Business Expansion to Serbia: How to Set Up a Company and Relocate Employees Without Losing Momentum

06.08.2026

Why is this relevant?

Serbia is one of the most convenient jurisdictions for business and team expansion from the CIS: visa-free entry for citizens of Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan, relatively fast company registration, and a predictable residence permit process through employment. However, behind this apparent simplicity lies a chain of four interconnected processes — company registration, office arrangements, opening a corporate bank account, and employee onboarding — where a delay at any stage can postpone the team’s operational launch by several weeks.

The business challenge

Companies most often underestimate two key factors: timelines (opening a bank account and obtaining residence permits do not move at the same pace as registering a legal entity) and the volume of documentation required for employees and their family members. Treating business expansion as a single-stage process is a common mistake that can result in downtime for already hired employees who are waiting for their legal status to be finalized.

What businesses need to do: step by step

1. Registration of the employer company

For hiring purposes and business expansion, the most practical option is usually a d.o.o. structure (the Serbian equivalent of an LLC). It is easier to administer than an a.d. structure (similar to a joint-stock company) and does not require establishing a representative office of a foreign legal entity.

At this stage, the company’s key details are defined — company name, registered address, share capital, business activity code — and a decision is made on whether to register as a VAT payer. VAT registration at the company formation stage may be beneficial if the company regularly makes payments to foreign service providers for domains, servers, and similar services, as it allows VAT deduction.

The founding documents are prepared based on the ownership structure. If legal entities are among the founders, notarized extracts from corporate registers translated into Serbian will be required — they should be recent (usually 3–6 months old), and in complex structures, documents may be required up to the ultimate beneficial owner level.

The director does not need to be physically present in Serbia for company registration: a power of attorney to a local lawyer can cover the filing process. However, a personal visit for one working day will be required within 30 days after registration to obtain an electronic digital signature and complete beneficial owner registration.

2. Office — a full lease is not always required

At the initial stage, a registered business address — such as a coworking space or a similar solution — may be sufficient. Some employees may work remotely based on employment agreements containing the relevant remote work provisions. If a lease agreement is concluded, it must be registered with the relevant authorities.

3. Corporate bank account — a separate process with its own timelines

The bank requires not only the incorporation documents but also detailed information about the company’s plans: how many employees are expected to be hired, how the company will be financed, and what turnover is anticipated.

The director must be personally present to sign banking documents, which should be taken into account when planning business trips.

4. Team expansion and employee legalization — the longest stage

This stage involves several parallel processes: visa requirements (not applicable for citizens of Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan), housing arrangements and address registration, opening a personal bank account for the employee, preparation of residence permit documentation (including labor market checks based on the employee’s CV, handled by legal advisors), health insurance, and separate documentation for family members if employees are relocating with their families.

From the moment the residence permit application is submitted, the employee can freely enter and leave Serbia. After biometric data submission, the residence permit decision usually takes approximately 30–45 days, followed by another 7–10 days until issuance (depending on the workload of the Ministry of Interior and the city of application).

The employment agreement becomes effective on the date specified in the residence permit. This means that before that date, the employee is not formally employed in Serbia, even if they are already physically present in the country.

Key risks to consider in advance

• Timeline gaps between hiring and legalization. If an employee has already left their previous position and the residence permit process takes 1.5–2 months, the company may face payroll costs without actual employee availability.
• Family expansion requires a separate documentation package. Marriage and birth certificates with translations, as well as, for unmarried partners, witness statements confirming the existence of a civil partnership certified in Serbia, may be required. These documents should be prepared in parallel rather than after the main employee’s application.
• Banking procedures are not automatic. Opening an account is not a formality: banks assess the business model and require a detailed explanation of expected turnover, which should be prepared in advance rather than after receiving additional requests.

REVERA recommendations

 

• Plan company incorporation and preparation of residence permit documents in parallel rather than sequentially — this can save three to six weeks per team.
• Collect family members’ documents together with the main applicant’s documents: joint applications are possible and help reduce the overall legalization timeline.
• Discuss expected turnover and financing structure with the bank before submitting an account opening application to avoid additional requests and delays.
• Assess whether VAT registration is required at the initial stage based on the expected volume of payments to foreign service providers.

How REVERA can help

Our lawyers support business and team expansion to Serbia on a turnkey basis: from selecting the appropriate company structure and preparing incorporation documents to legalizing employees and their family members.

We help businesses avoid gaps between key stages — company registration, opening a corporate bank account, and obtaining residence permits — which are the most common causes of unexpected delays.