The Serbian authorities have initiated internal discussions regarding the potential abolition of the visa-free regime for citizens of the Russian Federation. This step is being considered in the context of harmonizing the country’s visa policy with European Union requirements for further integration.
This was announced by Dragan Stanojevic, Head of the Serbian Parliamentary Committee on Diaspora and Serbs in the Region.
According to Stanojevic, the issue of changing the visa regime could be resolved by the end of this year. The main driver behind these discussions is a strict demand from Brussels. As an EU candidate country, Serbia is required to synchronize its legislation and border crossing rules with pan-European standards.
“The European Union is exerting serious pressure on Belgrade, demanding the introduction of visas for citizens of third countries with which the EU has a visa regime, including Russia,” experts note.
Currently, a visa-free agreement is in place between Russia and Serbia, allowing Russian citizens to stay in the Balkan country without a visa for up to 30 days.
If the decision to abolish the visa-free regime is approved:
For tourists: It will require obtaining a Serbian national visa in advance.
For relocators: It will complicate the entry and legalization process (obtaining temporary residence permits/VNJ) for thousands of Russians who have chosen Serbia in recent years.
Serbia remains one of the few European countries that has not only maintained a visa-free regime with the Russian Federation but has also refrained from supporting sanctions against Moscow, while continuing direct flights to Russian cities. However, the necessity of advancing along the path of European integration places the country’s leadership before a difficult political choice. Belgrade’s final official decision will depend on the outcome of internal interagency consultations.