The good news and the complication

Serbia welcomes Americans — you can enter visa-free and stay up to 90 days within any 180-day period. The complication isn't entry; it's tax: the US taxes its citizens on worldwide income regardless of where they live, which changes the calculation compared to most other nationalities.

Your visa situation

US citizens can enter Serbia visa-free and stay up to 90 days within any 180-day period, counted from your first entry — the same general allowance as EU, Canadian, and Australian citizens. (Visa-free length is set by agreement and can change, so confirm the current figure for your passport.)

The 90 days run across a rolling 180-day window, so leaving and re-entering does not reset a fresh 90-day clock. If you want to stay continuously beyond 90 days, you'll need residence (see below).

Don't skip the White Card. Within 24 hours of arrival, the address where you're staying must be registered with the police (the "White Card", prijava boravišta). A hotel does this for you; in a rented flat or a friend's place, you or your host must do it. It's free, it applies even to short tourist stays, and you'll need it later to apply for residence or open a bank account. Full White Card guide →

To stay longer than 90 days, you need temporary residence — now granted for up to 3 years at a time (renewable) since Serbia's 2024 reform. If your basis is work or freelancing, residence and the right to work are combined into a single permit (jedinstvena dozvola), applied for online via Serbia's official Foreigners Portal. Many Americans use self-employment as their basis: you register as a paušalac (a low flat-rate tax status — see below) and apply on that ground. Marko handles this for many American expats.

The tax situation — important

The US is one of only two countries in the world that taxes its citizens on worldwide income, regardless of where they live. This means:

This does not mean Serbia is a bad choice for Americans — it means you need proper tax advice. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) lets many Americans exclude a significant portion of foreign income from US tax. Combined with Serbia's low flat-rate tax, many American expats end up paying less overall than they would in the US. But you need a US tax professional who specialises in expats to structure this correctly.

What about Serbian taxes?

If you register as a freelancer in Serbia (pausalac), you pay a fixed monthly amount to Serbia — typically €80–250/month covering income tax, health insurance, and pension. This is very low compared to US self-employment tax rates. A US expat tax specialist can help you understand how this interacts with your US filing obligations.

Banking for Americans

Americans face more friction opening accounts globally than most other nationalities due to FATCA (a US law that requires foreign banks to report American account holders to the IRS). Some Serbian banks are more willing to deal with this than others. Raiffeisen Bank is generally the most accommodating for Americans.

Wise works well for Americans and sidesteps the FATCA issue for day-to-day money management. Many American expats in Serbia use Wise as their primary financial tool.

The American community in Belgrade

There is a decent American expat community in Belgrade — enough that you will find fellow Americans in expat groups and meetups. The "Expats in Belgrade" Facebook group is the main gathering point. The US Embassy is located in Belgrade if you ever need consular services.

What Americans love about Serbia

Last updated: June 2026.

Official sources: US State Department — Serbia · Welcome to Serbia (official portal) · IRS — Foreign Earned Income Exclusion