Single permit for residence and work in Serbia - what employers need to prepare

The single permit for residence and work is the document that, since February 2024, allows a foreigner to live and work in Serbia on the basis of employment. The application is filed online, it can be submitted by the employer, and the Ministry of the Interior decides within 15 days of a complete application. Most delays come from the employer's side, so preparation is what matters most.

What the single permit is

Amendments to the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Employment of Foreigners replaced the separate residence approval and work permit with one procedure. The single permit is issued as a biometric card, valid for up to three years (36 months), and can be extended. The application is submitted exclusively electronically on the portal welcometoserbia.gov.rs.

The permit is issued for employment under an employment contract or another contract under the Labour Law, self-employment, referred workers, intra-company transfers, independent professionals and paid training. For most employers who hire workers from abroad, the first basis, employment under an employment contract, is the relevant one.

Before you apply: conditions on the employer's side

The Law on Employment of Foreigners lists three conditions for the employment assessment:

1. in the 90 days before the application, you have not dismissed employees as redundant on the positions for which you are requesting the permit;
2. you have initiated a labour market test;
3. you have a draft employment contract or another contract under which the foreigner exercises rights from work.

A company that hires a foreigner must also respect the principle of equal treatment: the foreign worker has the same rights and obligations from work as domestic workers and enters compulsory social insurance in Serbia.

Checklist: what to prepare

Company access to the portal

The employer applies through an eGovernment account for legal entities. Decide in advance which person in the company is authorised to submit applications and receive decisions.

Authorisation from the worker

If you apply on the worker's behalf, you need a written authorisation with the details of the company and the worker, signed by both. It does not need to be certified. One employer can submit applications for a larger number of workers.

Job documentation

• a draft employment contract signed by both parties;
• an excerpt from the act on job systematisation, or a statement with the job description if you have fewer than 10 employees;
• the worker's diploma or certificate, with a certified translation;
• a copy of the worker's passport.

Accommodation

Prepare the landlord's statement or lease contract for address registration. The address in the application must match the address that is later reported to the police, and registration is due within 24 hours of the worker's arrival.

Documents in electronic form

Documents are attached as electronic documents or digitised copies (for example, scanned PDF files). Keep the originals.

The labour market test

The request for the test is part of the single permit application. The National Employment Service checks its register for unemployed persons who meet the conditions you set for the specific position and sends its report through the portal within four days. If you hire through a temporary employment agency, the agency requests the test, because the foreigner is employed by the agency, not by the user company.

Planning the timeline

The legal deadlines in Serbia are short: four days for the labour market test report and 15 days for the decision on a complete application. The real timeline is longer because of everything that happens before the application: selecting candidates, collecting diplomas and translations, preparing the contract and finding accommodation. For workers who first need a visa D, the time needed at the diplomatic mission is added. A practical approach is to plan backwards from the date you need the worker at the workplace and to start preparing documents while candidate interviews are still under way.

Referred workers from related companies

If a foreigner employed in a related company is referred to work for you under a business and technical cooperation or service contract, the law sets an additional rule: for three months after concluding such a contract, you may not dismiss your own employees on the same or similar jobs as redundant. The reverse also applies: for three months after declaring employees redundant, you may not engage such referred workers on the same or similar jobs.

After the permit is issued

• Start of work: the worker can start only after the permit is issued.
• Keeping evidence: the employer must keep evidence that the conditions for employment are met, even when the worker filed the application. The employment contract can be kept at the head office; if the worker works at another location, it is advisable to keep some records there too, such as the record of employees trained for safe work.
• Changes: a change of employer, of the basis of work or work for more employers requires consent from the National Employment Service, requested through the portal.
• Extension: the request for extension must be filed before the current permit expires.
• Residence in Serbia: the worker must reside in line with the purpose of the permit. Longer absences can be a reason to refuse an extension.

Common mistakes

• Applying for positions where workers were declared redundant in the last 90 days.
• Job requirements written so broadly or so narrowly that they do not match the actual position.
• Missing certified translations of foreign documents.
• Letting the worker start before the decision.
• No internal calendar for permit expiry dates.

Frequently asked questions

Who submits the single permit application?

The foreign worker, the employer on the worker's behalf, or a person authorised by the employer.

How long does the decision take?

The Ministry of the Interior decides within 15 days from the submission of a complete application.

Can the worker apply from abroad?

Yes. One of the goals of the new procedure is that the application can be filed before arrival, so the worker can start soon after entering Serbia.

What happens to work permits issued before 2024?

Foreigners whose temporary residence was approved under the old rules obtain a work permit under the rules that applied at the time of that approval.

If you are planning to hire foreign workers, prepare the job documentation and accommodation before the application, not after. You can submit your request for workers, read about our foreign worker recruitment service or contact us with questions about your case.