Visas
Tourists from EU Member States, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia can enter Serbia with only their identity card and with it can stay in Serbia for up to 90 days. If you are coming from a country which has a visa waiver regime for the entry and stay of its nationals in Serbia, you will need a valid travel document.
To check whether you need a visa to enter and stay in Serbia, check the website of the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://www.mfa.gov.rs/en/consular-affairs/entry-serbia/visa-regime
If you are headed to Serbia, make sure you have enough money to support yourself during your stay (minimum 50 euros per each day of your stay), as well as for your return trip home or transfer to a third country; otherwise, you might be denied entry. The official currency of Serbia is RSD.
When coming to Serbia, carry with you proof of sufficient funds for your stay in Serbia, a return transport ticket and a certificate of travel health insurance.
Temporary Import and Export of Items
All items you bring into Serbia (other than personal luggage) will be recorded by a customs official in a list of items temporarily imported into Serbia by a traveller, which will be certified by a stamp. When this is done, the marking PUR (short for temporarily imported goods in Serbian) will be entered in your travel document, i.e. your passport. When leaving Serbia, you must return abroad all items on that list, at which point the PUR marking entered in your passport will be cancelled.
Personal Luggage
Personal luggage is exempt from customs duty. It includes clothing, personal hygiene products, food and drinks, electronics, sports equipment, medicines and the like. However, some of these items are subject to restrictions. Thus, you are only allowed to bring to Serbia:
Bringing Money in and out of Serbia
You can bring foreign exchange cash, payment cards and cheques into Serbia. The amount of money you are allowed to bring into the country is not limited; however, if you are bringing more than 10,000 euros into Serbia, you must report the amount on entry to a customs officer to obtain a certificate of foreign exchange cash brought in from abroad, on the basis of which you will be able to take the foreign exchange cash out of the country with you on your departure. The maximum allowed sum of national and foreign currency and travellers’ cheques that can be taken out of the country is 10,000 euros.
VAT refaction
Only foreign nationals who carry purchased, unused goods in their luggage worth over 100 euros (including VAT) in RSD equivalent within three months from the date of purchase are entitled to VAT refaction. The condition is that they submit to the customs department a properly completed REF 4 Form (completed by the seller at their request) for certification, as well as the original bills for the goods purchased. The original bills and the stamped REF 4 Form is to be kept by the traveller and a copy of the REF 4 Form is to be kept by the customs officers. Customs officers only certify the submitted REF 4 Form, but do not perform the paid VAT refaction.
Water and Food
Serbia is a country rich in water and healthy food. Water from the public water supply system is safe to drink and the food you buy in stores, markets or from the rich menus of Serbian restaurants is safe to eat.
Health Care
All tourists have the right to use emergency medical services during their stay in Serbia.
If you come from a country with which Serbia has a reciprocal health care agreement, you will be able to exercise your right to use emergency medical services upon presenting a certificate issued by your health insurance provider.
If you come from a country with which Serbia does not have a reciprocal health care agreement, you will have to pay for any emergency medical services you receive.
Bringing Animals into the Country
If you are travelling with your pet, you will find more details on the conditions under which pet animals are allowed into Serbia on the following link: http://www.mfa.gov.rs/sr/index.php/konzularni-poslovi/ulazak-u-srbiju/unos-kucnih-ljubimaca/
Regardless which country you come from, if you are carrying one of these pets into Serbia with you, your pet must be accompanied by a certificate of compliance with the veterinary and sanitary requirements for their non-commercial transport. However, if your pet animal is a wild endangered and protected species, the above-mentioned documentation should also be accompanied by a Permit for cross-border movement of personally owned animals, issued at the owner’s request by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection – Group for the implementation of CITES Convention. This permit applies to one animal only and is valid only if the animal is accompanied by the owner of permit.
You can reach Serbia by airplane, by bus, by train or by your own means of transport, including bicycle, motorcycle or car.
Bus
Serbia is connected to all neighbouring countries, as well as cities across Central and Western Europe, by numerous bus routes. If you wish to explore Serbia in its entirety, the bus is the ideal mode of transport because almost every major city or town in the country has a bus station.
Train
Many find travelling by train to be much more pleasant, easier and cheaper than using any other mode of organised transport. Serbian Railways also offers special benefits for travellers including Interrail, Euro Domino, Railplus, Balkan Flexipass, Easy Travel Card, Euro<26, City Star, ISIC, Single Balkan Fare Rate and discounts for groups and children.
Boat
Serbia has an abundance of rivers, which connect it to cities all over Europe. The Danube, as Pan-European Transport Corridor VII, carries cargo and thousands of tourists every year on their way from the river’s spring in Germany to the Black Sea. Many cruisers will take you to the port authorities which dot the banks of the Danube, all along its course through Serbia.
Port authorities will provide you with all necessary information on the state of the inland waterway, sailing through the Danube-Tisa-Danube Canal Network, border-crossing and customs formalities and any other information you may need for a pleasant and safe journey. Please bear in mind that, in winter, ice is common on Serbian rivers, so it may be necessary to place vessels in storage areas for protection.
Airplane
Serbia has three airports, which will connect you to the rest of the world. Depending on the part of Serbia you wish to visit, you can choose between Belgrade, Niš and Priština Airports. The country’s national air carrier Air Serbia will ensure that you reach your destination quickly and safely. You can also fly with many international air carriers.
All information you may need is available on the website of Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (http://www.beg.aero/en/) and on the website of Niš Constantine the Great Airport (http://nis-airport.com/en/flights/).
Air Carriers
Air Serbia (JU)
Serbian national air carrier Air Serbia has scheduled and charter flights to all major destinations in Europe, the Middle East and the Mediterranean, as well as direct flights to New York (USA). www.airserbia.com
Bicycle
If you are physically fit, you can discover Serbia by bicycle. Serbia lies on the Danube Bike Path Eurovelo 6 of the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), which takes adventurers from the Atlantic to the Black Sea. This route follows the banks of the Danube from the border with Hungary near Bački Breg to the border with Bulgaria near Negotin. You will recognise it by the DBR signposts.
If you follow the main route, you will pass along the most beautiful sections of the Danube bank, however, be prepared to occasionally ride dirt roads on embankments. If you are determined to avoid dirt roads and to only cycle on asphalt, take alternative routes. If you wish to take an alternative route, away from Danube, detour paths are also available.
Car
If you travel to Serbia by car, be sure to carry your national driving licence, your vehicle insurance policy and your registration certificate (and permission to drive another person’s vehicle if the car is not registered in your name) with you at all times.
Detailed requirements for travelling by car are available on the following website: http://www.amss.org.rs/
Mobile Telephony
There are three mobile operators in Serbia. You can buy prepaid SIM cards:
Internet
All three mobile operators sell prepaid internet plans with a modem and a certain number of gigabytes included.
Many internet cafes and open hotspots also provide internet access. Some public parks have free Wi-Fihotspots with free internet connection.
Landline Telephony
The international dialling code for Serbia is 381.
There are several types of payphone cards available in Serbia which you can use for cheap calls in the country and abroad.
Important Phone Numbers