Serbia is a popular destination at present that is popular with immigrants from across the globe. The country is neutral, its economy is developing at a steady pace, and it is about to become an EU member. All that makes it a country worth consideration when you choose a new place to live. But how strong is the passport of Serbia – that is, how many countries can you visit without a visa if you acquire Serbian citizenship? What is the shortest path to a Serbian passport? Let’s take a look at these questions below. However, relocation is a serious thing, as it involves a lot of arrangements to make. We strongly recommend relying on professional assistance, for example, the help that Serbia Wealth experts can provide, to avoid numerous pitfalls on your way.
Many countries offer citizenship by investment (a.k.a. CBI), but this is not the case in Serbia. Even though you may see such offers on the Internet, remember that only scammers can offer “CBI in Serbia” as no such program exists. The authorities looked closely at the issue, but no decisions or laws have been made/adopted.
Fortunately, it is not very difficult to acquire a residence permit in Serbia, and there are a lot of legal grounds you may use in your application. Here are two of them that are accessible to anyone and used most often:
- You can invest in Serbian real estate and thus receive the right to easily obtain a residence permit. A property in Serbia can cost as low as 10,000 euros, and you are in no way limited by the cost of real estate you have to possess. It means that this option is available to almost everyone.
- Alternatively, you can set up a company in Serbia and become eligible for a residence permit. This is an excellent option if you are a business-minded person as Serbia provides quite good conditions for conducting business activities inside the country and across the world.
There are also other paths to residence permit acquisition, like marrying a Serbian, signing an employment agreement with a local employer, and so on.
How long is the path to a Serbian passport after you get a residence permit? Well, the only available way is obtaining citizenship by naturalization, and it usually takes 5 to 7 years. This is a very popular option for far-sighted people: if Serbia joins the EU, they will get an EU passport in several years (which is hard to do right now as there is only one country that offers an EU passport by investment, Malta, and you will have to invest over a million euros to get it).
The procedure is not very difficult: you obtain a residence permit, and you can also become a Serbian tax resident in one year (this requires living in Serbia for at least 183 days a year, and this is a popular solution if taxes in your home country are high as Serbian taxes are quite low compared to European standards).
You live on a residence permit for about two years (you can easily extend it as the initial document is issued for 6 months and then extended for a year). Following that, you can apply for a permanent residence permit. You’ll have to live in Serbia with this document for 5 years, after which you become eligible to apply for a passport.
Countries That Are Open to Serbians
What is the difference between a strong and a weak passport? Well, the stronger the passport, the more countries you can visit without a visa, with visa-upon-arrival, or by obtaining an e-visa.
Serbian passport is not the strongest one in the world. However, the number of countries that will be open to you is still impressive: in 2024, you can visit 104 countries without a visa. Let’s take a look at the most popular countries:
- Austria. You can stay in the country for 90 days within a 6-month period. This is true for all Schengen countries, such as Belgium, Hungary, or Germany.
- Antigua and Barbuda. Visit the tropical paradise without a visa.
- Argentina, Brazil. Heading for South America? You can have a 90-day visa-free stay in the countries.
- Vanuatu. You can enter the country without a visa and spend 30 days there.
- Grenada. Visit the beautiful island and get a visa upon arrival that will allow you to stay there for 90 days.
- Israel. Serbians can stay in the country for 90 days without a visa.
- India. You can get an e-visa twice during a calendar year and stay in the country for 60 days. Keep in mind that you are only allowed to enter India via 25 designated airports or 3 seaports.
- China. This major destination gives Serbians the right to stay in its territory without a visa for no more than 30 days.
- Cuba. If you want to enjoy Cuba, you are welcome to have a 90-day visa-free stay.
- Monaco. If you want to visit the country with the largest number of millionaires per square meter, you can do so without a visa!
If you get a Serbian passport, you will have much more than just visa-free access to numerous countries. Serbia is also about:
- lifestyle (its famous relaxed lifestyle when nobody is in a hurry, which is best epitomized in the word polaco that you will not understand unless you lived in Serbia for some time)
- low taxes (on the one hand, Serbia is in no way a tax haven and it does not offer zero taxation. However, there are a lot of tax incentives available, and you will certainly see the difference if you compare the local tax rates with those in Western or Northern Europe)
- excellent banking (there are a lot of good local and international banks in Serbia you can take advantage of, and you will get European-quality banking at prices much lower than in EU countries)
Interested in obtaining a Serbian passport? Feel free to explore the country using the above link to the portal devoted exclusively to Serbia and get in touch with a specialist for a free initial session. Serbia is waiting for you!
