On May 5, 2023, the Government of the Republic of Serbia submitted to the National Assembly a proposal to amend the Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Serbia in such a way that, by introducing the proposed provisions, the procedure for obtaining the citizenship of the Republic of Serbia would be greatly facilitated.

One of the most significant novelties is that in order to obtain Serbian citizenship, it will no longer be necessary to renounce the citizenship of the country of origin, which until now was a provision with an extremely deterrent effect in relation to potential applicants.

The proposal of the Law on Amendments to the Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Serbia introduces the possibility of receiving Serbian citizenship not only for persons with foreign citizenship, but also for persons without citizenship, who have resided in our country for at least one year, work engagement and education in our country or foreign higher education certified in the Republic of Serbia.

Employment means not only employment, but also a registered entrepreneurship or LLC company.

Explaining the reasons for the adoption of the law in question, the Government of the RS states that the amendments in question are part of a package of amendments to regulations, along with amendments to the Law on Foreigners and the Law on the Employment of Foreigners, which are aimed at attracting foreign labor, and above all attracting and retaining of the highest quality, highly qualified foreign citizens, with certain knowledge and skills that are in short supply on the labor market, all with the aim of continuous GDP growth through economic development, maintaining financial stability and improving the living standards of the citizens of the Republic of Serbia.

On one side, the adoption of the proposed amendments to the Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Serbia would reflect on speeding up of the process of admission to citizenship of foreign citizens, encouraging foreigners to request the same because they will not be required to renounce the citizenship of their country of origin as a condition, as well as bypassing the currently complicated procedure for approval of permanent residence in Serbia, which according to the current law is a prerequisite for the procedure of admission to Serbian citizenship.

Also, the proposed amendments would reduce the administrative costs for all procedures that foreign nationals have to bear on an annual basis according to current regulations in order to stay longer in Serbia, and it would certainly have an impact on the easier choice of Serbia as a country for a longer stay.

In addition, it is inevitable that the proposed reliefs would have a positive effect on the economy of Serbia, as well as on capital turnover.

On the other side, although the media state that the proposed reliefs are aimed at Russian citizens, the said proposal actually offers the possibility to an unlimited range of nationalities to apply for a Serbian passport after only one year of approved residence in Republic of Serbia, which would undoubtedly have an impact on more numerous migrations and a change in the current demographic picture in all directions.

The National Assembly will decide on the Proposal of the Government of the Republic of Serbia after a public hearing that will be held on May 11, 2023, until which time an e-mail for comments on the Draft is open on the website of the Ministry of Interior.

You can read the entire text of the Proposal on the website of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia:

http://www.parlament.gov.rs