Serbia investor visa and residence

The investor ground is tied to an investment in a business. You need a certificate or other proof of tangible and intangible assets invested in a company registered in Serbia, and a certificate or statement showing at least EUR 50,000, or the equivalent in dinars or another foreign currency, in a bank account registered in Serbia. The government portal does not state a minimum for the invested assets themselves on the page checked.

Owning property in Serbia is a separate ground for temporary residence, and an innovative company confirmed by a science and technology park can use the start-up ground. If you will be employed by your own company, the self-employment single permit may fit better.

Besides the investment proof and the bank certificate, the D visa file includes the form, a passport valid 90 days beyond departure and issued within 10 years, a photo, the fee, an invitation letter, health insurance and proof of means of subsistence. The temporary residence request adds a passport valid three months beyond the period requested, a photo, the company’s registration document and the landlord’s statement for address registration. Foreign documents need a certified translation into Serbian.

Investors from visa-required countries apply for a D visa on the investor ground at a Serbian mission or on the Welcome to Serbia portal and pay EUR 50; they then request temporary residence on the same ground while the visa is valid. Visa-exempt investors enter without a visa and apply for temporary residence directly, online with an eID account or in person at the police foreigners’ office. Fees of RSD 430 and RSD 23,450 are paid when filing; the biometric card follows after approval and biometrics.

Each decision grants up to three years. Extensions are filed no earlier than three months before and no later than the expiry date, with updated proof that the investment and the bank balance still exist. You must reside in Serbia in line with the ground; extensions can be refused if you spent less than half the approved time in the country without justification. After three continuous years of temporary residence you may request permanent residence.

Your spouse, extramarital partner and children can apply for temporary residence for family reunification with a foreigner holding temporary residence. Adults who hold such a permit for reunification with an adult foreign citizen automatically have the right to work.