SERBIA – Broadened List of Foreign Nationals to Require Work Permits
February 20, 2015
Effective December 4th, 2014, the Law on Employment of Foreigners requires that all foreign nationals working in Serbia are required to apply for a work permit. The only exceptions will include those who live in Serbia for less than 90 days in a six-month period and are the owner, board member, or legal representative of a business already registered in Serbia; are in Serbia to for business activities; are in Serbia to procure goods or to assemble/repair equipment; or are in Serbia for a trade fair or similar type of exhibition. Beyond these requirements, foreign nationals seeking to work in Serbia will be subject to apply for a work permit according to the new categories. The following are the new categories of work permits in Serbia:
| Category of workers | Permit Type | Who will apply for the work permit? | Are quotas established? |
| Seconded employees, intracompany transferees | Work Permit: Special Cases | Employer | No, quotas will not apply to these permits. |
| Foreign nationals who are not covered by another category; labor market testing required. | Work Permit: Employment | Employer | It is possible that quotas will be implemented. |
| Foreign nationals who own or control a Serbian company. | Work Permit: Self-Employment | Foreign national | Currently, there are no quotas set for this permit but they be introduced in the future. |
| Permanent residents, refugees, asylees, persons of Serbian origin, immediate family members of Serbian nationals or permanent residents. | Personal Work Permit | Foreign national | No, quotas will not apply to these permits. |