SERBIA: New Rules and Procedures for Employment of Foreigners

As of 1 February 2024, new rules for the employment of foreigners will be applied. Before starting work, foreigners will be required to obtain a unified permit, on the basis of which they will simultaneously exercise the right to reside and work in the Republic of Serbia. This unified procedure is now carried out by a single state body, the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia.

The two authorities responsible for the unified permit procedure (the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Labour) will each carry out the necessary checks related to the issuance of temporary residence and work permits within their respective areas of responsibility and, if the legal requirements are met, will issue the unified permit for temporary residence and work in the Republic of Serbia.

The application can only be submitted electronically through a dedicated web portal. For this purpose, it is necessary for the person submitting the application to have previously registered an account on the « eUprava » portal. The persons authorised to submit an application are the employer and the employee or their authorised representatives. Conducting a labour market test is a mandatory step when applying for a unified permit.

The time frame for the competent authority to make a decision has been significantly reduced to 15 days from the date of submission of the appropriate documentation. A unified permit may be issued for a period of up to 3 years and may be renewed for the same period.

New terms have been introduced that are under the jurisdiction of the National Employment Service:

• Assessment – means an assessment of the fulfilment of the conditions for employment of a foreigner, special cases of employment of a foreigner and self-employment of a foreigner, and
• Consent – an act enabling a foreigner to change the basis of work, to change the employer, to work for two or more employers during the period of validity of the unified permit.