This page gives advice what help we can provide if you do get into difficulty. We offer help which is appropriate to the individual circumstances of each case, including:

What the Consular office can do:

• Issue new or replace old passport;
• Issue travel documents for repatriation or deportation purposes;
• Provide some useful information on local regulation or procedures to its citizens;
• Issuance of various documents regarding custom procedures
• Providing appropriate help to its citizens in distress (victim of a serious crime, hospitalised);
• Helping local health services regarding its citizens with mental illness
• Providing details of all regular consular procedures;
• Informing the domestic Registry about the death, birth or marriage of its citizens abroad;
• Contacting with its detained citizens, visiting when appropriate and ensuring their fair treatment;
• Together with local authorities providing support and help in a range of other cases, such as child abductions, death of relatives overseas, missing people and kidnapping;
• Contacting domestic authorities asking their assistance in delivering domestic court documents, or passing a request for an International legal assistance.
• Passing important information given by the local authorities about its citizens abroad;
• Making special arrangements in various extraordinary cases (terrorism, civil disturbances, natural disasters);

What the Consular office cannot do:

• Get Serbia's citizens out of prison or provide for them better treatment than other prisoners has;
• Prevent the local authorities from deporting Serbia's citizens, or interfere in criminal or civil proceedings;
• Help Serbia's citizens enter a country without appropriate documents, or interfere with other country's migration polity and procedures;
• Give legal advices, investigate crimes or carry out searches for missing people, although it can give Serbia's citizens details of who may be able to help them;
• Pay any bills or lend money to Serbia's citizens;
• Make travel or business arrangements for its clients;

Consular office should make publicly available the list of the fees and charges.

Consular work is often based on the very strict instructions provided by the authority primarily in charge for the specific matter. Consular officers are usually not able to speed up, modify or otherwise influence the procedures.

Consular officers should provide respectful and professional service of decent standard.

Consular officers expect its clients to behave in a prudent and respectful way toward the domestic country, Embassy and its staff.

Consular officer is obliged to instruct the client about potential breach of its duties or security provisions, and deal accordingly with the potential incident.

Consular officer should immediately report any incident to its superior(s) or security officer.

Some incidents can also be reported to the local police.

Foreigners are obliged to register within 72 hours of arriving in Serbia. Hotels should register their guests within 12 hours upon their arrival. If foreigners are staying with their friends or family they ought to go together to the local police station and register. If foreigners are renting an accommodation, they should report to the local police station with their landlord providing all the relevant documents (ID, rental agreement, property ownership documents). If during their stay foreigners should changes the place of abode they should inform the competent authorities within 24 hours.

Foreign nationals entering Serbia on a tourist or business visa could stay for the validity of visa. Foreign nationals who do not require visas can stay maximum 90 days within 180 days period.

Foreign national who wants to reside in Serbia for more than 90 days should obtain a Temporary residence visa. Foreigners could qualify for temporary residence visa based on their professional activities in Serbia, student status, scientific research, international exchange, family rejoining, ancestry or for other reasons according to the law or international treaty. Proof of sufficient funds and health insurance will be required. Once given Temporary Resident visa can be extended, and this application should be filed at least 30 days prior to the expiration of the existing permission to stay in the country.

Permanent residence could be granted to foreigners who: remained in Serbia for at least five years as temporary residents, are married to Serbian citizen for at least three years, or have ancestral links to Serbia.

If a foreigner is granted Permanent Residence he/she will need to apply for a Foreigner ID Card within 30 days. This document will replace previous document issued on the basis of a Temporary Residence. Foreigners are obliged to carry the ID card at all times and to present it at the request of a police officer.

Law on Foreigners (Sl. glasnik R.S. br. 97/08) came to effect 01. April 2009

Please follow the instructions at:

http://www.kultura.sr.gov.yu/akreditacije_novinara.htm#engl