How to Help Ukraine
EN

Information for Ukrainian refugees in Serbia

National temporary protection, renewed one year at a time (current extension into 2027)

Information checked in October–November 2026.

Compare with other countriesEmail it to me

Important to know

Serbia is not in the EU: its temporary protection is national, small (about 1,440 people in June 2026) and renewed one year at a time — apply for the extension in time each spring, or you lose the status and the card. The TP card is a handwritten, non-biometric document without your foreigner's registration number (EBS): ask for an EBS certificate and Asylum Office certificates for employers, banks and clinics. The registration certificate uses the asylum form (it mentions an asylum centre and 72 hours), but this does not mean you have applied for asylum. No proof of military obligations is required. Free legal aid: IDEAS, APC, Belgrade Centre for Human Rights.

Status and documents

How long protection lasts
Temporary protection under Serbian law (not EU protection). Since the government decision was amended in 2024, each person's protection is granted or extended for one year at a time for as long as the reasons persist; the extension of spring 2026 runs into 2027. The TP ID card is valid for one year and has to be renewed after each extension. Lawyers note that the law limits TP to two years, so the legal basis is disputed; amendments have been proposed (IDEAS, Oct 2026).
Documents
A Ukrainian passport or another identity document (ID card, internal passport, birth certificate for children); documents of family members; your address in Serbia (foreigners must register their address with the police within 24 hours — landlords and hotels usually do it). People without documents are also registered. Non-Ukrainians need proof of residence or protection in Ukraine. No proof of military obligations is required.
Where and how to apply
Tell the police that you want temporary protection — at the border or at a police station with an immigration unit. You are photographed and fingerprinted and get a registration certificate on the spot. The Asylum Office (Kancelarija za azil) of the Ministry of the Interior then issues the decision and the ID card. Free legal help: IDEAS, APC (azilsrbija.rs), Belgrade Centre for Human Rights.
Processing time
The registration certificate is issued on the spot. No official deadline for the decision is published: —. To work or open a bank account you also need a certificate of your foreigner's registration number (EBS), requested separately and usually ready in about a week.
When protection ends
Protection ends when your one-year decision expires and is not extended, when the government ends the regime, or by an Asylum Office decision on exclusion grounds. Apply for the extension in time: about a third of holders do not renew each year and lose the status. The law has no rule on trips abroad.
Men aged 18–60
Serbia is not in the EU and has not adopted the EU's 2026 rule: no requirement to prove military obligations for temporary protection was found (Nov 2026). Ukrainians can stay in Serbia visa-free for up to 90 days.
Trips to Ukraine
Serbian law has no rule ending protection because of trips: it ends when its term expires or the government ends it, or by an Asylum Office decision on exclusion grounds. The protection ID is valid for one year and has to be renewed after each extension. No official guidance on trips to Ukraine has been published — ask the Asylum Office (Kancelarija za azil) before a long absence.
Children without parents
An unaccompanied or separated child cannot apply for temporary protection until the centre for social work (centar za socijalni rad) appoints a temporary guardian; report the child to the police or the centre. Adults travelling with a child should carry its documents and the parents' notarised consent. No unaccompanied children from Ukraine have been recorded in Serbia since 2022 (AIDA, 2025).

Travel, pets and language

How to get there
No border with Ukraine and no flights from Ukraine. By road through Hungary (buses Budapest – Belgrade every 2–3 hours) or Romania; buses from western Ukraine to Belgrade, often with a change. Belgrade and Niš airports have flights from many EU cities. Ukrainians enter visa-free for up to 90 days.
Pets
Microchip, rabies vaccination and a pet passport or vet certificate. Whether animals from Ukraine also need a rabies antibody test could not be confirmed — check with the Veterinary Directorate (Uprava za veterinu) before travelling. Since June 2026 the EU no longer requires a titre test for pets coming from Serbia.
Driving licence
A foreigner temporarily staying in Serbia may drive on a valid foreign licence (on a reciprocity basis); it stops being valid 12 months after you are granted residence of more than 6 months. A foreigner with residence of at least 6 months can get a Serbian licence from the Ministry of the Interior without a driving test or first-aid exam, on the basis of a valid foreign licence and a medical certificate. Whether the temporary-protection ID counts as such residence is not stated — ask the police (MUP).
Languages
Serbian (Cyrillic and Latin scripts). Free Serbian courses are guaranteed by law only to recognised refugees; for TP holders ask the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration (KIRS) and NGOs: —.

Work, healthcare and education

Right to work
Yes, without a work permit or single permit, on the same terms as other foreigners and free of charge. In practice employers and banks ask for the EBS number certificate and Asylum Office certificates, because the TP card is not biometric. You can register with the National Employment Service (NSZ).
Jobs in demand
Bricklayers, carpenters, steel fixers, tilers, façade workers and painters, welders and locksmiths, truck and bus drivers, specialist doctors and nurses, electricians, accountants, cashiers, production and CNC operators, warehouse workers and forklift drivers; in Belgrade also cleaners, programmers, kitchen staff, couriers, shop assistants, cooks and waiters (National Employment Service, Aug 2026).
Healthcare
By law TP holders get health care paid by the state, but they are not entered into compulsory health insurance and get no insurance card, so clinics often ask for extra papers; NGOs (APC, IDEAS) help. Employees are insured through their employer; others can pay for voluntary insurance (see below). A child without insurance still has the right to the check-up needed for kindergarten.
Kindergarten
Children can be enrolled in public kindergartens (a check-up at the children's clinic is needed). TP holders are treated as foreigners and, according to the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights (March 2026), pay the full price without the discounts local families get.
School
Yes, free primary (compulsory) and secondary school, at the latest within 3 months of the application. Children are placed by age and previous schooling, or after a placement test if they have no documents; schools should provide extra Serbian lessons. The Commissariat for Refugees and Migration helps with textbooks and school supplies.

Benefits

Housing support
No housing allowance. TP holders who cannot afford a flat can live free of charge in the Asylum Centre in Vranje (run by the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration) for as long as protection lasts, with food, clothing and medical care (55 residents, 156 places, end of 2025). Over 95% of holders rent privately at their own cost.
One-time payment
No state one-off payment; residents of the Vranje centre occasionally get cash cards. —
Monthly allowance for adults
No. The law does not guarantee social assistance to TP holders, and they received no social allowances in 2022–2025 (AIDA, 2026).
Monthly allowance for children
No child allowance for TP holders could be confirmed: —.

Cost of living

Average rent
Belgrade, mid-2026: 1-bedroom flat ~$740/month in the centre, ~$500 outside; 3-bedroom in the centre ~$1,330 (livingcost.org, June 2026). Novi Sad and Niš are cheaper. Utilities ~$140/month for one person.
Groceries per person per month
~$410/month per person on food in Belgrade; a single person's costs without rent ~$630/month (livingcost.org, June 2026).
Kindergarten fees
Private kindergarten in Belgrade ~$420/month (livingcost.org, June 2026). Full price of a public kindergarten for TP holders: —.
Private school fees
Public school is free. International primary school in Belgrade ~$11,500 a year (livingcost.org, June 2026).
Health insurance cost
Voluntary insurance with the state health insurance fund costs about 5,600 dinars (≈ €48) a month (AIDA, 2026); employees are insured through work.
Documents, consulates, legal helpThe same in every country: e-Consul, Diia, free legal aid, a psychologist.

All information is for reference only. Rules and benefits change often, so some of it may be out of date. Always check with official sources before making a decision.

If you spot an inaccuracy, please write to us at howtohelpuacom@gmail.com.