VisaSerbia requires approval before single-permit holders change employers
A current guide to consent for changing employers, supporting evidence and residence obligations for Serbia’s combined-permit holders.
Official source date: 2026-11-02
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Obtain employment-service consent before making the change
Serbia’s National Employment Service requires approval before single-permit holders change employers, change their work basis or work for multiple employers. This is an existing procedure, rather than a new restriction.
The worker, an employer acting for the worker, or an authorised representative can request approval. The Employment Service identifies the branch responsible for the employer’s registered location and a ten-day decision period after a properly submitted request. Missing evidence can therefore matter to when the stated period applies.
Its Employment of Foreigners page lists a RSD 430 request fee and the relevant payment reference information. Because the page cites an older adjusted tariff, confirm the current amount and reference with the responsible branch before paying. The same resource says evidence must satisfy the assessment applicable to the proposed work; an employer change and a move into self-employment are not identical applications.
Match the evidence to the proposed employment
The Ministry of Interior’s Single Permit Rulebook explains the supporting framework. Article 20 provides for a consent request through the Foreign National’s Portal, assessed against the labour-market-test report and the evidence relevant to the work category. It also describes an exceptional filing possibility within 20 days after the previous employment contract ends. That provision should not be read as unrestricted permission to start a new job during those days.
The rulebook’s employment provisions distinguish the employment contract, employer information and evidence of qualifications needed for the work. An authorised person acting for the worker or employer must provide the relevant authorisation. Keep the proposed activity and documentary evidence consistent rather than reuse a previous employer’s application unchanged.
If the move also changes the residential address, the rulebook requires the competent authority to record that information in the card’s chip. It says an address or street-number change alone does not require a new single-permit card. Employment consent and updating the residence record serve different purposes.
Use the portal with the correct account and authority
The Welcome to Serbia Help page provides the operational account instructions. An individual applicant needs an electronic-identification account. When an employer submits, its legal representative must authorise the appropriate person and assign the Working with Foreign Citizens role. Possessing a company login is not the same as having the correct authority for this transaction.
The official help material describes a request to change employer or work basis through the permit service. The Employment Service’s page also retains interim instructions for email, registry or postal submission until the relevant online service is established. If the change service is unavailable in the actual account, confirm the accepted filing channel with the responsible branch rather than send duplicate applications through several channels.
The portal’s help also explains that a submitted request cannot simply be cancelled online. An applicant needing the decision process suspended should contact the competent authority. This makes checking the proposed employer, requested change and representative’s authority before submission especially useful.
Keep residence permission valid through the transition
The official Temporary Residence page reminds foreign residents to remain within the purpose for which their stay was authorised. If that underlying reason ends, they must contact the competent foreigners police authority. A future expiry date printed on the card does not remove that obligation when the employment situation changes.
The page distinguishes combined permits from other residence categories that carry work access under separate rules. This guide’s employer-consent requirement should therefore not be assumed to describe every family, protection or other residence holder. Read the work-rights note and the basis of the actual permit before choosing the service.
For someone who also needs renewal, the general filing window opens three months before expiry and closes at expiry. A timely application permits continued stay while the administrative procedure is completed, but should not be treated as approval for a different employer. The practical next step is to establish the existing permit category, document the proposed work, secure the required consent and separately resolve any residence expiry or address change.
