Opening a company (DOO) in Serbia: LLC registration with the APR, documents, timelines and taxes

What a DOO is and why foreigners choose it

A DOO is a legal entity whose founders are liable for its debts only up to the capital they have contributed. The minimum share capital is 100 RSD (less than one euro), and it can be paid in within the period stated in the founding act, but no later than five years. A foreign citizen or a foreign company may own 100% of the stake, be the sole founder and at the same time the director; there is no residency requirement for the director.

Other forms — the preduzetnik (sole trader), the joint-stock company, a branch (ogranak) and a representative office of a foreign company — are used less often. The preduzetnik beats the DOO only for a single specialist with a small turnover; teams, partners and investors choose the DOO.

• Open a sole trader business in Serbia (preduzetnik) and the flat-rate tax

What to decide before filing with the APR

• The name: it is checked for uniqueness in the APR register, is written in Latin or Cyrillic script and ends with “d.o.o.”; foreign words are allowed
• The address (sedište): a real address in Serbia at which the tax office can find the company; it goes into the register and onto every document
• The main activity code (pretežna delatnost) under the Serbian classification — other activities can be carried out without entering them in the register
• The amount of capital and the deadline for paying it in, and the distribution of stakes between founders
• The director (legal representative) and the scope of their powers; several directors are allowed
• The founding act: a decision of the sole founder or an agreement between several

• Office rent in Belgrade for company registration
• Virtual office as the company address

DOO registration with the APR: step-by-step procedure

The incorporation of a DOO is registered with the Business Registers Agency in electronic form only: the application is filed through the APR portal and signed with the qualified electronic signature of the applicant or an authorised representative. A foreign founder without a Serbian certificate normally files through a lawyer or a registration agent under a power of attorney.

1. 1Obtain a foreigner's registration number (EBS) from the MUP for every founder and director who is a natural person; without it an entry in the register is impossible.
2. 2Prepare the founding act and the decision appointing the director. Signatures are certified by a notary or made with a qualified electronic signature.
3. 3Complete the single registration application (JRPPS) on the APR portal, attach the documents and pay the fee.
4. 4Wait for the decision: the APR must register the company within 5 working days from the filing of a complete application.
5. 5Receive the registration decision with the matični broj and the PIB — the tax number is assigned automatically through the single window, together with registration with the insurance funds.
6. 6Open a business bank account using the APR decision, the founding act and the director's passport; pay in the capital.
7. 7Set up access to ePorezi, register for VAT and in the electronic invoicing system (SEF) if needed, and sign a contract with an accountant.

Documents for a foreign founder

An office lease agreement is not required when filing, but the tax office checks the address when issuing the PIB and especially when registering for VAT. A fictitious address is the most common reason for a refusal of the PIB and for blocking VAT registration.

• The foreign passport of the founder and of the director with a certified translation into Serbian
• For a founder that is a legal entity: an extract from the commercial register no older than 3 months with an apostille and a court translation
• The founding act (odluka or ugovor o osnivanju) with certified signatures
• The decision appointing the director and their consent
• A power of attorney for a representative, if you file through a lawyer or an agent
• Receipts for the APR fee and for the publication of the founding act

Timelines and official costs

The full cycle from preparing the documents to a working bank account takes 7–10 working days. State costs are lower than in most EU countries; reference figures in dinars for 2026:

• WarmShell plans and one-off services

Taxes and reporting for a DOO

Serbia keeps one of the lowest flat corporate profit tax rates in Europe, and the company's obligations are clear and predictable as long as there is an accountant from the first month.

• Profit tax — 15%; an advance is paid monthly, the annual return is filed within 180 days after the end of the year
• VAT (PDV) — 20%, with a reduced rate of 10%; registration is mandatory above a turnover of 8,000,000 RSD over 12 months, and voluntary below that
• Dividends to a non-resident — 15% withholding tax, reduced under a double taxation treaty
• Employee salary: 10% tax, employee contributions of 19.9% and employer contributions of 15.15% of gross
• IP Box: income from registered intellectual property is taxed at an effective rate of 3%; R&D costs are deducted at double value
• The annual financial statements are filed with the APR by 31 March of the following year

• Bookkeeping for Serbian companies: VAT, reports, IP Box

A foreign director and the residence permit

A foreigner can be appointed director of a DOO without a residence permit and without a work permit — their details are entered in the APR on the basis of a passport and an EBS number. To receive remuneration and work in Serbia on a permanent basis, the director obtains the single permit for temporary residence and work (jedinstvena dozvola), for which ownership of the company or the position of director is precisely the ground.

The company must be active: paying taxes and contributions, holding a real address and having turnover on its account. The procedure, documents and timelines are collected on a separate page; for those who need support with filing at the MUP, there is a one-off service.

• Serbian residence permit through opening a company: procedure and documents
• Support with the residence permit application

Typical mistakes when starting a business in Serbia

• An address “on paper” with no mailbox and no presence — a refusal of the PIB or of VAT registration after the inspector visits
• The wrong activity code — a licensed activity without a permit, or the loss of the right to reliefs
• A company without an accountant — missed advance payments and fines as early as the first quarter
• No account opened and no capital paid in within the period set by the founding act
• Relations with the director not formalised — questions from the tax office about contributions
• Missed registration in the SEF when working with VAT payers and the public sector

Questions and answers about company registration in Serbia

How registration through WarmShell works

We prepare the founding documents, arrange the certification of signatures and the electronic filing with the APR, obtain the decision with the PIB and matični broj and hand it to you in the dashboard — usually within 5–7 working days. The company address is our office in Belgrade or Novi Sad: virtual from €35 a month or physical with a workplace from €80 a month. After registration, bank account support (€100) and monthly bookkeeping (from €70 a month) are available.

• WarmShell addresses in Belgrade and Novi Sad
• DOO registration cost and plans