Starting a business in Serbia: foreigner's guide (2026)

The Law on Investments explicitly guarantees equal treatment for foreign and domestic investors; a foreign national may be the sole founder and sole director of a Serbian company with 100% ownership, and may freely repatriate profits and capital with no limitations.

The statutory minimum founding capital for a DOO (LLC) is RSD 100 (less than €1), making capital requirements effectively negligible; no paid-up deposit is required prior to registration.

The APR operates a one-stop-shop: submitting the registration application (online or in person) with founding documents, proof of identity, and fee payment simultaneously produces the company registration/corporate ID number and taxpayer ID (PIB), eliminating separate tax-office visits.

The APR issues a registration decision within 5 working days of receipt of a complete application; the full process including document preparation, notarisation, and bank account opening typically takes 10–15 business days.

Fully electronic incorporation of single- and multi-member LLCs has been available since 2018–2019 via the APR portal (requires a Serbian-issued qualified electronic signature); alternatively, a foreign founder may appoint a local attorney with a notarised power of attorney to complete the entire process without travelling to Serbia.

Foreign ownership restrictions exist in a narrow set of sectors: defence-related industries, certain media operations, and direct purchase of agricultural land (leasing is permitted); the vast majority of commercial activities are unrestricted.