Establishment of the Portal for Foreign Citizens simplified the procedure for obtaining temporary residence and work permits for foreign citizens

Director of the Office for IT and eGovernment, Mihailo Jovanović, PhD pointed out that since the establishment of the Portal for Foreign Citizens this year, the procedure for submitting requests by foreign citizens for temporary residence and work permits has been significantly simplified.

"This year, the Office for IT and eGovernment, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy and the National Employment Agency, developed and put into operation the Portal for Foreign Citizens, which since the beginning of its work has recorded excellent results. Since the establishment of the Portal on February 1 this year and until September 30, a total of 26,792 requests for a Single Permit were approved, while in September alone, a total of 857 permits were approved. A single permit can be issued on the basis of employment, specifically for the following: employment based on an employment contract or another contract that exercises rights in accordance with the Labour Law, self-employment, movement within a company, independent professionals, as well as for training and professional development“, Jovanović said.

A request for a Single Permit can be submitted by a foreign citizen or an employer on behalf of a foreign citizen. If the request is submitted independently by a foreign citizen, it is necessary for them to have an account on the Electronic Identification Portal, while if the request is submitted by an employer, it is necessary for them to have an open account on the eGovernment Portal as a legal entity, as well as for the legal representative to have a registered account. All that is required is for the legal representative of the legal entity to log in to the eGovernment Portal and authorize a person to submit a request for a Single Permit on behalf of that legal entity, by assigning the role "Working with foreign citizens".

An employer who submits a group request for a Single Permit can apply for at least one and a maximum of 50 persons within one group request. Notifications, decisions and other acts related to requests for a Single Permit are delivered exclusively by the competent authority via the eMailbox on the eGovernment Portal to both natural persons and legal entities. The permit for temporary residence and work is issued as a biometric document, in the form of a card.

Within the Portal for Foreign Citizens, it is possible to apply for a visa C that is a visa for a stay of up to 90 days, which is issued for tourist, business and other trips, as well as one, two or more entries into the Republic of Serbia. It is also possible to apply for a visa D that is a visa for a stay of 90 to 180 days, which is issued on the basis of employment, education, family reunification, etc.