The good news and the complication

Serbia welcomes Americans — you can enter without a visa and stay 30 days at a time. The complication is that the US taxes its citizens on worldwide income regardless of where they live. That changes the tax calculation compared to most other nationalities.

Your visa situation

US citizens can enter Serbia without a visa and stay 30 days per entry — not 90 like EU, Canadian, and Australian citizens. This surprises many Americans.

After 30 days you must leave Serbia. You can re-enter for another 30 days. Many Americans do this for short-term stays.

30 days, not 90. US citizens get 30 days per entry, not 90. This is a common source of confusion. If you want to stay longer, you need a residence permit.

To stay longer than 30 days at a stretch, you need a Temporary Residence Permit. The most common route: register as a freelancer (pausalac) and use that as the basis for a residency application. Marko handles this for many American expats.

The tax situation — important

The US is one of only two countries in the world that taxes its citizens on worldwide income, regardless of where they live. This means:

This does not mean Serbia is a bad choice for Americans — it means you need proper tax advice. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) lets many Americans exclude a significant portion of foreign income from US tax. Combined with Serbia's low flat-rate tax, many American expats end up paying less overall than they would in the US. But you need a US tax professional who specialises in expats to structure this correctly.

What about Serbian taxes?

If you register as a freelancer in Serbia (pausalac), you pay a fixed monthly amount to Serbia — typically €80–250/month covering income tax, health insurance, and pension. This is very low compared to US self-employment tax rates. A US expat tax specialist can help you understand how this interacts with your US filing obligations.

Banking for Americans

Americans face more friction opening accounts globally than most other nationalities due to FATCA (a US law that requires foreign banks to report American account holders to the IRS). Some Serbian banks are more willing to deal with this than others. Raiffeisen Bank is generally the most accommodating for Americans.

Wise works well for Americans and sidesteps the FATCA issue for day-to-day money management. Many American expats in Serbia use Wise as their primary financial tool.

The American community in Belgrade

There is a decent American expat community in Belgrade — enough that you will find fellow Americans in expat groups and meetups. The "Expats in Belgrade" Facebook group is the main gathering point. The US Embassy is located in Belgrade if you ever need consular services.

What Americans love about Serbia