Serbia Issues Over 50,000 Work Permits to Foreign Nationals in 2023

In 2023, the National Employment Service branches in Serbia issued a total of 50,397 work permits to foreign nationals, as reported by the Ministry of Labor and Employment. The highest number of permits were granted to citizens from Russia, followed by China, Turkey, India, and Nepal, with Russian citizens receiving a notable 19,645 permits.

The specifics regarding the types of jobs these foreign workers are employed in remain undisclosed, as per the records of the National Employment Service. Countries like Cambodia, Dominica, Malta, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates saw the least number of work permits issued to their citizens.

In the realm of seasonal agricultural work, 1,091 foreign nationals have been engaged since the beginning of the year. Seasonal workers, including foreigners with registered residence in Serbia, are not subject to special employment conditions for foreigners and are treated equally to Serbian citizens.

The National Alliance for Local Economic Development (NALED) highlighted that the total number of registered seasonal workers in 2023 was 33,054, with foreigners making up approximately 3.3% of this workforce. This represents a slight increase compared to 2022, with an additional 124 applications over the previous year’s 967 workers.

Significant participation was noted from Uzbekistan and Egypt, contrasting with the previous years’ dominance of Nepalese and Indian workers. Upon registering their residence, which can also be done electronically, foreign nationals receive a Foreigner’s Identification Number (EBS) used by employers for official registration.