Work Options for Expats
1. Remote Work for a Foreign Employer
- The most popular option among IT specialists.
- You register as a self-employed individual (paushalac) and issue invoices.
- Fixed tax ≈ 130-300 €/month.
- No work permit required.
2. Working for a Serbian Company
- A work permit (radna dozvola) is required, which is arranged by the employer.
- Average salary - 600-1200 € net (non-IT) and 1500-4000 € net (IT).
- Minimum salary ≈ 47,000 RSD (≈ 400 €) net.
3. Freelancing
- Can work as a paushalac or through a DOO.
- Popular platforms: Upwork, Fiverr, Toptal.
- Payment is made to a Serbian business account.
Work Permit (Radna Dozvola)
Who needs it? Only those employed under a contract with a Serbian company. Not required for paushalci, DOO owners, and remote workers.
How to obtain it?
- The employer submits an application to the National Employment Service (NSZ).
- NSZ checks for a lack of suitable Serbian candidates.
- A permit is issued for the duration of the employment contract (maximum 1 year).
- The permit is extended annually.
Required documents
- Passport + residence permit
- Employment contract
- Diploma (nostrified if required)
- Medical certificate
Useful Resources
- Helloworld.rs - IT jobs in Serbia
- Infostud.com (Poslovi) - largest job portal
- LinkedIn - international and IT positions
- Jooble.org - job aggregator
- NSZ (Национална служба за запошљавање): nsz.gov.rs
Worker Rights
- Working week - 40 hours.
- Vacation - at least 20 working days.
- Sick leave is paid (65% of salary).
- Maternity leave - 365 days, fully paid by the state.