Serbia student visa and residence permit

The education ground covers schooling, university studies, learning Serbian in order to continue education in Serbia, and international exchanges of pupils and students. For temporary residence the list also includes scientific research and other scientific and educational activities, such as training for a new occupation. Higher education is offered at nine state universities, 21 state academies and colleges of vocational studies, and at private institutions accredited by the National Accreditation Body.

Admission to a faculty requires a completed four-year secondary school; faculties may set further conditions. A secondary school diploma obtained abroad must first be recognised by the Qualifications Agency, and recognition of higher education for further study is arranged with the university you will join.

For schooling, studies or a Serbian language course, the D visa file contains the form, a passport valid 90 days beyond departure and issued in the last 10 years, the fee, a photo, an invitation letter, proof of adequate and valid health insurance, proof of means of subsistence for the stay, the registration certificate of the Serbian educational institution, its certificate of completed enrolment with the start date and length of the studies or course, a certificate of your previous level of education with a certified translation, and, for language learners, proof that you will continue education in Serbia.

For an international exchange, you submit the photo, invitation letter, insurance and means, the institution’s registration certificate and a certificate of enrolment at an accredited higher education institution within an exchange programme approved by the ministry. The temporary residence request uses the same evidence of enrolment, with a passport valid three months beyond the period requested and the landlord’s statement or a student dormitory document for your address.

Proof of means can be a scholarship, a bank balance equal to the Serbian minimum salary for the year of the application, or a written guarantee from a Serbian company or a certified guarantee from a private person who proves they have the funds. For health insurance, a document from your home insurer is accepted if your country has a social insurance agreement with Serbia; otherwise a private policy, a scholarship covering health care, enough funds for emergency and chronic treatment, a guarantee, or a Serbian health insurance card.

Students who need a visa apply for the D visa for education at the Serbian mission in their country of residence or online, paying EUR 50, and then request temporary residence on the same ground before the visa runs out. Students from visa-exempt countries enter without a visa and file temporary residence directly, online on Welcome to Serbia or in person at the police foreigners’ office. The fees are RSD 430 and RSD 23,450. Requests for minors are filed only in person by their legal representatives.

Register your address within 24 hours of arrival. Foreign students can apply for accommodation in nine student centres, for example Student Centre Belgrade with 14 dormitories or the centres in Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Niš, and all university students, foreign ones included, have access to health care in student polyclinics. With residence on the basis of studies you may work up to 16 hours a week; income from student or youth cooperative jobs for those under 26 is taxed as other income.

Request the extension no earlier than three months and no later than the expiry of your permit, with a new enrolment certificate. After graduation you can change to another ground, such as employment, by filing a new request with the right documents during your lawful stay. For permanent residence, only half of the time spent on study or schooling residence counts toward the required three years.