Moving to Belgrade: a step-by-step relocation checklist

Moving to Belgrade: a step-by-step relocation checklist

Moving to Belgrade is easier than most European relocations, but the order in which you do things matters. Miss a step early and you end up waiting in the wrong queue later. This relocation checklist walks through the sequence that actually works, from before you land to your first settled month.

Before you arrive

Check that your passport has at least six months of validity. Most Western nationalities can enter Serbia visa-free for 90 days within any 180-day period, which is usually enough time to set up residence. Gather and, where needed, apostille the documents you will rely on: birth and marriage certificates, university diplomas, and a criminal record check from your home country. Getting these legalized abroad is far easier than doing it later from Belgrade. Book two to four weeks of temporary accommodation so you are not signing a lease sight unseen.

The first 48 hours

Your legal clock starts immediately. Every foreigner must register their address (the so-called White Card, prijava boravišta) within 24 hours of arrival. If you stay in a hotel or registered rental, they do it for you; if you stay with friends, you go together to the police station. Keep the slip, you will need it for almost everything that follows. Our guide to the first 48 hours in Belgrade covers this in detail.

Set up the essentials

1. Local SIM card. Buy a prepaid SIM from A1, Yettel or Telekom on day one. See our SIM and mobile internet guide.
2. Apartment. Start viewings once you know which district suits you. Read best neighborhoods to live and renting an apartment first.
3. Bank account. Opening one is straightforward with a passport and White Card. See opening a bank account.
4. Public transport. Pick up a BusPlus card so you can ride trams and buses legally.

Residence and tax

With an address, a rental contract and a bank account in hand, apply for a temporary residence permit (boravak). Common grounds are employment, running a business or freelancing, property ownership, family reunification, or the digital nomad route. Our residence permit and White Card guide explains the paperwork. If you will work for yourself, read up on freelancer and paušal tax and register before you start invoicing.

Health, driving and daily life

Sort out healthcare early. Residents contributing through work or business join the public system, but many newcomers also take private insurance for faster access. See healthcare for foreigners. If you plan to drive, note that you can use a foreign licence only for a limited window after establishing residence, so read driving in Belgrade and start the exchange in good time. Bringing a pet? Check the pet import rules before you travel. Families should look at international schools and kindergartens, which have waitlists.

Budget and timeline

Belgrade is affordable by European standards but no longer cheap in the central districts. Read cost of living in Belgrade to plan a realistic first-month budget, including a deposit (usually one month plus the first month rent) and agency fee. Give yourself roughly this timeline:

• Week 1: White Card, SIM, bank account, temporary base.
• Weeks 2 to 4: apartment hunt, lease, utilities and internet.
• Month 2: residence application, tax registration, licence exchange, schools.

Learn a handful of Serbian survival phrases in your first week. English is widely spoken among younger Belgraders, but a few words of Serbian at the counter of a bank or municipal office noticeably smooths the way. Work through the list above in order and the move rarely feels overwhelming.