When moving to Serbia, the first and most important step is to obtain the 'White Card' (Beli karton) — a registration of your place of residence. This document is mandatory for all foreigners. Without it, you cannot register at a new address, which would require a 'visa run' (exiting and re-entering the country) to reset your stay period.
Creating an account on Serbia's official e-Government portal, eid.gov.rs, is an important procedure that gives foreigners access to a wide range of digital services. This allows many bureaucratic issues to be resolved remotely, significantly simplifying life in the country.
Losing or damaging your biometric residence permit card is an unpleasant situation that requires a swift resolution. The document replacement procedure is standardized but has its own nuances that are important to consider. First and foremost, you must report the loss and initiate the process of issuing a new card.
Foreigners who have obtained a residence permit in Serbia are legally allowed to use their national driver's license for 12 months. This period starts from the date of the residence permit application. After one year, driving with a foreign license is considered equivalent to driving without a license, leading to fines and serious issues with insurance companies in the event of an accident.
The Zdravstvena knjižica or kartica is Serbia's compulsory health insurance (OMS) policy, which provides access to public medical services. Obtaining this document is directly linked to having a residence permit (VNZh). It is impossible to apply for Serbian public health insurance without a residence permit.
You can buy a car in Serbia even without a residence permit, but you won't be able to register it. Therefore, the key step before purchasing is obtaining a residence permit. It's important that the permit is issued for at least six months and is valid at the time of vehicle registration. A Serbian driver's license is not required for the registration process.
The procedure for changing the basis for a residence permit (boravak) in Serbia is not clearly described in the legislation, but in practice, it is possible and widely used. The main rule to follow is that a foreigner has 30 calendar days from the moment the previous basis is lost (e.g., from the date of dismissal or closure of a sole proprietorship) to find a new one.
In Serbia, there are two main types of certificates confirming no issues with the law: one is issued by the court, the other by the police. Despite their similar names, they have different purposes and confirm different facts. The choice of a specific document depends on the reason for obtaining it, for example, for applying for permanent residence (ПМЖ) or for a visa.
When applying for a residence permit in Serbia, many questions arise concerning registration of your address, the need to leave the country, and rules regarding absence. Understanding these nuances in advance helps to avoid common mistakes.