Company Formation & Registration in Serbia

Set up your Serbian company with the legal, tax and operational structure considered from the beginning.

Stojković Attorneys assists foreign individuals, entrepreneurs, investors and international companies with company formation and business registration in Serbia, from the initial choice of ownership and management structure through registration with the Serbian Business Registers Agency (APR/SBRA) and the practical steps required to make the company operational.

Our approach goes beyond filing a registration form. Before incorporation, we consider the matters that tend to create problems later: shareholders and ultimate ownership, directors and representation rights, registered office, business activity, share capital, tax and VAT position, banking, accounting, employment of founders or directors, foreign employees and, where relevant, immigration status.

Start Company Formation Intake →

Complete our guided questionnaire and provide the information our lawyers need to assess and prepare your incorporation.

Updated: September 2026 · Legal review by Mina Radojević Vlačić, Petar Kilibarda and Miomir Stojković, Attorneys-at-Law

Company Formation in Serbia at a Glance

Question	Serbia LLC / d.o.o.
Can a foreigner establish a company?	Yes
Can the shareholder be a foreign company?	Yes
Can the company be foreign-owned?	Yes, subject to specific sector rules where applicable
Most relevant structure for many foreign investors	Limited Liability Company — LLC / d.o.o.
Minimum statutory LLC capital	RSD 100
Registration authority	Serbian Business Registers Agency — APR/SBRA
Filing method	Electronic
APR statutory decision period	Up to 5 working days from receipt of the application
Current APR incorporation fee	RSD 8,000
Can incorporation be handled through an attorney?	Yes, subject to proper authorisation and documentation
Is Serbian residence required simply to own the company?	No
Does company formation automatically grant residence?	No
Beneficial-owner compliance required?	Yes

Since 17 May 2023, incorporation applications for Serbian companies including limited liability companies must be filed electronically with APR. APR's statutory period for deciding on a registration application is five working days from receipt. The current 2026 APR fee for registration of incorporation of a company is RSD 8,000.

Can Foreigners Open a Company in Serbia?

Yes.

Serbian investment law generally places foreign natural and legal persons on an equal footing with domestic investors, unless a specific law provides otherwise. APR expressly provides procedures and documentary requirements for both foreign individuals and foreign corporate founders.

A Serbian company can therefore be established by:

• a foreign individual;
• several foreign individuals;
• a foreign company;
• Serbian and foreign shareholders together;
• another corporate group entity.

The appropriate structure depends not only on who owns the company, but on what the Serbian business will actually do.

A company intended to employ personnel, contract with international customers, import goods or act as a Serbian subsidiary of an international group may require a different structure from a company established by one consultant or entrepreneur.

That is why our company-formation process begins with the proposed business model, not merely with APR registration.

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LLC / d.o.o. Company Formation in Serbia

The Serbian equivalent of a limited liability company is a društvo sa ograničenom odgovornošću, normally abbreviated as d.o.o.

Under the Companies Act, an LLC may have one or more members/shareholders, and its incorporation document must address matters including the shareholders, registered office, predominant activity, registered capital, individual contributions, ownership percentages and company governance. The statutory minimum registered capital is only RSD 100, unless a special law prescribes a higher amount for a regulated activity.

The legally possible minimum capital is not necessarily the commercially appropriate capital for every business. We therefore ask clients to provide the anticipated business activity, investment requirements, turnover and ownership arrangements before the incorporation documents are finalised.

What Information Is Needed to Register a Company in Serbia?

Before filing, a number of corporate decisions must be made.

Our intake process collects them in one structured workflow so that the same information does not have to be repeatedly requested by the lawyer, accountant and corporate team.

These include:

Shareholders and ownership
Who will own the company, whether each shareholder is an individual or legal entity, and the percentage interest each shareholder will hold.

Company name
The proposed business name and, where required, alternative names and a registered English-language version.

Registered office
Every Serbian company must have a registered seat and address.

Business activity
The company registers a predominant business activity. You do not need to identify the Serbian classification code yourself — describe the intended business and we can identify the appropriate code.

Registered capital
The amount and form of each shareholder's contribution and whether the contribution will be in cash, in kind or both.

Director and company representation
Who will act as director, whether there will be one or several directors, whether they represent the company individually or jointly and whether any internal approval limitations should apply.

Tax and VAT
Expected turnover, business model, customers and suppliers and the expected VAT position.

Banking
Whether assistance is required with a Serbian corporate bank account and the currencies and banking services the company expects to use.

Accounting
Expected invoice and transaction volume, employees, international customers or suppliers, related parties, loans, leases and reporting requirements.

This information reflects the matters STATT already analyses in its incorporation and accounting onboarding process rather than treating company formation as a stand-alone registry filing.

Start the Company Formation Questionnaire →

Company Name and Registered Office in Serbia

A Serbian company's registered business name includes its distinctive name, legal form and the place of its registered seat. A foreign-language translation of the business name may also be registered.

APR warns that identical or confusingly similar names can lead to rejection of an application. A proposed company name can also be formally reserved; an approved reservation is valid for 60 days and may be renewed for another 60-day period.

We therefore recommend providing more than one preferred name during onboarding.

For example:

Preferred name: NOVA TECHNOLOGIES
Alternative 1: NOVA DIGITAL
Alternative 2: NOVA SYSTEMS

We can then assess the proposed name before the incorporation filing.

If you have not yet secured a Serbian registered office, tell us during the intake process so that this can be addressed before filing.

Selecting the Company's Business Activity

The Serbian company must register a predominant business activity.

This is an area where founders frequently try to select a classification code before explaining what the business will actually do.

We approach it in the opposite order.

Tell us:

What will the company sell, provide, develop, import, export or otherwise do?

We then consider the appropriate Serbian activity classification and whether the proposed business is subject to any special licence, permit, approval or regulatory regime.

Registration of one predominant activity does not necessarily mean that the company is prohibited from carrying out other lawful activities, but regulated sectors may be subject to separate requirements.

Share Capital: Do You Need to Deposit Capital Before Registration?

Not necessarily.

The statutory minimum registered capital for a standard Serbian LLC is RSD 100.

Importantly, APR explains that a cash contribution does not have to be paid before incorporation. Where the founding act provides for payment later, proof of payment and proof of an opened business bank account are not submitted with the incorporation application. The deadline specified for payment of the contribution may not exceed five years from adoption of the founding act.

Non-cash contributions require additional analysis and documentation.

Directors and Representation of a Serbian LLC

A Serbian LLC may have one or more directors.

Before incorporation, shareholders should decide not merely who the director will be, but also how the company will legally be represented.

Possible structures include:

Individual representation — each director may represent the company independently.

Joint representation — specified directors must act together.

More complex internal approval arrangements can also be created, although their effect toward third parties and their internal corporate effect need to be analysed separately.

Our intake form therefore asks about representation at the incorporation stage rather than leaving this question until after the company starts operating.

Documents for Foreign Founders

The documentary requirements depend on whether the shareholder is an individual or a legal entity.

For a foreign individual, APR accepts appropriate foreign identity documentation, including a passport copy.

Where the shareholder is a foreign legal entity, APR requires evidence from the relevant foreign registry. APR's current guidance states that the corporate founder's registered name, seat, registration number and country of registration must be established from a registry extract translated into Serbian by a certified court interpreter. APR also currently states that a foreign corporate founder's electronic registry extract cannot simply be used as the identity document: a written original or certified copy is required, with the necessary authentication depending on the country of origin, and it must then be properly digitised for electronic filing.

Whether an Apostille, another form of legalisation or no additional legalisation is required depends on the issuing country and the applicable international framework.

We assess this individually before asking the client to arrange documents abroad.

Can a Serbian Company Be Registered Remotely?

In many cases, yes.

APR permits an incorporation application to be submitted by a founder or by a person authorised by the founder. Company incorporation itself is now an electronic registration process.

For foreign founders, remote incorporation commonly requires careful coordination of:

• power of attorney;
• foreign identity or corporate documents;
• notarisation;
• Apostille or other legalisation where applicable;
• Serbian certified translation;
• digitalisation of documents;
• electronic APR filing.

The exact process depends on whether the founder is an individual or company, country of origin, ownership structure and how the incorporation documents are executed.

Our lawyers determine the required document route before the client signs abroad.

How the Company Registration Process Works

1. Complete the STATT Company Formation Intake

You provide information on the founders, proposed company, activity, ownership, directors, tax position, banking and any additional services required.

2. Legal and structural review

We review the intended business model and identify any issues concerning ownership, governance, regulated activities, tax, employment or immigration before documents are prepared.

3. Company name, registered office and activity

We confirm the proposed corporate details and identify the appropriate predominant activity.

4. Incorporation documents

We prepare the incorporation documents and, where necessary, powers of attorney and supporting documentation.

5. APR electronic filing

The incorporation application and supporting documents are submitted electronically to the Serbian Business Registers Agency.

Since May 2023, incorporation applications for d.o.o., a.d., o.d. and k.d. companies have been electronic-only.

6. APR registration decision

APR's statutory decision period is five working days from receipt of the application.

Through APR's one-stop registration system, the newly incorporated company obtains its company registration number and Serbian tax identification number (PIB); the system also integrates certain related tax and social-insurance registrations.

7. Beneficial-owner compliance

The company's beneficial ownership must be properly determined and registered.

8. Banking, tax and operational setup

Depending on the client's requirements, the next steps may include corporate banking, VAT, electronic signature, accounting, payroll, employment documents and other compliance matters.

9. Immigration, where relevant

If a foreign shareholder or director intends to live or work in Serbia, we analyse the appropriate visa and residence/work-permit route separately from company registration.

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Beneficial Owner Registration — Important 2026 Rules

Serbia's new Law on the Central Records of Beneficial Owners, published in Official Gazette No. 19/2025, became applicable on 15 September 2026. It applies, among others, to Serbian companies and branches of foreign companies.

The law generally identifies a beneficial owner through ownership, voting/control or other forms of dominant influence, including a threshold of 25% or more for certain ownership or voting interests.

Under the new regime, beneficial-owner information is accompanied by supporting documentation. Where the beneficial owner is registered through the incorporation process, the relevant supporting documents are uploaded with the registration; otherwise, the authorised representative is subject to the statutory registration deadline. The law also introduces an ongoing annual verification requirement.

For foreign-owned companies, particularly those with corporate shareholders or multi-layer structures, beneficial-ownership analysis should therefore be part of the incorporation process rather than an afterthought.

Company Registration Fee in Serbia

As of 2026, APR states that the official fee for registration of incorporation of a company is:

RSD 8,000

The amount reflects the updated APR fee schedule applicable from 1 January 2026.

This is the government registration fee and should be distinguished from:

• attorney fees;
• notarisation;
• Apostille/legalisation;
• certified translation;
• registered-address services;
• electronic signature;
• banking;
• accounting;
• licences or regulatory work.

The total cost therefore depends on the structure and the country from which the founder's documents originate.

Tax and VAT When Starting a Company in Serbia

Company registration and tax structuring should not be treated as two unrelated exercises.

Serbia's current corporate income tax rate is 15%.

For VAT, the current statutory small-taxpayer threshold is RSD 8,000,000 of turnover over the relevant 12-month period, while voluntary VAT registration may also be possible below that threshold.

Whether voluntary VAT registration makes commercial sense may depend on issues such as:

• expected turnover;
• type of customers;
• Serbian or foreign customers;
• expected investments;
• imported goods or equipment;
• whether suppliers charge Serbian VAT;
• cross-border services.

For precisely this reason, our intake asks about expected turnover and business operations before, rather than after, the company is established.

Corporate Bank Account in Serbia

After incorporation, the company will normally require an operational corporate bank account.

Bank onboarding is separate from APR company registration and is subject to the selected bank's own KYC, beneficial-ownership and compliance procedures.

During our intake, we therefore ask:

• whether bank-account assistance is required;
• whether the representative will be in Serbia;
• preferred bank, if any;
• required currencies;
• expected international payments;
• nature and geography of the business.

This allows the banking stage to be planned while the incorporation is in progress rather than starting from zero after registration. Our corporate and non-resident bank account service covers the banking stage in detail.

Accounting and Payroll From Day One

A company may be legally incorporated but still be operationally unprepared.

Where required, we can coordinate the transition from legal incorporation to accounting and administrative setup.

Our company formation intake can already collect the information needed to assess accounting requirements, including expected monthly invoices, bank transactions, foreign customers and suppliers, employees, loans, leases, property, related-party transactions and management-reporting requirements.

This allows the legal and accounting teams to work from the same information set instead of requiring the client to complete another onboarding process from the beginning.

Company Formation and Serbian Residence

Opening a Serbian company and obtaining Serbian immigration status are related matters, but they are not the same procedure.

Serbia recognises self-employment/business ownership within its employment-based immigration framework, and a shareholder or entrepreneur may in appropriate circumstances use self-employment as the basis for a Visa D or single residence and work permit. However, the official Serbian immigration portal expressly warns that simply establishing a company does not guarantee approval of a visa or residence/work permit.

If you intend both to establish a company and relocate to Serbia, we recommend designing the corporate and immigration strategy together from the beginning.

Planning to establish a company and relocate to Serbia?
Explore company formation together with residence/work authorisation →

Related: Temporary Residence in Serbia

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Company Formation for International Companies

For an international business entering Serbia, incorporation may involve more than creating a new d.o.o.

We can assess whether the intended Serbian presence should take the form of:

• a Serbian subsidiary / LLC
• a branch of a foreign company
• a representative office

or another appropriate structure.

APR distinguishes these forms and applies different registration requirements to them. A branch of a foreign company, for example, is an organisational part of the foreign company rather than a separate legal person.

The correct structure depends on the intended Serbian operations, contracting model, personnel, tax position and wider corporate organisation.

Why Use STATT for Company Formation in Serbia?

Company incorporation is easy when viewed as a form.

It becomes more important when viewed as the beginning of a business.

Stojković Attorneys combines corporate, immigration, employment, tax and regulatory expertise, enabling the initial structure to be assessed against what the client actually intends to do after registration.

Our company-formation workflow can cover:

Corporate structuring
Shareholders, capital, management and representation.

APR registration
Preparation and electronic submission of incorporation documentation.

Foreign founders
Powers of attorney, corporate extracts, legalisation, translations and remote incorporation.

Tax and VAT coordination
Initial review based on the expected business model.

Banking support
Coordination of corporate bank-account onboarding.

Accounting
Accounting, payroll and related administrative setup where required.

Employment and immigration
Foreign directors, shareholders and employees requiring immigration or employment support.

Regulatory advice
Assessment of special licences or approvals where the proposed activity requires them.

Start Your Company Formation in Serbia

Instead of beginning with a generic email exchange, you can provide our lawyers with the core information required to assess and prepare the company through our structured intake.

Company Formation Intake

Tell us:

• who will own the company,
• what the company will do,
• who will manage it,
• whether you will be present in Serbia,
• and which additional services you require.

We will use that information to determine the next legal and administrative steps.

Start Company Formation Intake →

Submission of the intake form does not itself create an attorney-client relationship or constitute acceptance of an engagement.

Frequently Asked Questions About Company Formation in Serbia

Can a foreigner open a company in Serbia?

Yes. Foreign natural and legal persons may invest and establish companies in Serbia, subject to any specific requirements applicable to regulated sectors. Serbian investment legislation generally grants foreign investors the same status and rights as domestic investors.

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Can a foreigner own 100% of a Serbian LLC?

Serbian law permits foreign ownership of companies, and a foreign individual or foreign company may act as founder/shareholder. Specific sectors may be subject to additional regulation.

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What is a d.o.o. in Serbia?

A d.o.o. — društvo sa ograničenom odgovornošću — is the Serbian limited liability company.

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What is the minimum capital for a Serbian LLC?

The statutory minimum capital for a standard LLC is RSD 100, unless a special law requires a higher amount for the particular activity.

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Does the share capital have to be paid before the company is registered?

Not necessarily. APR confirms that a cash contribution may be committed in the founding act and paid after incorporation, subject to the applicable deadline.

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How long does company registration in Serbia take?

APR has a statutory period of five working days to decide on a registration application from the date it receives it. The overall formation process can take longer because documents may first need to be prepared, notarised, legalised, translated or obtained from foreign registries.

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How much is the APR fee for company registration?

The current 2026 APR incorporation fee for a company is RSD 8,000.

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Do I need to travel to Serbia to open a company?

Not necessarily. Incorporation can in many cases be handled through an authorised representative, provided the required powers of attorney and foreign documents are executed in a form acceptable in Serbia.

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Does opening a company give me Serbian residence?

No. Company ownership and immigration status are separate matters. Business ownership/self-employment can provide a relevant immigration basis, but the official Serbian immigration portal expressly states that establishment of a company does not guarantee a visa or residence/work permit.

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Can a foreign company establish a Serbian subsidiary?

Yes. A foreign legal entity can act as shareholder of a Serbian company. APR requires appropriate evidence from its foreign registry, translated into Serbian and, where applicable, properly authenticated.

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Do I need a Serbian business address?

A Serbian company must have a registered seat/address. The accuracy of the address matters: APR specifically warns that an address that cannot be matched with the official address register can result in rejection of the registration application.

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Does a Serbian company have to register a beneficial owner?

Generally yes for an LLC. The new Law on Central Records of Beneficial Owners has applied since 15 September 2026, including new documentary and verification requirements.

This guide reflects the Serbian corporate and registration framework applicable at the date of the legal review shown above and below. Legislation, APR practice and fee schedules may change, and individual circumstances may affect the applicable procedure. Nothing on this page is legal advice for a particular case.