Hiring Foreign Employees in Serbia

Immigration and employment support for Serbian employers, international companies and HR teams hiring, transferring or assigning foreign personnel to Serbia.

An employer does not start with the question "which Article applies?". An employer starts with "we need this person — or these twelve people — working in Serbia by the first of next month". This page is organised around that question. It explains how foreign hiring works in Serbia today — the visa check, the labour market test, the single permit — how transfers and postings differ from ordinary hiring, how to run several hires as one project, what happens when an existing foreign employee's situation changes, and what the employer is responsible for throughout.

The permit itself is explained in full in our single permit guide. This page is about the employer's workflow around it.

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Foreign Hiring in Serbia at a Glance

Question	Answer
What permit does a foreign employee need?	Usually a single permit for temporary residence and work — unless another residence status already carries work rights
Who can file it?	The employer, on the employee's behalf, or the employee
What does the employer need to file?	An eGovernment account with the Working with Foreign Citizens role
Can several workers be filed together?	Yes — group applications for employment Visa D and single permits
Is a labour market test needed?	For employment in the strict sense, yes; not for transfers, postings or the other routes
Statutory decision period	15 days from a complete single permit application
Permit validity	up to three years
Changing employer	A consent procedure, decided within 10 days
Employer's continuing duty	Ensure the right to stay and work, and keep the evidence

What Do You Need to Do?

Hire one foreign employee

The hire runs through a short sequence: check the worker's visa regime and current location; if a visa is required, an employment Visa D comes first; establish the employment basis; run the labour market test where the route requires it; file the single permit; then complete onboarding and social-security registration. Where the worker already holds a residence status with work rights, the sequence is shorter.

Hire or relocate several employees

Several hires are one project, not several unrelated cases. The company's documents are prepared once and reused for every worker; the routes, visas and labour market tests are planned together; and the employer's portal account can file group applications. Our intake takes the company once and each worker as a line of the same project, and the lawyer receives one portfolio summary rather than a summary per person.

Transfer or post an employee to Serbia

If the worker is already employed abroad, two questions decide the route. Are the Serbian and foreign companies part of the same corporate group? Then it is an intra-company transfer of a manager, specialist or trainee. Are they different companies working together under a business or services arrangement? Then it is a posted worker. The two routes have different evidence and must not be merged into a generic "work permit".

Manage an existing foreign employee

Employer immigration does not end when the permit is issued. Renewals, a change of position or of the work basis, an employee joining from another employer, a second employer, and the end of an employment all have immigration consequences — see below.

How Foreign Hiring Works: Visa D and the Single Permit

Before hiring, the employer should consider the worker's visa regime. Where the worker's passport requires a visa, an employment Visa D is the first layer; it gives the worker the right to work during its validity, and the single permit then provides the longer-term residence and work. Where the worker is visa-exempt, the single permit can often be filed directly.

The single permit is one electronic application covering residence and work, decided within 15 days of a complete file and issued for up to three years. The employer may file it on the employee's behalf. For an employer's purposes, five of its six routes matter most:

• Employment — an employment contract or other work agreement with the Serbian employer;
• Intra-company transfer — a manager, specialist or trainee moving within the group;
• Posted worker — an employee of a foreign company working in Serbia under a cooperation arrangement;
• Independent professional — a foreign-registered professional contracting directly with the Serbian company;
• Training and professional development — paid training, internships and professional practice.

The sixth, self-employment, belongs to founders rather than employers — see company formation.

Not every foreign worker needs a single permit. Some residence statuses — family reunification, property ownership, study and others — already carry the right to work, and a small number of short-term activities fall under statutory exceptions.

The Labour Market Test

For ordinary employment, the employer must initiate Serbia's labour market test before or as part of the single permit process. The request is integrated electronically into the single permit procedure and may be filed by the employer or an authorised person; the National Employment Service prepares its report on the employment need within four days of the test being initiated.

The conditions include that the employer has not made anyone redundant from the position for technological, economic or organisational reasons during the previous 90 days, and that there is a proposed employment or other qualifying work agreement. The test is an assessment of the employment need under the statute — it is not simply "a foreigner can be hired only if no Serbian candidate exists", and it does not apply to transfers, postings or the other routes.

The employer's documentation for an ordinary hire includes an extract from its rulebook on the organisation and systematisation of jobs — or, where the employer has fewer than ten employees, a statement describing the position, the qualifications and the requirements — together with the worker's qualification.

Corporate Transfers and Posted Workers

Intra-company transfer

For a manager, specialist or trainee moving from the foreign company to its Serbian branch, representative office or subsidiary. The evidence includes the transfer act, the person's role and history with the foreign company, a return statement and proof of the group relationship.

Posted worker

For an employee of a foreign company sent to Serbia under a business or technical cooperation arrangement with a Serbian company. The evidence includes the cooperation agreement, the posting act, proof of the worker's employment abroad and a return statement.

Short-term exceptions

Not every short engagement needs a permit. Official guidance confirms, for example, a limited exception for a posted worker delivering, installing, assembling, repairing or training on machinery or equipment supplied under the prescribed contract, provided the stay does not exceed 90 days in any 180-day period. Whether an engagement fits an exception depends on its facts; we confirm it before anyone travels.

Several Employees: One Project

The Serbian employer portal supports group applications for employment Visa D and single permits through the employer's eGovernment account with the Working with Foreign Citizens role. We use the same principle in how we work:

• the company is described once, and its documents — registry extract, systematisation, powers of attorney, group structure, cooperation agreements — are provided once;
• each worker is one entry: nationality, position, route, whether they are in Serbia, start date and any current permit;
• the lawyer receives one portfolio — how many workers on which routes, how many need a Visa D check, how many need a labour market test, what is missing at company and at worker level, and what is urgent.

For recurring hiring, the same structure lets us plan cohorts rather than individual cases.

Existing Foreign Employees: Renewals and Changes

During a single permit's validity, the foreign national or the employer may electronically request the employment authority's consent for a change of the work basis, a change of employer, or employment with two or more employers. The authority decides on a complete request within 10 days. A change of employer is therefore a consent procedure, not a new initial application — but the new work should not start before consent is given.

A renewal may be filed no earlier than three months before the permit expires and no later than its expiry date. For a workforce, that means tracking every expiry date — a permit that lapses cannot be renewed.

When the employment ends

Where the employment or other work agreement ends, the Law on Employment of Foreigners gives the foreign worker 30 days to conclude a new qualifying agreement; otherwise immigration consequences may follow. This is not the same as "the employee has 30 days to stay in Serbia" — the resulting position has to be assessed for each person, promptly.

Employer Obligations and Compliance

Hiring a foreign worker also creates employer-side compliance obligations. The employer must ensure that the foreign national has the appropriate right to stay and work, retain the documentation proving that the conditions for the foreign national's employment were met, observe Serbian employment protections — a lawfully employed foreign employee has the same employment rights and obligations — and handle compulsory social-security registration where applicable. The obligation to retain the evidence applies even where the foreign national filed the single permit application personally.

A practical checklist:

• the correct immigration and work route is confirmed;
• the visa status is confirmed;
• the permit or other work entitlement is verified;
• the employment or engagement agreement is executed;
• the labour market test is completed where required;
• the employee is registered for compulsory social insurance;
• the permit's expiry date is recorded;
• the evidence of compliance is retained;
• changes of role or employer are monitored;
• the immigration consequences of any termination are checked.

Serbian law provides significant penalties for specified breaches — for a legal entity, fines of RSD 800,000–2,000,000 for violations such as unlawful employment of foreigners or failing to retain the required evidence, with separate ranges for entrepreneurs and responsible persons. For ongoing reviews, see immigration compliance in Serbia.

Setting Up the Employer Portal

To file on employees' behalf, the company needs an eGovernment employer account, a legal representative or authorised user, and the Working with Foreign Citizens role. It is a short set-up, but it is the step most often missing when a first hire is urgent. Our intake asks where the company stands, and we can set it up as part of the engagement.

How We Work With Employers

1. Tell us who you need in Serbia — each worker's nationality, role, arrangement and target date.
2. We determine the correct route — the visa regime, the employment basis, the labour market test and the residence-and-work authorisation are mapped for each worker.
3. Documents and applications are prepared — the company and each employee provide only what their route needs, and company documents are provided once.
4. We manage the filings — including employer-side filings and coordination, within the agreed scope.
5. We track status and compliance — permit status, changes and renewals through the employment lifecycle.

A serious corporate matter does not go through a standard individual consultation: the intake goes to a lawyer, and you receive a scoping and a proposal.

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Related Services for Employers

• Setting up a Serbian entity first? See company formation in Serbia.
• Accounting and payroll — accounting services in Serbia.
• Banking — corporate bank accounts.
• Families of relocating employees — family reunification.
• Background for HR teams — our guide to employing foreigners in Serbia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Serbian employer apply for a single permit on behalf of a foreign employee?

Yes. Employers may file electronically on behalf of foreign nationals, provided the employer's eGovernment account and the Working with Foreign Citizens role are set up.

Can an employer file for several foreign employees at once?

Yes. The current platform supports group employer applications for employment Visa D and single permits.

Does every foreign employee need a single permit?

No. Some residence statuses carry the right to work without a single permit, and limited statutory short-term exceptions exist.

When is the labour market test required?

For employment in the strict sense under the single permit system. It is not required for every route — not, for example, for intra-company transfers or posted workers.

How long does the labour market test take?

The National Employment Service prepares its report on the employment need within four days of the test being initiated.

Can a foreign employee change employer?

Yes, once the consent procedure is completed during the single permit's validity. The employment authority decides on a complete request within 10 days.

Can one foreign worker work for more than one employer?

The law provides for consent to employment with two or more employers during the validity of the single permit.

What happens if the employment agreement ends?

The foreign worker has 30 days to conclude a new qualifying employment or work agreement; the immigration consequences should be assessed promptly.

Can an employee start work on an employment Visa D?

Yes. An employment Visa D carries the corresponding right to work during its validity.

What are the employer's obligations?

To ensure the foreign national has the right to stay and work, to retain the evidence that the conditions for employment were met — even if the employee filed the application — to observe employment protections and to handle social-security registration.

Official Sources

• Law on Employment of Foreigners of the Republic of Serbia
• Welcome to Serbia — Obligations of Employers; Information about the Single Permit; Help for employers (welcometoserbia.gov.rs)
• Rulebook on Issuing the Single Permit for Temporary Residence and Work of a Foreigner (Official Gazette RS No. 6/2024)