Single permit (residence + work) → PR (3 yr) → citizenship (+3 yr)
Since 01.02.2024 residence and work are issued under a single permit (jedinstvena dozvola) — applied online at eforeigner.welcometoserbia.gov.rs. RF citizens enter visa-free (up to 30 days) and apply from inside. You need an employer in Serbia with an offer. After 3 years of continuous residence — PR; after 3 more years as a PR holder — eligibility for citizenship (≈ 6 years total from entry).
Path — Serbia · updated 2026-08-30
Timing depends on an external condition — not predictable in advance
The white card is the slip confirming your address registration
Fee — RSD 22,770, Law on Republic Administrative Fees, tariff 37 item 7a
Self-employment — flat tax → PR (3 yr) → citizenship (+3 yr)
Ideal for freelancers and remote workers: you register as self-employed and pay a fixed tax — with no employer. The fastest and simplest way to live and work legally in Serbia. The self-employment residence permit follows the same route to PR after 3 years and citizenship after 3 more years (≈ 6 years total) as the work-based permit (boravak).
Path — Serbia · updated 2026-08-30
Registration — RSD 2,500, the APR decision on registration fees, art. 8
Fee — RSD 22,770, Law on Republic Administrative Fees, tariff 37 item 7a
The paušal tax — from €300
Certificate recognition + enrolment → study residence → PR (3 yr) → citizenship (+3 yr)
The simplest study entry to Europe for Russians: visa-free entry, application from inside the country, no separate preparatory year. The school certificate goes through recognition at the ENIC/NARIC centre (Qualifications Agency), which can be filed electronically; then comes faculty enrolment and temporary residence on the "education" ground, granted for up to three years and filed electronically or in person. Tuition is payable but modest: around €2,000 a year in Serbian, more for English-taught programmes (€3,000 and up; at some faculties English-taught master's programmes reach €9,000). The study permit leads to PR under the general rule — 3 years of continuous residence, then 3 more years as a PR holder before citizenship (≈ 6 years from entry in total, same as boravak and pausal).
Path — Serbia · updated 2026-08-30
Timing depends on an external condition — not predictable in advance
Fee — RSD 23,450, Law on Republic Administrative Fees, tariff 37 item 7
€2,000 a year in Serbian and from €3,000 on English-taught programmes, ETF Belgrade 2025/26