How and Who can acquire Citizenship in the Republic of Serbia?
Acquiring Serbian Citizenship as member of the Serbian People (Your background/origin is Serbian) AND/OR as a person born in a country of the former “SFRY” (Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia”).
Preferential treatment is given to people that fall in one or both of these categories and this is one of the broadest grounds for admission to citizenship of the Republic of Serbia. It is particularly popular among Serbs living abroad, as well as Serbs born in Bosnia and Croatia, as they DO NOT have to discharge themselves of their current Citizenship, wherever that may be, but rather become dual citizens.
(People without a Serbian background AND/OR not born in the former “SFRY”, would need to discharge their current Citizenship to become Serbian Citizens).
A member of the Serbian people and/or persons born in the former “SFRY” who do not have residence on the territory of the Republic of Serbia, have the right to be admitted to citizenship of the Republic of Serbia, if they:
- Are at least 18 years of age.
- Can prove their Serbian background/origin via public document
- They submit a written statement that they consider the “Republic of Serbia” their state
Acquiring citizenship by Origin (For Children and Adults between 18-23)
* Children (0-17 years of age), may be granted Citizenship of the Republic of Serbia if one or more of the following are true:
1) Both parents are citizens of the Republic of Serbia at the time of their birth;
2) when one of the parents, at the time of his birth, is a citizen of the Republic of Serbia and the child was born on the territory of the Republic of Serbia, or abroad
When the child of Serbian origin is born abroad, however, some additional administrative requirements may arise. The report of their birth must be submitted before the competent diplomatic or consular representative of the Republic of Serbia as a citizen of the Republic of Serbia and the parent must submit a request for the registration of a child in the records of citizens to the competent authority in the Republic of Serbia.
* 18-23 Year Old’s acquiring Serbian Citizenship
To be eligible to obtain a Citizenship via “application for registration” in the “Record for Citizens”, the applicant must:|
- Have at least one parent who was a citizen of the Republic of Serbia, at the time of their birth and
- Be under the age of 23
A person over the age of 18 who was born abroad, can obtain citizenship by applying for registration in the “Record for Citizens”, to the competent authority in the Republic of Serbia.
Acquiring citizenship by admission for foreigners without Serbian ethnicity
A foreigner who is granted permanent residency in the Republic of Serbia, at his request, may be admitted to citizenship of the Republic of Serbia, provided:
1) they are 18 years of age
2) Non ethnic Serbians applying for Serbian citizenship, must discharge from their foreign citizenship, or submit proof that they will receive this discharge if they are admitted to citizenship of the Republic of Serbia;
3) that until applying for at least three years continuously had registered residence on the territory of the Republic of Serbia;
4) to submit a written statement that the Republic of Serbia considers his state.
In addition, a person who was born on the territory of the Republic of Serbia can be admitted to citizenship of the Republic of Serbia if he has been continuously on the territory of the Republic of Serbia for at least two years and if he submits a written statement that he considers the Republic of Serbia his state.
If you are a foreigner who has been in a matrimonial union for at least three years with a citizen of the Republic of Serbia and who has been granted permanent residence in the Republic of Serbia, you can be admitted to citizenship of the Republic of Serbia if you submit a written statement that you consider the Republic of Serbia your state.
Procedure for obtaining citizenship of the Republic of Serbia
Applications for the citizenship of the Republic of Serbia are submitted in police administrations by place of residence of the applicant, and can also be submitted through the competent diplomatic and consular representation of Serbia.
The request for the acquisition of citizenship of the Republic of Serbia can be submitted in person or through a proxy. For the child under 18, the request is submitted by the parent with the consent of the other parent. For a child older than 14, his consent is also required.
On the submitted requests, the Ministry of Internal Affairs issues a written confirmation.
Facts you didn’t know about Serbian Citizenship!
Adriana Lima, Steven Seagal, Ralph Fiennes and soon-to-be, English actor John Challis, the famous Boyce from Only Fools and Horses, are just some of the proud citizens of the Republic of Serbia and Serbian passport holders.
If you are not a Hollywood actor, a well-known model, scientist or investor whose admission to citizenship of the Republic of Serbia would be of interest to the Republic of Serbia and thus, secure yourself a Serbian passport through the preferential procedure, you will probably not be denied, since the Law on Citizenship prescribes a whole range of legal grounds that you can invoke when applying for citizenship of the Republic of Serbia.
In 2019, the Government of the Republic of Serbia announced that it favors the full liberalization of Serbian passports, as more Serbian citizens contribute economically to the development of the state. Accordingly, if you have ever thought about whether you are eligible to become a citizen of the Republic of Serbia, now is the time!
