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Citizenship

HOW CAN ONE ACQUIRE CITIZENSHIP OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA?

1. Acquiring citizenship by DECENT

Citizenship of the Republic of Serbia by descent may be acquired, subject to conditions, by children up to the age of 23, if both or one parent is a Serbian citizen at the time of the child's birth.

2. Acquiring citizenship by ADMISSION

A) If you are a foreigner with a minimum three years uninterrupted registered permanent residence in Serbia, who has been released from a foreign citizenship or will be released from it, if admitted to the citizenship of the Republic of Serbia;

B) If you are a foreigner who has been married for at least three years to a Serbian citizen and have been granted permanent residence in the Republic of Serbia;

C) If you are an emigrant from the Republic of Serbia. or his/her descendant, living permanently abroad (release from foreign citizenship is not required);

D) If you do not have permanent residence in Serbia and belong to the Serbian people from any of the states of the former Yugoslavia, or his/her descendant (release from citizenship of other SFRY states is not required).

Application form and original documents received by the Consulate General are sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, who make the final decision in regard to the application.

Please note, the application fee does not include translation of documents from English to Serbian.

Please Note: all documents issued by foreign authorities (AUS/NZ) must be legalised by Apostille, in order to be accepted by the Serbian authorities. Apostille certificates are issued by the relevant government department:

REGISTRATION OF BIRTH AND CITIZENSHIP OF A CHILD - up to the age of 23.
(Form No. 14 and 13)

A child born abroad may acquire Citizenship of the Republic of Serbia, by origin of parents, if at the time of the child's birth at least one parent was a citizen of the Republic of Serbia. These conditions also apply to persons over the age of 18 and up to the age of 23.

Registration is made through the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia in Sydney by one or both parents, who are citizens of the Republic of Serbia. The application is then forwarded to the Registry Office in Serbia for processing, in the last place of residence of a parent.

Consent is also required for children over the age of 14. Child's consent form is signed in front of a Consular officer in Sydney or a Justice of the Piece, if lodging the application by post.

To register the birth and citizenship of a child born abroad, the following is required:

  1. Application for registration of birth (Form No. 14completed and signed by both parents, as well as the child, if over 18 years of age. If the application is submitted by post, signatures must be witnessed by a JP. If the application is made by a single parent, written consent of the other parent or a parenting court order is required;
  2. Application for Citizenship (Form No. 13), completed and signed by the parent who held the citizenship of R. Serbia at the time of the child's birth, witnessed by a consular officer or Justice of the peace, if sending by post;
  3. Original birth certificate of the child issued by Australia/NZ authorities, legalised with a current "APOSTILLE" certificate and translated into Serbian language by a certified translator or by the Consulate;
  4. Proof of Serbian citizenship of the parents (citizenship certificate). If one parent is not a Serbian citizen, proof of other citizenship is required;
  5. Proof of residence of parents in Australia/NZ (AUS/NZ passport or visa)
  6. Photocopy of passport of both parents and child or document of identification with a photograph;
  7. Marriage Certificate of parents. If married outside of Serbia, marriage needs to be registered in the Registry of Marriages in Serbia (see section on "Notification of Marriage" under Consular Services). If parents are not married, evidence of paternal recognition is required (legal document or signed and certified Statement), written or translated into Serbian language.

Application fee: AUD $ 21.00;

Translation of documents from English to Serbian: AUD $ 78.00 per document.

Fees may be paid in cash at the Consulate; money order or bank cheque made out to “The Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia” if sent by post.

If applying in person, an appointment is required, by booking on-line in the e-CONSULATE.

ADMISSION OF A FOREIGNER - (Form No. 2)

A foreigner who is, under regulations on foreigners’ residency and movement, granted permanent residence in the Republic of Serbia, may be granted citizenship of the Republic of Serbia, provided that they are over 18 years of age and not deprived of legal capacity and released from the citizenship of the foreign country they hold.

The pre-requisite of permanent residence includes three (3) consecutive years of approved temporary residence in the Republic of Serbia, approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia.

A foreigner who has at least three years of marriage to a Serbian citizen and who has been granted permanent residence in the Republic of Serbia, may also be granted citizenship of the Republic of Serbia, if they sign a statement accepting Republic of Serbia as his/her country.

Citizenship of the Republic of Serbia may also be granted to a foreigner (and their spouse) whose admission represents an interest to the Republic of Serbia, on recommendation by the competent Ministry. The decision on admission in this case is made by the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

In order to submit the application, the following documents are required:

  1. Completed application form (PDF)
  2. Signed declaration confirming that the Applicant accepts the Republic of Serbia as their country;
  3. Proof of release from foreign citizenship or other evidence that you will be released from that citizenship, if granted citizenship of the Republic of Serbia;
  4. Proof of three continuous years of registered residence in Serbia prior to submitting the application;

If a foreign country does not allow release from citizenship or sets conditions for release that the applicant can not meet, the requirements referred to in point 3 shall not be required if the applicant submits a statement renouncing his/her foreign citizenship upon acquisition of citizenship of the Republic of Serbia.
Renouncement or loss of previous citizenship will not be required if it is not possible or can not be reasonably expected.

ADMISSION OF AN EMIGRANT FROM THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA OR THEIR DESCENDANT - (Form No. 4)

An emigrant (an individual who emigrated from the Republic of Serbia with intention of permanently living abroad) and his/her descendant may be granted Serbian citizenship if they are over 18 years of age and have legal capacity and if they sign a statement that they accept Serbia to be their country.

In order to submit the application, the following documents are required:

  1. Original Birth Certificate (Australian/NZ birth certificates must be legalised by Apostille and translated into the Serbian language. If children are included in the application their birth certificates must be submitted in the same manner);
  2. Original Marriage Certificate (if married). Foreign documents must be legalised by Apostille and translated into Serbian.
  3. Proof of emigration (copy of emigrant visa, travel document, proof of immigration from a foreign authority or statement by the applicant detailing the circumstances of emigration for him/herself or his/her ancestors, or some other evidence that would confirm that the applicant has emigrated from the territory of the Republic of Serbia);
  4. If a child over the age of 14 is included in the application, their written consent is required, certified by a Consular officer or by a Justice of the Piece;
  5. Signed declaration confirming that the applicant accepts Republic of Serbia as his/her country.
  6. Completed Form No.4  (PDF or Word) for admission into the citizenship of Republic of Serbia. Signature of the applicant must be witnessed by a Consular Officer or by a Justice of the Piece.

The application fee: for Australia AUD$ 370.00 may be paid in cash at the Consulate; or by money order or bank cheque made out to “The Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia”, if sent by mail. 

ADMISSION OF SERBIAN PEOPLE FROM FORMER YUGOSLAVIA OR THEIR DESCENDANT - (Form No.6)

A member of Serbian people, who does not have residence in the Republic of Serbia, may be admitted to citizenship of the Republic of Serbia, without being released from foreign citizenship, if 18 years and older and has not been deprived of legal capacity and signs a statement accepting the Republic of Serbia as his/her country.

Applications are submitted to the Consulate General of Serbia and forwarded to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Serbia for processing. In order to submit the application, the following documents are required:

  1. Application Form No. 6 (PDF or Word-with translation), completed in the Serbian language and signed in front of a Consular Officer or by a Justice of the Peace, if lodging the application by post;
  2. Signed declaration confirming that the applicant accepts the Republic of Serbia as his/her country, signed in front of a Consular officer or by a Justice of the Peace;
  3. Original Birth Certificate, not older than 6 (six) months from the date of issue. If born in AUS/NZ, birth certificate must be legalised by Apostille and translated into Serbian language by a certified translator;
  4. Original Citizenship Certificate from the Republic of the Former SFRY, where the applicant was born/registered, not older than 6 months from the date of issue.
    • If born in Australia/NZ, original citizenship certificate must be legalised by Apostille and translated into Serbian by a certified translator. Evidence of Australian Citizenship can be obtained from the Department of Home Affairs and for NZ see www.govt.nz;
  5. Evidence of Serbian heritage (eg. copy of Serbian citizenship certificate or any other document that confirms the Serbian nationality of the applicant or their parent/grandparent);
  6. Original Marriage Certificate (if married). If married outside the country of birth (SFRY), foreign marriages must be registered in the country of birth. Australian/NZ Marriage Certificates must be legalised by Apostille and translated into Serbian by a certified translator;
  7. Copy of a valid document of Identity with a photograph (eg. ID card, passport, driver licence);
  8. If children under the age of 18 are included in the parent's application, please include:
  • Original birth certificate of the child. If born in AUS/NZ, Birth Certificate must be legalised by Apostille and translated into Serbian language;
  • Written and certified consent of the second parent;
  • Declaration confirming that the child accepts the Republic of Serbia as his/her country, signed by both parents (and child over 14 years), in front of a Consular officer or by a Justice of the Peace;
  • Written consent of the child, if over the age of 14.
  • Copy of Passport or Photo ID of the child.

Apostille certificates are issued by:

NOTE:  If the applicant did not acquire the citizenship of the country of birth, a confirmation statement issued by the civil registry of that country is required.

The application fee of AUD$ 370.00 may be paid in cash over the counter at the Consulate; or by money order or bank cheque made out to “The Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia-Sydney” if sent by mail. 

Translation of documents from English to Serbian: AUD $ 78.00 per document.

If applying in person, an appointment is required, by booking on-line in the e-CONSULATE.

ADMISSION OF SERBIAN PEOPLE FROM FORMER YUGOSLAVIA WITH REFUGEE STATUS - (Form No.7)

Member of the Serbian people or some other nation or ethnic group from the territory of the Republic of Serbia who does not have residence on the territory of the Republic of Serbia, may be admitted to citizenship of the Republic of Serbia, if 18 years of age and is not deprived of legal capacity and signs a statement accepting the Republic of Serbia as his/her country.

Under these provisions, a person born in a Republic of the former SFRY who held citizenship of that Republic, or citizenship of another Republic of the former SFRY and had escaped to the Republic of Serbia or another country abroad, with established refugee status, or as an internally displaced person, may be admitted into the Citizenship of the Republic of Serbia.

In order to submit the application, the following documents are required:

  1. Completed application Form No. 7 (PDF or Word form), signed in front of a Consular Officer or by a Justice of the Peace, if lodging application by post;
  2. Signed declaration confirming that the Applicant accepts the Republic of Serbia as his/her country, certified by a Consular Officer or by a Justice of the Piece;
  3. Original Birth Certificate, not older than 6 months from the date of issue;
  4. Original Citizenship Certificate of the state of birth in former SFRY, not older than 6 months;
  5. Original Marriage Certificate (if married). If married outside the country of birth (SFRY), foreign marriages must be registered in the country of birth. Australian/NZ Marriage Certificates must be legalised by Apostille and translated into Serbian by a certified translator;
  6. Proof of Refugee status (eg. Copy of the Refugee Identity Card, Commissioner for Refugees or Red Cross regugee certificate);
  7. Copy of a Document of Identity with a photograph (eg. ID card, passport, driver licence);

Application fee of AUD$ 118.00 may be paid in cash at the Consulate; or by money order or bank cheque made out to “The Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia”, if sent by mail.

Translation of documents from English to Serbian: AUD $ 78.00 per document.

If applying in person, an appointment is required, by booking on-line in the e-CONSULATE.

TERMINATION OF SERBIAN CITIZENSHIP BY RELEASE - (Form No. 9)

A citizen of the Republic of Serbia  may be released from the Serbian citizenship, if the following requirements are met:

  1. Applicant is over the age of 18;
  2. has no impediments with military service requirements;
  3. tax and other legal obligations in Serbia have been met;
  4. marital status and child maintenance responsibilities in Serbia have been regulated,
  5. there is no pending criminal proceeding in Serbia for the crimes prosecuted ex officio, and if sentenced to prison in Serbia - the sentence has been served;
  6. is a holder of a foreign citizenship or submits proof that foreign citizenship will be granted.

Request for Termination of Citizenship is completed on Form No. 9 PDF. Additional Questionary Form must be completed as well and enclosed with the Application and the following documents:

  1. Birth Certificate, not older than 6 months from the date of issue ( if children are included in the Application, their birth certificates should be enclosed ),
  2. Proof of citizenship of the Republic of Serbia, not older than 6 months from the date of issue:
    • Certificate of Serbian Citizenship, not older than 6 months from the date of issue, or;
    • an Extract from the Yugoslav Citizenship Registry that was kept by the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs and issued in accordance to the law, or;
    • an Extract from the Civil Registry of Birth stating the fact of the citizenship of the Republic of Serbia that has been registered in accordance to the law, not older than 6 months from the date of issue, or;
    • passport of the Republic of Serbia.
  3. Certificate of completed military service or approval of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Serbia that there are no impediment to termination of the Serbian citizenship in regard to military service requirements;
  4. Certificate or other proof of foreign citizenship or guarantee that foreign citizenship will be granted (and of the children if they are included in the Application),
  5. Consent in writing of the other parent, if the same application seeking termination of citizenship includes children up to the age of 18 (consent of the parent giving the authorization must be certified by the court or the municipal authority in Serbia, or at the Diplomatic/Consular Mission of the Republic of Serbia abroad);
  6. Opinion of the competent guardianship authority in the Republic of Serbia, or opinion of the D/CM of Serbia overseas, if the Applicant and children are residing overseas (in the case of failed marital relationship);
  7. Consent of the child over 14 years of age signed in front of an official of the competent authority in the R. Serbia or at the D/CM of Serbia overseas;
  8. Decree Nisi Made Absolute or Certificate of Divorce (if the parents are divorced) or a copy certified by a competent authority in R. Serbia or by D/CM of Serbia overseas (in case the Application is submitted by a parent who has full custody of a child);
  9. Opinion of the competent guardianship of the R. Serbia or D/CM of Serbia overseas if the other parent doesn’t give approval for termination of the citizenship or his/her residence is unknown, or is deprived of legal capacity or parental rights;
  10. Certificate on the full adoption of a child in cases where the requested termination of the citizenship of the Republic of Serbia includes adopted child under 18 years of age (when the Application is submitted by adoptive parent who is a foreigner, proof of foreign citizenship must be enclosed ).

The application fee of AUD$ 755.00 may be paid in cash over the counter at the Consulate, or by bank cheque or money order made out to “The Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia”.

If applying in person, an appointment is required, by booking on-line in the e-CONSULATE.

RE-ACQUISITION OF CITIZENSHIP OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA - (Form No. 10)

An individual who was released from the citizenship of Republic of Serbia and acquired a foreign citizenship as well as an individual whose Serbian citizenship was terminated at the request of his/her parents, either by release or by renunciation of the same, may acquire again the citizenship of Republic of Serbia, if he/she is 18 years of age, if he/she have not been deprived of legal capacity and submits a written statement that he/she considers Republic of Serbia as his/her own country.

The application is submitted on Form No.10, with the following documents:      

  1. Original Birth certificate - with hologram.
  2. A copy of the official Decision on the release from the citizenship of the Republic of Serbia.
  3. Proof of foreign citizenship - for AUS/NZ legalised by Apstille.
  4. Application Form No. 10 (PDF)) completed by the Applicant and signed in front of a Consular officer or by a Justice of the Piece. 
  5. Declaration accepting the Republic of Serbia as his/hers country, signed in front of a Consular officer or by a Justice of the Piece.
  6. A photo-copy of photo ID, including Australian/NZ passport.

Application fee of AUD $ 370.00 may be paid in cash over the counter at the Consulate; or by money order or bank cheque made out to “The Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia” if sent by mail. 

VERIFICATION OF CITIZENSHIP OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA - (Form No. 11)

If you have acquired citizenship of the Republic of Serbia by birth (ie. you were born in Serbia) or by descent (ie. both parents were citizens of R. Serbia at the time of your birth) and have not been entered in the birth register or the register of citizens of the Republic of Serbia in accordance with regulations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs shall verify and confirm your citizenship, at your request.
       
Application for verification of citizenship requires the following:

  1. Completed application form No. 11 (PDF or MS Word form), signed in front of a Consular Officer or a Justice of the Peace, if lodging application by post;
  2. Evidence that he/she is not registered in the records of citizens of the Republic of Serbia on the territory of Serbia (by place of birth of the Applicant, or by the place of birth or place of residence of parents), or signed consent for search of public records (Form No.1).
  3. Original Serbian birth certificate, with hologram. If born in AUS/NZ, Birth Certificate must be legalised by "Apostille" and translated into Serbian by a certified translator;
  4. Evidence of current citizenship (if the applicant has the citizenship of one of the countries of the former SFRY, confirmation on when and on what basis it was granted);
  5. Original Serbian citizenship certificates of both parents (if the applicant was born in Serbia, evidence of Serbian citizenship at the time of applicant's birth, of one parent is sufficient);
  6. Original marriage certificate of the applicant (if married), with hologram. If married in Australia/NZ, Marriage Certificate must be legalised by Apostille certificate and translated into Serbian by a certified translator;
  7. Copy of a current Document of Identity with a photograph (eg. ID card, passport, driver licence);
  8. Other supporting documents (eg. previous decisions on citizenship, old passports, military records, school certificates etc.).

The application fee is AUD$ 117.00 and is payable in cash, over the counter at the Consulate, or by a bank cheque or money order in the name of “the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia-Sydney".

Translation of documents from English to Serbian: AUD $ 78.00 per document.

If applying in person, an appointment is required, by booking on-line in the e-CONSULATE.

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For futher information on citizenship please refer to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of RS web site.


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