] (unilateral)
  • January 2018: Suriname[40] (unilateral)
  • February 2018: Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Paraguay, Colombia[41] (unilateral)
  • March 2018: Georgia[42]
  • June 2018: Azerbaijan[43] and Burundi[44] (unilateral)
  • November 2018: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago[45] (unilateral)
  • November 2018: Kyrgyzstan[46]
  • January 2019: Palau and Saint Kitts and Nevis[47] (unilateral)
  • September 2019: Suriname (bilateral)[48]
  • November 2019: Armenia (unilateral)[49]
  • April 2025: Venezuela[50]

Cancelled:

  • May 1978[51] - N/A*: Bangladesh
  • January 1985[52] - January 2003*:[53] Botswana
  • June 1972[54] - January 2003*:[53] Iraq
  • N/A - January 2003*:[53] Niger
  • November 1970[55] - N/A*: Pakistan
  • December 1970[56] - N/A*: Iran
  • March 1971[57] - N/A* (resumed in 2017): India
  • August 1975[58] - January 2003*:[53] Zambia
  • June 1985[59] - January 2003*:[53] Zimbabwe
  • January 2018:[60] Malaysia
  • October 2018:[61][62] Iran
  • November 2022: Burundi
  • November 2022: Tunisia
  • January 2023:[63] India
  • January 2023:[63] Guinea-Bissau
  • February 2023:[64] Bolivia
  • April 2023:[65] Cuba
  • April 2025:[66] Mongolia
  • April 2025:[67] Qatar
  • April 2025:[68] Kuwait
  • April 2025:[69] Oman

Note: citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro were never required visas for Serbia.

Fee exemption

Nationals of the following countries are exempt from short (up to 90 days) and long stay (up to 180 days) visa fees:[70]

Substitute visa

Since 8 November 2014, holders of valid visa or residents of Ireland, Schengen Area member states, United Kingdom or the United States may enter Serbia without a visa for a maximum stay of 90 days within any 180-day period, provided visa remains valid for the entire length of stay.[71]

Reciprocity

Serbian citizens may enter most of the countries whose citizens are granted visa-free access to Serbia without a visa except for Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain (grants visa on arrival), Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, Kuwait, Mexico, New Zealand, Palau (grants visa on arrival), Paraguay, United Kingdom, United States.

Non-ordinary passports

Holders of diplomatic, official & service passports of the following countries and territories may enter Serbia visa-free for up to 90 days (unless otherwise stated):[1]

D - Diplomatic passports only.
1 - 60 days
2 - 30 days
3 - 14 days

Future changes

Serbia has signed visa exemption agreements with the following countries, but they have not yet entered into force:

Country Passports Agreement signed on
Vanuatu[72] All 21 November 2019
Palestine[73] Diplomatic, service 09 January 2020
Saint Lucia[74] Diplomatic, service 3 February 2022
Sao Tome and Principe[75] Diplomatic, service 6 July 2022
Ghana[76] Diplomatic, service 8 July 2022
Eswatini[77] Diplomatic, service 29 July 2022
Tajikistan[78] Diplomatic, service 21 September 2022
Antigua and Barbuda[79] All 16 January 2023
Togo[80] Diplomatic 15 March 2023
Guinea-Bissau[81] Diplomatic, official, special 6 April 2023
Maldives[82] Diplomatic, service 9 May 2023
Venezuela[83] Ordinary 14 July 2023
Guatemala[84] Ordinary 22 September 2023
Uzbekistan[85] Diplomatic, official 23 September 2024
Tuvalu[86] Diplomatic, official 23 September 2024
  Nepal[87] Diplomatic, official 26 September 2024
Tuvalu[88] Ordinary 21 November 2024
Burundi[89] Diplomatic, official 12 March 2025
Congo[90] Diplomatic, official 22 April 2025
Saint Lucia[91] Ordinary 27 June 2025
Benin[92] Diplomatic, official 29 July 2025
Qatar[93] Diplomatic, official 22 September 2025
Jordan[94] Diplomatic, official 25 September 2025
Honduras[95] All 26 September 2025
Solomon Islands[96] All 26 September 2025

Online applications

As of 2024, visas can be applied for online. However, they are still not issued in the electronic form, requiring a visit to a diplomatic or consular office to have the visa affixed to a passport.[97]

General entry requirements for Serbia

The following are general entry requirements for Serbia:[98]

Visa requirements

Requirements for tourist / business visa

Tourist visa entitles its holder only for tourism trip and visit to relatives and / or friends. Tourist visa holders are prohibited from engaging in business or work activities in Serbia.[99]

General visa requirements:

Valid passport (passport must be valid at least 90 days from issue date of visa) Letter of invitation:

Visa applications should be submitted to the Embassy or Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia abroad.[103]

For the issuance of a transit visa, a person should have an entry visa for the country entering after the Republic of Serbia. In case a visa is not required for that country, the visa applicant will be asked to present other documents explaining the purpose of his/her visit there.

Serbian diplomatic mission reserves the right to request additional documentation. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Requirements for temporary residence visa / work visa

Anyone wishing to live and work in Serbia will be required to apply for a temporary residence permit (for nationals requiring a visa, a temporary residence visa has to be obtained before entry).[104] To obtain a temporary visa for employment purposes, you will need to secure a job offer from a Serbian company or government department, or a foreign company based in Serbia.

The criteria for approval of an employment visa include suitable educational qualifications or work experience, a secured employment contract in Serbia, proof of adequate means of subsistence in Serbia, police confirmation that you have no criminal record, and a satisfactory medical examination. All official documents must be translated into Serbian.

Requirements for permanent residence

Permanent residency in Serbia can be acquired after five years of temporary residency, three years of temporary residency if married to a Serbian citizen and on special basis.[105]

Obligatory registration

If foreign travelers stay at a hotel, hostel or other commercial accommodation during their visit to Serbia, they are not required to register with the police, since the accommodation will complete the registration on their behalf and issue a receipt confirming it (if not automatically issued, the traveler should request it).

When staying in a private accommodation, the owner of the apartment / house must register the foreigner with the police station of the precinct in which the residence is located (alternatively, the owner can issue a written authorization in advance through a notary for the foreigner to register him/herself within 24 hours of the foreigner entering the country.[106][107] The process involves filling in an online form (also available at major police stations) which is signed and stamped by a police officer.

Visitors should safeguard this form during the stay in the country, as it may be checked by police inside the country and / or when exiting Serbia. Failing to complete the registration may result in a RSD 5,000-150,000 fine (also for the accommodation provider / host), imprisonment and / or deportation.

Visitor statistics

Most visitors arriving in Serbia for tourism (counting only those in registered tourist accommodations) were from the following countries of nationality:[108][109][110]

Country 2023 2022 2021
Turkey 201,440 125,602 48,936
Russia 170,884 123,425 63,297
Bosnia and Herzegovina 158,824 148,773 102,515
Germany 123,059 105,792 57,574
Bulgaria 110,419 81,661 22,425
North Macedonia 109,738 92,046 52,471
Croatia 108,161 89,860 39,327
Romania 100,055 74,590 27,624
Montenegro 96,079 80,656 58,516
China 92,125 32,591 16,451
Total 2,134,305 1,772,763 871,239

See also

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Serbia.

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