Open a company in Serbia as a foreign national and you may own 100% of it, with the registration itself comparatively quick. What delays founders is everything around it: certified translations, apostilled documents, tax registration, and a bank that will actually open the account.
We handle the full incorporation, then apply for your temporary residence and work rights on the basis of the company, planned as one sequence rather than two separate fights.
Start in Serbia is an independent law consultancy. We are not affiliated with or acting on behalf of any government agency.
The structure you choose determines your tax treatment, your liability, and whether the company can support a residence application. We advise on this before anything is filed.
A separate legal person with limited liability and a nominal minimum capital requirement. The default choice for founders who want to employ staff, invoice internationally, or support a residence application.
A registered sole trader. Cheaper to run and eligible for flat-rate taxation in many activities, but you are personally liable for the business obligations.
An extension of a foreign parent rather than a new legal person. Suitable where the group wants a Serbian presence without a separate subsidiary.
You are told at the outset what each stage requires from you and what we do without you. Nothing is filed before you have seen it.
Start the processWe review your nationality, your intended activity, your tax position, and whether you need residence. You receive a written recommendation on entity type, activity codes, and sequencing.
Founding act, director appointment, signature certifications, sworn translations, and a power of attorney where you cannot attend in person.
We submit the registration on your behalf and answer anything the registry comes back with. On approval the company receives its registration number and tax identification number.
Tax registration, corporate bank account opening, and VAT registration where your activity or turnover requires it.
Where you intend to live in Serbia, we apply for temporary residence on the basis of the company and handle the renewal schedule thereafter.
Nothing needs to be translated or certified yet; we arrange that. At this stage we only need to see what you hold.
If your situation is not covered here, describe it and we will answer it directly.
Ask your question →Yes. A foreign individual or a foreign company may hold 100% of a Serbian LLC, and there is no requirement for a local partner or a resident shareholder. A local director is not required either, though a director who cannot travel easily can slow down banking steps.
Most of the process can be completed by power of attorney, so many founders register without travelling. Bank account opening is the usual exception: banks differ, and some still require the director to attend in person for identification. We confirm the position with the specific bank before you book flights.
Not by itself. Company registration and residence are two separate procedures. The company can, however, be the legal basis for a temporary residence application, which is why we plan the two together and prepare the corporate documents in the form the immigration authority expects.
The minimum required share capital for a Serbian LLC is 100 RSD (less than €1).
Yes. Serbian companies must keep books and file locally, and the obligations begin as soon as the company is registered. We introduce you to bookkeepers who work in English and who are used to foreign-owned companies.
A company is closed by voluntary liquidation or deregistration, and the order matters: tax obligations must be settled and the register updated correctly, or the liability follows the founders. We handle closures as well as registrations.
Send us your nationality and what the business will do. You will get a written outline of the route, the documents, and the order they must be done in.