Increasing Opportunities for Foreign Workers and Residents in Serbia

The recently announced changes to the Law on Foreigners and the Law on the Employment of Foreigners include important changes that will make it easier and more digital for foreigners to get a residence and work permit, create new categories of foreigners who can work based on their residence permits, and make permits last longer.

Single Permit

If the changes are made, the process for letting foreigners live and work in the country will be drastically changed and made easier starting on February 1, 2024. The work permit will be replaced by the “Single Permit,” which is a single permit for both living and working. It will be available online from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

The National Employment Service will look at the applicant to see if they meet the requirements to work in Serbia, and if they don’t, they will give them a test of the job market. The MIA will then decide if the Single Permit will be given out. Only 15 days are given to answer a permit request, and both the Single Permit and the residence permit will come in the form of a personalized card with biometric information, a chip, and an electronic certificate.

The Single Permit and temporary residence permit will be good for three years instead of one year, and they can be renewed for the same amount of time. Also, the types of foreigners who will be able to work in Serbia without the Single Permit will be greatly increased.

What About Foreigners Who Need a Visa?

Foreigners who need a visa to get into the Republic of Serbia will only be able to work there with a long-stay visa, which is good for up to 180 days. This is true for foreigners who get a temporary residence permit because they are reuniting with family, owning property, or going to school. Digital nomads will probably also be able to work in Serbia without the Single Permit, but this won’t be known for sure until the by-laws are passed. The by-laws have to be passed within six months of the law being changed.

Permanent Residency

When it comes to permanent residency, the time it takes to get the right to apply for it will be cut from five years to three. This is a big change from the current requirement of living in Serbia for five years. Also, foreigners with permanent residency that has been approved will no longer need to get a personal work permit. They will be able to work with just the permanent residency permit.

Other changes

Other changes have to do with what the inviter has to do and how foreigners who are forcibly removed have to pay for their housing. Visas will be able to be given out electronically, and if a person’s job or employer changes, the National Employment Service will give permission for the change electronically. This will get rid of the need for a new work permit.

With these changes, the labor market in Serbia should become much more open, making it easier for foreigners to figure out their legal status for living and working. According to the person who proposed the law, the need to open up the job market came from the fact that there were often not enough jobs and the unemployment rate was going down.

It is still unclear if the proposed laws will be passed and what the proposed bylaws will do. If the changes are made, it will be easier and faster for foreigners to live and work in Serbia and get permission to do so.