Documents in Serbia
A short guide for foreigners who live in Serbia or are moving here: the white card, temporary and permanent residence, visas you can apply for from Belgrade, and which photo each document needs. Every rule links to the official source.
Where to start
Most foreigners in Serbia go through the same steps, in this order:
- White card, within 24 hours. Your stay at an address is registered with the police, usually by the hotel or landlord. No photo is needed. White card guide →
- Temporary residence, if you stay longer than 90 days in 180. For work, you get a single permit (residence and work in one), applied for online only. You upload a 35 × 45 mm colour photo with the application. Residence permit guide →
- Permanent residence, after 3 years of temporary residence. It is a different application and a different card, the foreigner ID card. Permanent residence guide →
- Visas from Belgrade. With a Serbian residence permit you can apply for a Schengen visa in Belgrade, and the US Embassy in Belgrade handles US visa applications. Schengen and US visa guide →
Temporary residence and permanent residence are two separate things: different applications, conditions, cards and photo rules. The table below keeps them apart.
Guides
Residence permitWho needs a residence permit, how to apply online on the Welcome to Serbia portal, which documents to prepare, and which photo you upload and which one the police take.White cardThe white card is the police registration of your stay at an address. Who does it, within which deadline, where in Belgrade, and what happens if nobody does.Permanent residenceWhen you can apply for permanent residence, which documents you need, where to apply, and the photo rules for the foreigner ID card. It is a separate procedure from temporary residence.Schengen and US visasSerbia is not part of the Schengen area, so a Serbian residence permit does not let you travel there. Here is how residents of Serbia apply for a Schengen visa in Belgrade, and what the photo must look like.
Which photo for which document
| Document | Photo needed? | Size and background | Print or file | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary residence / single permit, online | yes | 35 × 45 mm, colour | a file (PDF, PNG, JPEG or JPG, max 5 MB); the card photo is taken at the police on a grey background | Details → |
| Temporary residence, paper application | yes, 2 | 35 × 45 mm, colour, full face | printed | Details → |
| White card (registration of stay) | no | — | — | Details → |
| Permanent residence / foreigner ID card | taken at the police; your own is optional | 50 × 50 mm, plain grey background, max 6 months old | printed (scanned onto the card) | Details → |
| Schengen visa (e.g. Germany, Austria) | yes | 35 × 45 mm, colour, ICAO; Germany asks for 2, max 6 months old | printed; some centres also photograph you | Details → |
| US visa (DS-160) | yes | 2 × 2 in (51 × 51 mm), white background, no glasses | a JPEG file for the DS-160 form | Details → |
| Canada visitor visa | taken with your biometrics at the visa centre | printed only if you give no biometrics: 2, at least 35 × 45 mm | — | Details → |
| UK visa | taken at the visa centre appointment | — | — | Details → |
Rules from the official sources linked on each page, checked on 6 October 2026. Before you apply, check them with the police (MUP), the embassy or the visa centre.
Document photos and the studio
Passport & visa photosEvery document photo size, from 35 × 45 mm to 2 × 2 in, in 2–3 minutes with a digital file.US visa photoA US visa needs a 2 × 2 inch (51 × 51 mm) photo on a white background, without glasses, and a digital file for the online DS-160 form. You get both in 2–3 minutes.Visa photosEvery country sets its own visa photo rules: size, background and head size differ. Here are the rules for the visas foreigners in Serbia most often apply for in Belgrade.CV & LinkedIn headshotsA tidy portrait for your CV, job applications and LinkedIn. We keep shooting until you choose a shot you like, and you get it printed and as a digital file.Photo studioPortraits, headshots and document photos in our studio by Vukov spomenik.
Visit us at Ruzveltova 8, Belgrade
Mon–Fri 8:30 – 20:00 · Sat 9:30 – 15:00 · +381 11 2402-601