As you probably know, an EU passport is hard to get. The only existing opportunity is Malta, and you will have to invest quite a large amount and comply with serious requirements to qualify. However, Serbia is on the verge of joining the European Union, and this is a great opportunity to get an EU passport. You can easily get a Serbian residence permit, live in the country for some time to qualify for permanent residence, and then get a Serbian passport. Who knows – it may be an EU passport by that time! Of course, this is in no way a 100% chance, but it is certainly worth trying.
If you think that relocation to Serbia could be a good option, we would like to invite you to our site where you can read a more detailed article on how to obtain residence permits in Serbia and find much more information on the Balkan country. Our experts write articles on business and banking in Serbia (and other popular destinations as well), Serbian lifestyle, expat life, and opportunities. We help people start a business, open a bank account, and obtain a residence permit in Serbia on a daily basis.
This is a serious decision, and you can book a free initial session with our specialist to discuss it. We provide some services at no fee: for example, if you have any doubts about a jurisdiction that will be best for relocation, business, or banking, we will analyze your situation (the current country of residence, financial capabilities, goals, needs, and preferences), and offer the best option available. And if you decide to delegate any administrative matters to us, we will be happy to help you at a reasonable fee.
Serbian Residence Permit: Approximate Terms
If you want to get a Serbian passport to visit as many countries as possible without a visa (or with a visa issued upon arrival), you should know that the country is working hard in this respect to expand the list of visa-free states and make its passport stronger. At present, a visa-free regime for Serbian passport holders is in place with 101 countries, which is quite a high figure.
Is there a citizenship-by-investment program in Serbia?
This is a question we often hear from our customers, and we would like to answer it at once: unfortunately, there is no opportunity to get a Serbian passport by investment!
The problem is that you may find ads on the Internet that contain offers like “obtain Serbian economic citizenship by investing 200,000 euros.” All you should know about this is that you cannot get Serbian economic citizenship in any way, so such websites are run by scammers.
The only possible way of obtaining Serbian citizenship is an ordinary path of citizenship by naturalization, and there is no fast-track option.
There are several exceptions, though:
- You have special merits, and you receive citizenship personally from the President as a gift for the exclusive role you played for the country. As you see, this is a rare case.
- You are a Serbian descendant. If you have the documents that confirm this fact, you can get a Serbian passport quite quickly.
- Finally, you can marry a Serbian citizen and obtain permanent residence, and then apply for a local passport in 3 years.
Outside the three options listed above, you will have to follow a standard procedure:
- You obtain a residence permit in Serbia for the first time. You are not required to actually live in the country during its validity term (1 or 2 years). If you want to become a Serbian tax resident, you can do so in 1 year after obtaining a residence permit for the first time. However, being a tax resident requires living in the country for at least 183 days.
- Upon expiration of your residence permit, you can apply for a residence permit that is granted for 5 years.
- The next step is applying for citizenship. Obtaining a Serbian passport usually takes from 5 to 10 years depending on particular circumstances.
Serbian Climate and Landscape
If you like warm summers and cold winters, Serbia is just what you need. The summer temperature usually reaches 21°C in July and may drop to 0°C in January. Serbia is surrounded by the mountains, and the temperature may be lower there. Belgrade is a city of winds that come from the Carpathian Mountains.
Nature lovers simply adore Serbia as they can take advantage of stunning natural views, parks, rivers, lakes, wonderful canyons, and hills covered by forests. There are not so many tourists, though, which is great for those who love enjoying the pristine nature on their own.
Serbian Taxation
Here are brief facts about taxes in Serbia:
- If you are a Serbian resident, you are taxed on your global income.
- If you are a non-resident, you will only pay taxes on the income from sources in Serbia or related to work in Serbia.
- The salary tax is 10% (the amount of RSD 19,300 is non-taxable).
- The social security contributions amount to 35%.
- If you are self-employed, you will pay a tax of 10%.
- You will have to pay the capital gains tax of 15% (for example, if you sell real estate).
- If you have savings or deposits, you will have to pay a 10% tax on them.
- The property tax is based on the property value, and the highest rate is as low as 0.4%.
- If you receive income from royalty, you will have to pay a 20% tax in Serbia.
- If taxpayers support dependent family members (Serbian or non-resident ones), they have the right to personal tax deductions of up to 50%.
- Some Serbian taxpayers are also liable for a supplementary annual income tax on the worldwide income: if it exceeds the average annual salary in Serbia by 3 times, the rate equals 10%; and if it exceeds the same by 6 times, the rate is 15%.
- The Serbian corporate tax equals 10%, and there are a lot of deductions as the country is interested in the attraction of foreign investments.
- The standard VAT rate is 20%, and it may be reduced to 10% for companies that deal with basic goods and services, such as public transportation services, food, utilities, medicines, and so on.
Interested in the Serbian opportunity? Follow the above link to read the full text or get in touch with our expert to discuss all the details!