Serbian passport

Serbian passport
The front cover of a contemporary Serbian biometric passport
The data page of a contemporary Serbian biometric passport
TypePassport
Issued by Serbia
First issued7 July 2008[1]
(biometric passport)
13 May 2016[2]
(current version)
PurposeIdentification
Valid in140 countries and territories[3]
EligibilitySerbian citizenship
Expiration
  • 10 years (age 18 and older)
  • 5 years (age 3–14)
  • 3 years (under age of 3)
Cost3,600 RSD/~30€[4]

Serbian passport (Serbian: Пасош Србије, romanized: Pasoš Srbije) is the primary document of international travel issued to nationals of Serbia. Passports are issued and renewed by the Serbian Police on behalf of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or, if the citizen resides abroad, by the Serbian diplomatic missions. Besides serving as proof of identity and of citizenship, it facilitates the process of securing assistance from Serbian consular officials abroad, if needed.

The Serbian biometric passports were introduced on 7 July 2008 and were handed out in the beginning of August in the same year.[5] All outdated Yugoslav passports became invalid on 31 December 2011.[6] Citizens can not have multiple Serbian passports at the same time.

Appearance

Cover

Serbian passports have a burgundy red cover, in line with the EU standard, and have inscriptions in golden letters in three languages - Serbian Cyrillic script, English and French: РЕПУБЛИКА СРБИЈА, REPUBLIC OF SERBIA, and RÉPUBLIQUE DE SERBIE[a] at the top, and ПАСОШ, PASSPORT, and PASSEPORT at the bottom divided by the Serbian lesser coat of arms.[b] The biometric passport symbol alerting to the presence of a RFID chip inside the document, is at the very bottom of the cover page. The inside cover features the Serbian coat of arms in navy blue ink, while the first page contains the name of the country and the word "passport" in the three aforementioned languages. The inside back cover contains information on consular assistance in the three aforementioned languages.[7]

Data page

The Serbian passport includes the following data:

  • Type (‘P’ - Passport)
  • Code for issuing country ("SRB" - Serbia)
  • Passport serial number
  • Name of bearer
  • Nationality ("Republike Srbije" - Republic of Serbia)
  • Date of birth (DD.MM.YYYY)
  • National identity number ("JMBG")
  • Sex
  • Place of birth
  • Place of residence
  • Issuing office
  • Date of issue (DD.MM.YYYY)
  • Date of expiry (DD.MM.YYYY)
  • Signature and photo of bearer

The data page also contains the RFID chip and is printed in the Serbian Cyrillic script, English and French, while the personal data is entered in the Serbian Latin script.

Visa and border stamp pages

The passport contains further 32 pages suitable for visas and border stamps. They feature a range of light colours, predominantly red, green, yellow and blue, and have the Serbian lesser coat of arms in the center. They are perforated with the passport's serial number on the bottom, and have watermarks with page numbers.

Types

There are three types of passport:[8]

  • Regular passport is issued to all citizens.
  • Validity is determined by the age of the holder: 10 years for adults, 5 years if issued to a person between 3 and 14 years of age and 3 years for person under 3 years old.
  • Maximum processing time is 30 days for regular applications (60 days at diplomatic-consular missions),[9] and 48 hours for urgent applications. Fee is RSD 3,600.
  • Diplomatic passport is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to diplomats, high-ranking officials, members of the parliament and persons traveling on official state business, as well as to immediate family members of the above.
  • Validity is determined by the nature of the position held - diplomats and officials will usually receive the passport covering their mandate in office.
  • Official passport is identical in all aspects to the diplomatic passport, but lacks the privileges of diplomatic immunity. It is issued to mid and low-ranking officials, as well as to non-diplomatic staff at the embassies and consulates.

In case of loss of a passport abroad, an emergency travel document is issued by the consulate, which is used by citizens of Serbia to return to country. A seaman's book is also considered a travel document.

Visa requirements

Main article: Visa requirements for Serbian citizens
Visa requirements for Serbian citizens
  Serbia
  Visa not required
  Visa on arrival
  eVisa
  Visa available both on arrival or online
  Visa required prior to arrival

As of 2024, Serbian citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 140 countries and territories, ranking the Serbian passport 37th overall in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index and among the five passports with the most improved rating since 2006.[10][11]

International travel using Serbian identity card

Serbian identity card

Serbian identity cards can be used instead of a passport for travel to some Balkan countries and territories that have signed special agreements with Serbia.

Countries and territories Stay
Albania Albania[12] 90 days
 Bosnia and Herzegovina[13] 90 days
Kosovo Kosovo[14] 90 days
 Montenegro[15] 30 days
North Macedonia North Macedonia[16] 90 days
Turkey Turkey[17] 90 days

Residents of Kosovo

Under Serbian law, people born in Kosovo or legally residing are by law considered Serbian nationals and as such they are entitled to a Serbian passport.[18] However, these passports are not issued by the Directorate of the Administrative Affairs of the Serbian Police but by the Coordination Directorate for Kosovo and Metohija of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs.[19] Bearers of these passports used to require a Schengen visa for travel to the Schengen Area since they were not covered by the Annex II list of countries allowed visa free entry to the Schengen Area.[20] In 2024, European Parliament adopted a resolution that exempts visa requirements for Serbian citizens with passports issued by Coordination Directorate for Kosovo and Metohija, finally putting an end to Schengen visa requirements for all citizens of the Western Balkans.[21]

  • Diplomatic passport
    Diplomatic passport
  • Official passport
    Official passport

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The accented E lacking.
  2. ^ The pre-2010 version of the coat of arms is still used on the passport.

References

  1. ^ "Home". www.consilium.europa.eu.
  2. ^ "Република Србија - УЗЗПРО - База правних прописа". bpp.uzzpro.gov.rs.
  3. ^ "Global Passport Ranking".
  4. ^ "PUTNA ISPRAVA – PASOŠ". Archived from the original on 10 January 2010.
  5. ^ . 25 September 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060925151613/http://www.smip.sv.gov.yu/Srpski/Pressframe.htm. Archived from the original on 25 September 2006. Retrieved 8 April 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ "Blic | Blic | Društvo". blic.rs. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Izgled biometrijskog pasoša" (in Serbian). Ministry of Internal Affairs. Archived from the original on 2 March 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  8. ^ "Putna isprava – Pasoš" (in Serbian). Ministry of Internal Affairs. Archived from the original on 10 January 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
  9. ^ "Izdavanje pasoša u diplomatsko-konzularnim predstavništvima Srbije". Archived from the original on 24 September 2009.
  10. ^ "Residence and Citizenship by Investment | Henley & Partners" (PDF). www.henleyglobal.com. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  11. ^ "The Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index Celebrates Ten Years". www.prnewswire.com. 1 October 2015.
  12. ^ "Serbia and Albania Sign Deal on Freedom of Movement". Balkan Insight. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Vize". Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  14. ^ "Ministria e Punëve të Jashtme dhe Diasporës". MPJD | MFAD.
  15. ^ "Serbia". Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  16. ^ "Министерство за надворешни работи". Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  17. ^ "Lična karta dovoljna za ulazak u Tursku" [An ID card is enough to enter Turkey]. rts.rs (in Serbian). 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Najnovije vesti | Glas javnosti" – via www.glas-javnosti.rs.
  19. ^ "Kako do biometrijskih dokumenata ako sam stanovnik Kosova i Metohije?". Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  20. ^ "Consolidated version of Council regulation No. 539/2001, as of 19 December 2009". Archived from the original on 20 April 2011.
  21. ^ "European Parliament adopts exemption of visa requirement for Serbian citizens residing in Kosovo". 23 April 2024.