You can work in Serbia after graduation, but there is no special permit for looking for a job after graduating: your study residence ends when your studies end, and staying on requires a new basis for residence, usually the “single permit” for residence and work, which your employer applies for and which has applied since 1 February 2024. While studying you can work up to 20 hours a week without a separate permit, which is a chance to build relationships with employers before you graduate. Serbia is not in the European Union, so a Serbian residence permit does not give you the right to work in Europe.

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The single permit for residence and work

Amendments to the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Employment of Foreigners (2023) introduced the “single permit”, which combines temporary residence and a work permit in one document, and it has applied since 1 February 2024. The main points for a graduate:

• The application is filed electronically, and the employer usually handles it.
• Before hiring, the employer checks the local labour market for a short period (four days under the amendments).
• You can change job or employer with the approval of the National Employment Service without cancelling the permit.

Conditions and documents differ by your situation, so check the official portal welcometoserbia.gov.rs or a qualified lawyer before you plan.

Timing the move from study residence

1. Start looking for work in your final year, and make use of part-time work and internships.
2. When you receive an offer, the employer files the single permit application before your current residence expires.
3. Do not let your residence expire without a new basis, because staying without valid residence is an offence.

Sectors where foreigners find opportunities

Information technology is one of the sectors that hires the most foreigners, and many companies work in English, as do some international companies and service centres. Most other jobs require fluent Serbian. Regulated professions such as medicine, pharmacy and law need a professional licence in Serbia and a command of the language.

Working in your home country or another country

If you will return to your home country, what matters is the recognition of your degree there; read recognition of Serbian degrees in Arab countries. And if you are thinking of Europe, a Serbian degree is treated as a degree from outside the EU, and you will need recognition and a work visa in the country concerned. Read Is Serbia in Schengen?

How long residence permits last and how to extend them

Since the 2023 amendments to the Law on Foreigners, temporary residence in Serbia can be granted for up to three years and extended for the same period, depending on the basis of stay, instead of the previous one year. The same applies to the single permit, which is valid for three years (36 months) when a person who can enter without a visa applies after arrival. Both are issued as a biometric card. A request to extend temporary residence or a single permit can be submitted until the expiry date of the permit you hold, so plan the extension well before that date (source).

The government says a properly completed single permit request is resolved within 15 days of submission, which shortens the time between arrival and legally starting work. On the card, a note records whether the holder has the right to work in Serbia (source).

Who can apply and how

A single permit request can be submitted only electronically, through the Welcome to Serbia portal. It can be filed by the foreign citizen personally or by an employer on that person’s behalf. If you apply yourself, you need an account on the national electronic identification portal. If an employer applies, the employer needs an eGovernment account and its legal representative must authorise a person and assign them the role “Working with Foreign Citizens”. Notifications about a residence or single permit request arrive in your eDatabox (eSanduče) on the portal, and if the request is marked “being supplemented” you can add the missing documents there (source).

If you need a visa to enter Serbia, you apply for a visa D on the basis of employment. The portal lists the visa D fee as 50 euros, paid in dinars at the National Bank of Serbia’s middle rate (source).

Single permit categories and fees

According to the portal, a single permit can be issued on the basis of employment under one of these closer reasons:

• employment under an employment contract or another contract through which rights under the Labour Law are exercised;
• self-employment;
• referred person;
• movement within the company;
• independent professional;
• training and development.

The listed fees are 430 RSD to submit the request and 22,770 RSD for approval of a single permit (23,450 RSD for approval of a temporary residence permit). Citizens of North Macedonia, Mongolia, Cyprus and Belarus pay only the submission fee (source). Check the current amounts before paying, because fees are updated.

Other residence bases the portal lists

Besides employment and education, the Welcome to Serbia portal lists other bases for temporary residence, including investor, Serbian origin, start-up, talent and property owner. Each has its own conditions and documents, so use the portal’s guide before assuming one fits you (source). Your passport must be valid for at least three months longer than the residence period you request.

Another option: continue studying in Serbia

If you do not have a job offer yet, a further degree is a way to keep a legal basis for study residence. Study in Serbia lists these levels (source):

• Bachelor’s: 3–4 years, 180–240 ECTS.
• Master’s: 1–2 years, 60–120 ECTS. A 180-ECTS bachelor’s leads to a two-year master’s, and a 240-ECTS bachelor’s to a one-year master’s.
• PhD: 3 years, 180 ECTS. Admission requires a master’s degree and at least 300 ECTS in total across your earlier studies.
• Specialist studies: 1 year, 60 ECTS, for those with a bachelor’s degree and at least 300 ECTS.
• Integrated studies: 5–6 years (300–360 ECTS), mainly medicine, dentistry and veterinary science, with pharmacy lasting five years.

All higher education institutions in Serbia, public and private, must be accredited by the National Entity for Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education, and the same standards apply to both. International students must also have their secondary school diploma recognised by the ENIC/NARIC Centre in Serbia before enrolling.

Frequently asked questions

Can I stay in Serbia after graduation without an employment contract?

There is no residence for job-hunting after graduation. You need a new basis for residence, usually the single permit through an employer.

Do I need a work permit while studying?

No. Since February 2024, a holder of a study residence permit can work up to 20 hours a week without a separate permit.

Does a Serbian residence permit allow me to work in Europe?

No. Serbia is neither in the European Union nor in Schengen.

Who applies for the single permit?

Usually the employer, electronically, with the documents required from you.

Last updated: October 2026. The rules come from the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Employment of Foreigners after the 2023 amendments, and they may change.

Sources

• Serbia’s official portal for foreigners (Welcome to Serbia)
• Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: visa regime
• EY: summary of the new residence and single permit rules

See also: student temporary residence and working while studying.