How long does a Serbian temporary residence permit take, and how much does it cost?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Serbia's Law on Foreigners gives the police 30 days from the application to decide on temporary residence, and 15 days from a complete application for a single residence and work permit. The government portal's FAQ lists a 430 RSD submission fee plus 23,450 RSD for a temporary residence permit or 22,770 RSD for a single permit.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Deadline: temporary residence permit	30 days from the day you apply (first application or extension)	Zakon o strancima, art. 42(1)
Deadline: single permit (residence and work)	15 days from receipt of a complete application	Zakon o strancima, art. 46g(1)
Security check inside that time	Temporary residence: the security agency’s assessment is due within 25 days; single permit: the security and employment assessments are due within 10 days	Zakon o strancima, arts. 42(3), 46g(3)
Submission fee	430 RSD	Portal FAQ, question 12
Temporary residence permit fee	23,450 RSD	Portal FAQ, question 12
Single permit fee	22,770 RSD	Portal FAQ, question 12
Spouse, partner or relative of a Serbian citizen	11,725 RSD for temporary residence on that basis	Portal FAQ, question 12
Citizens of North Macedonia, Mongolia, Cyprus, Belarus	Only the submission fee	Portal FAQ, question 12

How long the decision takes

The law requires the police unit for foreigners to decide on an application to approve or extend temporary residence within 30 days of the day it is filed (Zakon o strancima, art. 42(1)). Within that time it must obtain the security agency’s assessment, which is due within 25 days (art. 42(3)).

For the single permit, the deadline is 15 days from receipt of a complete (“uredan”) application (art. 46g(1)). The portal’s single-permit guidance repeats the 15 days.

What it costs

The fee amounts below are the ones the Welcome to Serbia portal’s FAQ listed when this page was checked; the FAQ does not state the year they apply to.

Submission fee: 430 RSD.
Approval of a single permit: 22,770 RSD.
Approval of a temporary residence permit: 23,450 RSD.
Temporary residence on the basis of marriage or extramarital union with a Serbian citizen, or kinship with a Serbian citizen: 11,725 RSD.
Citizens of North Macedonia, Mongolia, Cyprus or Belarus pay only the submission fee.

The FAQ says that on the portal, payment is the last step before your application is forwarded, and payments made outside the portal can’t be taken into account.

After you apply

For online applications, the portal’s FAQ says all notices and decisions arrive in your eDatabox (eSanduče) on the portal. If the conditions are met, you go to the police in person for your biometric data and receive a certificate that the permit process has started (Zakon o strancima, art. 101b(1), (4)). The law says you collect a single permit in person (art. 46g(6)).

If you applied on time for an extension, the law lets you stay in Serbia until the decision (art. 41(7)).

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

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