New Immigration Law Impacts visas and temporary residence permits

IMPACT – LOW

What is the change? The Serbian government is introducing a new law, the Law on Foreigners (Official Gazette of RS, No. 24/2018), which introduces changes in the visa procedure (new types of visas, process clarification) and the temporary residence permit procedure (new deadlines, list of documentation, registration of stay, validity period of passports, higher penalties, etc.).

What does the change mean? The new law ensures that TRPs are issued for a period of up to a year rather than six months, reducing the need for renewals, keeping the administrative processing requirements and clarifying procedure details for applicants.

• Implementation timeframe: Oct. 3.
• Who is affected: Foreigners who plan to stay in Serbia for a period longer than 90 days in a single six-month period based on the different types of stay.
• Visas/permits affected: Visa process, TRP process and renewals.
• Business impact: The new law clarifies processing requirements, visa and TRP procedures and lengthens validity for TRPs.

Background: The Serbian Parliament passed the new immigration law in April 2018, and it went into effect on Oct. 3. For specific nationalities, the new visa D will be required to enter Serbia and start the TRP procedure. The provisions of the new law will ensure the Serbian authorities approve the TRP for the period required in the letter of invitation up to a maximum of one year. The list of procedure steps and documentation clarify rules regarding temporary and permanent residence permits, and registration of stay in Serbia (starting from Nov. 3) will be in force along with the new law. The new law stipulates that TRP renewals may begin in the period of 90 to 30 days before expiration of a valid TRP, and it extends the time necessary to issue the renewed TRP up to 30 days (rather than 15 days).

Analysis & Comments: The new Serbian law is a positive development for companies sending assignees to Serbia and will clarify administrative processing and renewal procedures.

Source: Deloitte LLP. Deloitte LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC303675 and its registered office at 1 New Street Square, London EC4A 3HQ, United Kingdom.