For foreign founders
Company Formation, Residence and Compliance for Foreign Founders in Serbia
Company registration, self-employment visa and permit coordination, banking preparation, bookkeeping and post-registration compliance, from one team in Belgrade. Authority and bank approvals stay independent of us.
What do you want to do in Serbia?
These are different journeys with different documents, costs and risks. Start from the one that matches you, so you are not reading about a permit you do not need.
The founder journey, end to end
Company registration is one step in a longer sequence. Steps marked in person cannot be done from abroad, and that is usually what decides how a founder plans their travel.
- 01 Tell us your passport, residence and goal Nationality and where you legally live are separate questions, and both change the route.
- 02 Receive a pathway and document checklist What applies to you, in what order, and what each step depends on.
- 03 Establish the company and obtain physical KES In person We prepare the APR filing under a power of attorney; the founder comes to Serbia for the physical KES/QES used in the operating setup.
- 04 Prepare the correct visa or permit workflow A D visa on an employment basis, or a single permit, depending on whether you need a visa to enter.
- 05 Attend the steps that require you in person In person Serbia’s official guidance states that biometric data are collected in person once the permit conditions are met.
- 06 Activate banking, electronic signature and bookkeeping In person The bank appointment and identity check are the bank’s own process and often need you present.
- 07 Stay compliant Monthly bookkeeping, payroll if you hire, VAT and e-invoices, and the filings that keep the basis of your stay genuine.
Practical guides
The detail behind each step, with the official source for every rule.
- Serbia D Visa for Business Owners and Self-Employed Founders The long-stay visa that comes before a residence and work permit, and what the official pages actually say about it.
- Serbia's Single Permit: Residence and Work for Self-Employed Founders One permit for residence and work on a self-employment basis, with the official wording quoted and the gaps stated plainly.
- Can You Obtain Serbian Residence by Opening a Company? Company formation can open a basis to apply. It is not residence, and it is not automatic.
- Work Authorization for Foreign Owners of Serbian Companies The search term is "work permit". The documents the official pages describe are a D visa and a single permit.
- How Much Does It Cost to Open and Run a Company in Serbia? Three buckets, never blended: what the state charges, what third parties charge, and what we charge.
- Opening a Serbian Business Bank Account as a Foreign Owner The paperwork is standard. The decision to take you on as a client belongs to the bank alone.
- Taxes and Accounting for Foreign-Owned Companies in Serbia The tax is the same whoever owns the company. What foreign ownership changes is what happens when the profit leaves Serbia.
- Serbian Qualified Electronic Signature for Foreign Company Owners A compliance tool, not an immigration document. It signs your filings, and a fair amount of it can sit with your accountant.
- Bringing Your Family to Serbia as a Foreign Business Owner A listed ground for temporary residence, and a separate application from your own.
- From Temporary to Permanent Residence in Serbia Three years of approved status, counted strictly, applied for in a window that opens 60 days before your permit expires.
- How Long Does It Take to Open and Activate a Company in Serbia? Nine stages, two of them with a timing worth quoting, and no single door to door number.
- Registering the Beneficial Owner of a Foreign-Owned Serbian Company The APR filing every Serbian company owes, and the one foreign owners most often hear about too late.
Guides by country
Passport nationality decides whether you need a visa and which mission handles it. These pages cover the route for each country, and say plainly when a route is changing.
- Opening a Company in Serbia as a Pakistani Citizen The company part is routine. The consular part is not, because two official Serbian sources currently disagree about where a Pakistani national applies.
- Opening a Serbian Company as an Indian Citizen What you can do from India, what needs a visa, and what the official pages do not say.
- Opening a Serbian Company While Resident in the UAE Two separate questions: which passport you hold, and where you legally live. Only one of them decides your Serbian visa.
- Opening a Serbian Company as a Bangladeshi Citizen The company can be set up from Bangladesh. The permission to live in Serbia is a separate application, decided separately.
- Opening a Serbian Company as a Nepali Citizen A Nepali passport needs a visa for Serbia, and the company is only the first of two separate decisions.
- Opening a Serbian Company as a Nigerian Citizen The company can be registered from Nigeria. Entry and residence are separate applications, decided by the Serbian authorities.
Why founders abroad work with us
Only things you can check. We do not publish approval rates, client counts or review scores, because we cannot evidence them.
- A registered Serbian accounting agency, operating from Belgrade since 2009, with a real office address you can look up.
- English-speaking throughout, from the first message to the monthly reports.
- Company setup and the bookkeeping that follows it come from the same team, so nothing is dropped at the handover.
- Every legal statement on these pages links to the official Serbian government page it came from, with the date we last read it.
- Scope, exclusions and third-party fees are written down before you pay anything.
What we handle, and what the authorities decide
We prepare and coordinate. We do not approve anything, and neither does any agency. Approval rests entirely with the Serbian authorities and, for accounts, with the bank.
| Biro Vision handles | Authorities and banks decide |
|---|---|
| Your workflow, checklist and completeness checks | Whether a visa is granted |
| Company registration and APR filings | Whether a residence and work permit is granted |
| Document coordination, translation and legalisation | Whether more evidence is requested |
| Application preparation and submission support | How long a case takes |
| Bookkeeping, payroll and ongoing compliance | Whether a bank opens the account |
| Reminders, status updates and deadline tracking | The decision at the border |
Looking for a job in Serbia?
We are an accounting firm. We do not place workers, we do not sponsor employment, and we do not sell job offers. If you are looking for work in Serbia, nothing on this page will help you, and we would rather say so than take your money.
Be careful with anyone who offers you a company as a way to get a work visa without a real business behind it. A registered company that does not actually trade is not a route to residence, and the authorities assess the genuine purpose of the stay.
Check which pathway applies to you
Four short questions. You get the route, what it needs, and an honest answer if it is not something we can help with.
Thank you, we have it.
We will reply by email with the route that applies to you and what it needs.
Ready to hand your books to the experts?
Book a free 30-minute consultation. No obligations, just a clear plan for your finances.