Moving to a different country is stressful enough without the added pressure of collecting a multitude of documents, as well as waiting in public offices, where your fate entirely lies on discretion of the officials. The best advice to minimize stress is to be well acknowledged with your rights in a foreign country as well as hiring a lawyer, because even if you are well acquainted with the law and have done your research, you have no experience with the procedures and the quote on quote behavior of local officials. Not to mention is the added benefit of saving your time, which is crucial because of the multitude of preclusive deadlines and documents in these procedures, and a lawyer can help you pinpoint the correct documents as well as the institution where you are due to submit the said documents.

Where to begin?

The first thing you should do as a foreigner is ask at your place of rent or hotel for a white card. This document should be obtained by your landlord or someone from your hotel at a police station and will be used in the process. The next step is determine what is your basis when applying for a work permit and temporary residence permit. The temporary residence permit may be acquired on different basses such as work, self-employment, schooling, volunteering , connecting with family members etc.

The basis can lead to other administrative procedures, for example if the basis is self employment you are due to already have registered your New company at the Serbian Business Registers Agency, a process that includes documents, administrative fees, a prior opened bank account and a few trips to the public notary office.

If the basis is work related, prior to applying for a temporary residence permit and work permit, the foreigner has the obligation to pass a labor market by the Serbian National Employment service. The said labor market test is used to determine if there is another person of Serbian nationality with the same qualifications and better suited to apply for the job in question.

What is the next step?

When the labor market is passed the next step is applying for a temporary residence permit in front of the immigration office and obtaining documents ranging from the ones you already have such as passport and other ones like the written statement of the landlord, and others that require help from a lawyer like an excerpt from the Serbian cadaster register that proves ownership of the landlords apartment.

Only after obtaining a temporary residence permit you can apply for a work permit in front of the Serbian National Employment service, and by Serbian law you can start working only after obtaining the said work permit.

Is there a lot of paperwork?

The work permit request also includes a range of documents as well as administrative fees. Some of the documents include prior obtained documents, that have been used for obtaining the residence permit, and others require the assistance of a lawyer, such as the confirmation that the employee in question fulfills the criteria for the working position, excerpt from the rulebook on organization and systematization of work positions, as well as the employment contract that has certain specific clauses.

As for the administrative fees there is a difference in the those that the family members pay, as well as a difference in the payer  whether it is a administrative fee for a work permit or for a temporary residence permit.

All in all that was a short walk through the process of obtaining residence and work permits, a chapter that is unfortunately stressful but necessary in starting a career and life in a different country. If you are a foreign citizen who is looking for a fresh start in Republic of Serbia you can contact our office for legal assistance.