Carta Serbica
Spend time in Serbia as a foreign citizen of Serbian origin.
Who can benefit from this program?
Carta Serbica is a program intended for individuals from Serbian diaspora who do not hold Serbian citizenship and are interested in living, working or retiring in Serbia.
Following the initiative by the Returning Point, a streamlined procedure for obtaining temporary residence and work permit was introduced, specially designed for foreigners of Serbian origin. Temporary residence is granted for one year and can be renewed, and applications are open for:
Persons of Serbian origin born in former Yugoslav republics.
How to prove Serbian origin?
Serbian origin can be proved by providing one of the following documents:
If the submitted document designates Serbian origin of the direct ancestor of the applicant, it is necessary to submit evidence and documentation that establishes direct relation with the person whose origin is being determined.
In addition to one of these two conditions, it is necessary to fulfill the general conditions for issuing temporary residence.
Domestic or foreign public document that clearly designates Serbian origin of the applicant.
Baptism certificate from the Serbian orthodox church that confirms the Serbian origin of the applicant or his/hers ancestor.
What does the process
look like?
Precondition to initiating procedure for temporary residence is determining your current visa status. If you are a citizen of a country that does not require a specific tourist visa for entry into Serbia, in the biggest number of cases you can file for temporary residence without any restrictions.
In case you have any dilemma whether you need special pre-approved visa in order to apply for temporary residence, more information can be obtained from website of the Ministry of foreign affairs. The steps you need to take in order to successfully initiate the process are listed below.
Carta Serbica program is based on amendments of the Decree on criteria for delineating categories of foreigners and categories of foreigners whose temporary residence in Republic of Serbia can be granted independent from the basis for granting temporary residence. You may access the text of the Decree by clicking this field.
To successfully submit the application for temporary residence in Serbia based on the Carta Serbica program, you need to collect and enclose the required documentation. General documentation refers to the identification documents and certificates, as well as the official Application form, while special documentation refers to the documents that prove your Serbian origin.
Continue reading to learn which documents you need to enclose in your application.
General documentation
Temporary residence application form
The official application form for temporary residence can be obtained at the local police direction for foreigners. Locations and contacts of relevant direction offices can be found here.
A valid passport
This refers to the passport you currently possess, a document of the country of which you are a citizen.
Proof of means of subsistence during the planned temporary residence
To have your temporary residence application approved, you are required to enclose a proof of means of subsistence during the planned temporary residence in the Republic of Serbia.
One document proving subsistence is enough, and it can be either:
- Serbian bank statement confirming the means in the amount of local minimum wage per month, or
- Pension fund statement, or
- Any form of work contract, or
- Serbian employer’s statement confirming your salary, or
- Scholarship statement, or
- Confirmation of a registered agricultural property, or
- A verified statement of support from a physical or legal party – a member of the household you will reside in.
Registration of either short-term or residential address in the Republic of Serbia
You will need to register an address in the Republic of Serbia and to enclose the proof of registration with your application. More about address registration you can find here.
Proof of health insurance during the planned residence
To obtain temporary residence in the Republic of Serbia, you will need to enclose proof of health insurance during the planned residence. You can regulate health insurance through the National fund for health insurance, or with a private insurance dealer in Serbia, or you can obtain it based on the signed international agreement with a state whose citizenship you have. More information about international agreements concerning health insurance you can find here.
Proof of prescribed administrative fee payment
More information about the prescribed administrative fees you can find here.
Two photos
Finally, to complete the general documentation you will need to enclose two recent color photos, 35X45 mm in size, full face.
Special documentation that proves your Serbian origin
Domestic or foreign public document* that clearly designates Serbian origin of the applicant.
Any domestic or foreign public document that can serve as a basis to determine that the applicant or its direct ancestor have declared themselves as individuals of Serbian origin. It is necessary to prove lineage and relation with the direct
ancestor.
More information on the process for recognition of foreign public document can be obtained from the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Serbia.
Or
Baptism certificate from the Serbian orthodox church that confirms the Serbian origin of the applicant or his/hers ancestor
If the certificate relates to the origin of the direct ancestor, it is necessary to prove lineage and relation between the applicant and his/hers ancestor.
Submitting the request
All relevant documents need to be submitted to the closest office of the Ministry of Interior that handles requests of foreign citizens.
The deadline for processing the request is 30 days. In case the request for temporary residence is requested for the first time, due to additional security checks, the process may take longer.
Temporary residence based on Serbian origin is issued for a full year, with a possibility for extension.
Work permit
With the request for a work permit, the applicant is obliged under the applicable legislation to submit evidence that confirm he/she fulfils the requirements for the permit:
Passport of the applicant or the foreigner’s personal ID issued by the Ministry of Interior.
Granted temporary or permanent residence.
Evidence of payment of the administrative fee.