The Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted the Decree on Amendments to the Decree on Criteria for Determining Categories of Foreigners and Categories of Foreigners Who Can Be Granted Temporary Residence in the Republic of Serbia Independently of the Grounds for Granting Temporary Residence.

The decree determines the criteria for determining the categories of foreigners and categories of foreigners who can be granted temporary residence in the Republic of Serbia, regardless of the grounds for granting temporary residence.

This decree stipulates that temporary residence, regardless of the grounds for granting temporary residence prescribed by the provisions of the Law on Foreigners, may be granted to the following categories of foreigners:

  1. foreigners who founded a company in the Republic of Serbia whose innovative activity is recognized by a registered science and technology park, one of the founders of which is the Republic of Serbia, an autonomous province, the city of Belgrade, or a local self-government unit (so-called “startup”);
  2. foreigners who invest in an already registered business company in the Republic of Serbia, that is, in the activities of that company by investing in fixed tangible and intangible assets (the so-called “investor”);
  3. foreigners who have a decision on the professional recognition of a higher education certificate issued by the competent authority of the Republic of Serbia (the so-called “talent”);
  4. foreigners who have Serbian origins.

The last point is a novelty and is prescribed by this decree. It is considered that the applicant has Serbian origin if he is related by blood or adoption to an ancestor in the direct line who is a citizen of the Republic of Serbia, or its predecessor countries, as well as if the applicant declares or has declared himself as a Serb.

In addition, the novelty introduced by this decree is the possibility to attach the following documents as proof of the justification of the request when submitting a request for approval of the first temporary residence:

  • The baptismal certificate of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which can be used to determine the Serbian origin of the applicant or his ancestor;
  • A domestic public document or a foreign public document that has the probative force of a domestic public document, and which can be used to determine the applicant’s Serbian origin.

The first temporary stay in the Republic of Serbia is granted to the newly prescribed category of foreigners for a period of one year.