The right to work for a foreign national in the Republic of Serbia is exercised based on a single permit for temporary residence and work. Without such a permit, a foreign national may exercise the right to work in Serbia only in cases and under conditions expressly prescribed as exceptions by the Foreign Nationals Employment Act (“Official Gazette of the RS”, Nos. 128/2014, 113/2017, 50/2018, 31/2019, and 62/2023) and the Law on Foreigners (“Official Gazette of the RS”, Nos. 24/2018, 31/2019, and 62/2023).
The procedure for issuing a single permit for temporary residence and work of a foreign national in the Republic of Serbia is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Foreign Nationals Employment Act (“Official Gazette of the RS”, Nos. 128/2014, 113/2017, 50/2018, 31/2019, and 62/2023), the Law on Foreigners (“Official Gazette of the RS”, Nos. 24/2018, 31/2019, and 62/2023) as well as the Rulebook on the Issuance of a Single Permit for Temporary Residence and Work of a Foreign National (“Official Gazette of the RS”, No. 6/2024).
Based on the single permit, a foreign national acquires the right to temporary residence and work in the Republic of Serbia, in accordance with the Law. In cases of employment and professional specialisation, training, and internships, a single permit for temporary residence and work is issued.
A foreign national who has been granted temporary residence or permanent settlement has the right to work in the Republic of Serbia in accordance with the regulations governing the employment of foreigners, without the need for a single permit for temporary residence and work.
A foreign national who has been issued a single permit for temporary residence and work is required to reside in the Republic of Serbia in accordance with the grounds for which the permit was granted.
Submission of Application for Single Permit for Temporary Residence and Work
A request for the issuance or extension of a single permit for temporary residence and work may be submitted electronically by the foreign national, the employer on behalf of the foreign national, or a person authorised by either party, via the Foreigners’ Single Portal.
For a foreign national who, under the visa regime, requires a visa to enter the Republic of Serbia, the request for the issuance or extension of the single permit for temporary residence and work must be submitted after entry into the Republic of Serbia, during the validity period of a long-stay visa issued for employment. Exceptionally, a foreign national holding a short-stay visa may submit a request for the issuance or extension of a single permit during their lawful stay in the Republic of Serbia, provided that there is a national interest or force majeure, supported by appropriate evidence.
For a foreign national who does not require a visa to enter the Republic of Serbia under the visa regime, the request for the issuance or extension of the single permit may be submitted during their lawful stay in Serbia, or from abroad.
A request for the extension of a single permit may be submitted no earlier than three months and no later than the date of expiry of the current single permit.
A foreign national who submits a request for the issuance or extension of a single permit for temporary residence and work may reside and work in the Republic of Serbia promptly, pending completion of the administrative procedure.
If it is in the interest of the Republic of Serbia or in cases of force majeure, the competent authority may consider a request for the extension of a single permit submitted after the expiration of the previous permit, provided that the time elapsed between the expiry of the previously valid single permit and the submission of the new request does not exceed three months.
If the competent authority approves the issuance of a new single permit, the period between the expiry of the previous permit and the submission of the extension request shall be deemed lawful and continuous residence.
A prescribed fee is payable for the issuance of a single permit, in accordance with the law.
The provisions of the Rulebook on the Issuance of a Single Permit for Temporary Residence and Work of Foreign Nationals (“Official Gazette of the RS”, No. 6/2024) set out the detailed conditions for submitting and processing electronic requests for the issuance of a single permit, the conditions for issuing the permit, as well as the format of the single permit form.
Conditions for Issuing a Single Permit for Temporary Residence and Work
When submitting a request for the issuance of a single permit for temporary residence and work, the applicant must provide the following:
- A valid personal or official passport, or a valid national ID card issued by a country whose citizens are permitted to enter the Republic of Serbia with an ID card, in accordance with applicable regulations. The identity document must be valid for at least three months beyond the period for which the single permit for temporary residence and work is requested.
- Proof justifying the request for the issuance of a single permit for temporary residence and work, in accordance with regulations governing the employment of foreigners, as well as any additional documents requested by the competent authority.
- The address of temporary residence, permanent residence, or a statement of the intended address of residence, in the case of a foreign national submitting the request from abroad.
The above-listed supporting documents must be submitted electronically, either as original electronic documents or as digitised copies.
Decision-Making Procedure
The competent authority shall decide on the request for the issuance of a single permit for temporary residence and work within 15 days from the date of receipt of a complete and valid application.
When processing a request for the issuance of a single permit for temporary residence and work, the competent authority obtains:
- An assessment from the state authority responsible for the protection of the security of the Republic of Serbia as to whether the foreign national’s stay in the territory of the Republic of Serbia poses an unacceptable security risk;
- An assessment from the organisation responsible for employment affairs regarding the fulfilment of conditions for employment, special cases of employment, and self-employment of the foreign national, in accordance with the regulations governing the employment of foreigners.
These assessments must be submitted to the competent authority within 10 days from the date the request is forwarded for consideration.
The competent authority, the employment organisation, and the authority responsible for national security exchange the necessary data electronically, within a unified procedure, to process the request for the issuance of the single permit for temporary residence and work.
If the legal requirements for issuing or extending a single permit for temporary residence and work are met, the competent authority issues the permit to the foreign national.
The foreign national must collect the single permit for temporary residence and work in person.
Grounds for Issuing a Single Permit for Temporary Residence and Work
A single permit for temporary residence and work may be issued for:
- Employment;
- Self-employment;
- Special cases of employment, namely:
a) For seconded persons,
b) For movement within the company,
c) For an independent professional,
d) For training and development.
Rejection of a Request for a Single Permit for Temporary Residence and Work
The competent authority shall reject, by decision, a request for the issuance or extension of a single permit for temporary residence and work when:
- The organisation responsible for employment submits to the competent authority a reasoned assessment that the conditions for employment, special cases of employment, or self-employment of the foreign national in the Republic of Serbia are not met;
- One or more conditions prescribed by Article 46v of the Law on Foreigners (“Official Gazette of the RS”, Nos. 24/2018, 31/2019, and 62/2023) are not fulfilled;
- A protective removal measure, a security measure of expulsion, or an entry ban is in force against the foreign national;
- Reasons for protecting the security of the Republic of Serbia and its citizens require it;
- There are reasonable grounds to suspect that the foreign national will not use the single permit for temporary residence and work in accordance with the basis on which the request was submitted;
- The documents or evidence submitted with the request are found to be falsified or unlawfully obtained;
- There are grounds to reasonably believe that the foreign national will not comply with the legal order of the Republic of Serbia;
- In the course of considering a request for the extension of a single permit, it is established that the foreign national has not used the previously issued permit in accordance with the basis for which it was granted.
An appeal against the decision rejecting the request for the issuance or extension of a single permit for temporary residence and work may be lodged through the competent authority within 15 days of receiving the decision. The appeal must be submitted in written form, in Serbian, and accompanied by the prescribed fee. The Ministry of the Interior decides on appeals against such decisions. Appealing suspends the execution of the decision.
A lawsuit in administrative proceedings may be initiated against the decision adopted in the second-instance procedure.
Validity of the Single Permit for Temporary Residence and Work
A single permit may be issued to a foreign national for a period of up to three years and may be extended for the same period, provided the grounds on which the permit was issued still exist.
Termination of Validity of the Single Permit for Temporary Residence and Work of a Foreign National
If it is subsequently established that one or more of the reasons prescribed for rejecting a request for the issuance of a single permit for temporary residence and work apply to a foreign national who has already been issued such a permit, the competent authority shall issue a decision terminating the validity of the single permit.
The decision terminating the validity of the permit may stipulate a deadline within which the foreign national must leave the Republic of Serbia. This period may not exceed 30 days from the date of delivery of the decision, and an entry ban may also be imposed. When setting the deadline for departure, the specific circumstances of each case are assessed, particularly the length of previous temporary residence or single permits held by the foreign national, as well as their personal, family, social, economic, and other ties with the Republic of Serbia.
The imposition of an entry ban is governed mutatis mutandis by Article 78 of the Law on Foreigners (“Official Gazette of the RS”, Nos. 24/2018, 31/2019, and 62/2023).
Labour inspection authorities and other competent bodies that may establish the existence of reasons for termination within their jurisdiction must notify the competent authority ex officio immediately.
An appeal against the decision terminating the validity of a single permit may be lodged through the competent authority within 15 days of receiving the decision. The appeal must be submitted in written form, in Serbian, with the prescribed fee. The Ministry of the Interior decides on such appeals. Appealing suspends the execution of the decision, except in cases where a deadline for departure from the Republic of Serbia has been set.
A lawsuit in administrative proceedings may be initiated against the decision adopted in the second-instance procedure.
A decision terminating the validity of a single permit may also be issued at the request of the foreign national.
By operation of law, a single permit for temporary residence and work ceases to be valid in the event of the death of the foreign national, the granting of permanent residence in the Republic of Serbia, or the acquisition of Serbian citizenship.
Last update: 4. 10. 2025.
Read more:
Forms of work engagement in Serbia »
Labour inspection – jurisdiction and inspection »
License for the work of Temporary Employment Agencies »
