We found no public tool that shows a Serbian work permit's status from a passport number. Case details sit in Serbia's official eServices portal, which needs a registered account. For Indians, a real route always runs in the same order: the employer's labour market test, then a D visa from the Serbian Embassy, then a biometric card in Serbia.
In August 2025, Delhi Police's Crime Branch arrested two men who had shown 19 Nepali job seekers fabricated Serbian job offer letters and counterfeit visas, the Indian Express reported. The victims handed over their passports and about €3,500 each.
This guide shows the real order of documents, what a genuine card looks like, and the Serbia-specific red flags.
Can you check a Serbian work permit by passport number?
We found no public Serbian tool that shows a permit's status from a passport number alone. Case-specific information sits in the official eServices portal, which needs a registered account linked to the case. You can still check that your documents follow the legal order, check the employer and agency in official registers, and use only .gov.rs websites.
- Where case data lives: the official eServices portal for foreigners, eforeigner.welcometoserbia.gov.rs, which needs a registered account. Employers use the eGovernment portal.
- What you can do: check the order of your documents (next section), check the employer in the official business register, and have the file reviewed.
- Look-alike sites: only trust domains ending in .gov.rs. Look-alike "verification portals" with similar names appear in search results. Don't enter your passport details on them.
Got a Serbian offer or "permit"? Get it checked →
How do Indians actually get permission to work in Serbia?
Indians get permission to work in Serbia in three stages, always in this order. The employer runs a labour market test with the National Employment Service, you apply for an employment D visa at the Serbian Embassy in New Delhi, and once in Serbia you apply for a single permit card while the D visa is still valid.
| Stage | Who does it | Where | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Labour market test | Employer (or someone it authorises) files the vacancy registration (PPZ) form; the system generates an ID number | National Employment Service, eGovernment or Foreign National's Portal | Nothing yet. The employer holds the ID number |
| 2. D visa (employment) | You apply online through welcometoserbia.gov.rs, then submit your passport at the Serbian Embassy in New Delhi | Embassy of Serbia, New Delhi | A visa in your passport: entry and stay of 90–180 days, and the right to work |
| 3. Single permit | You or the employer apply electronically while your D visa is still valid | Foreign National's Portal, then biometrics with police in Serbia | A biometric card, "TEMPORARY RESIDENCE AND WORK PERMIT", for up to three years |
Sources: Single Permit Rulebook, Ministry of the Interior (Official Gazette 6/2024); National Employment Service; welcometoserbia.gov.rs: D visa; welcometoserbia.gov.rs: residence and work; eServices help.
Three facts help you spot impossible documents:
- Indians need a visa. Indian ordinary passport holders need a visa for Serbia (Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). A valid multi-entry Schengen, UK or US visa may allow short visa-free visits, but not work (MFA).
- The D visa comes first. A D visa issued for employment lets you enter, stay and start working (welcometoserbia.gov.rs).
- The single permit replaced separate work permits. Since 1 February 2024, the single permit combines temporary residence and work. Work permits issued under the old rules stay valid until they expire (Rulebook). So an older permit isn't automatically fake, but a new 2026 "work permit letter" in the old style needs explaining.
What does a real Serbian single permit card look like?
A real Serbian single permit is a mainly blue polycarbonate ID card with a chip, titled "TEMPORARY RESIDENCE AND WORK PERMIT", with text in Serbian Cyrillic and English. It only exists after Serbian police have taken your fingerprints, so a genuine card cannot be in your hands before you have been to Serbia.
According to the Single Permit Rulebook (Articles 17–18):
- Front: the title "TEMPORARY RESIDENCE AND WORK PERMIT", your name, date of birth, gender, citizenship, registration number, valid-until date, grounds of residence, photo, signature and the note "single permit".
- Back: document serial number, personal identification number, country of birth, issuing authority, date of issue and a machine-readable zone.
- Physical features: an ID-1 size polycarbonate card with a chip, mainly blue on the front. Security features include microprinting, optically variable ink, guilloche lines, UV printing and a DOVID (a hologram-type element).
- Biometrics: fingerprints are taken by a Serbian police officer after an identity check (Rulebook, Articles 15–16).
A PDF or a photo can't show any of these security features. Seeing them needs the physical card, and a genuine card only exists after biometrics.
A PDF can't show security features. Have an expert look at the whole file instead. Verdict within 24 hours, from ₹1,600 incl. GST. Check my documents →
How do you check a Serbian job offer, visa or permit from India?
Checking a Serbian job offer, visa or permit from India takes six steps: identify your document's stage, check the employer in Serbia's business register, get the labour market test ID from the employer, check the agency and your Indian agent, apply for the D visa yourself, and know what happens after arrival. Most fakes fail one.
1. Identify what you actually have
Is it a job offer letter, a draft contract, a "work permit" letter, a visa scan or a photo of a card? Match it to the three stages above. A "permit card" before a D visa means stop.
2. Check the employer in Serbia
Search the official business register, the APR unified search, by company name or registration number (matični broj). The name, address and activity must match your contract. The interface is in Serbian, so use your browser's translate function.
3. Ask the employer, not the agent, for the labour market test ID
The labour market test generates an ID number that goes into the single permit application. If you file yourself, you get the ID from the employer (Rulebook, Article 5). Ask for the draft employment contract too.
4. Check the agency and your Indian agent
In Serbia, the Ministry of Labour publishes a register of licensed employment agencies, in Serbian, along with a list of companies found recruiting without a licence. In India, recruiting agents must be registered: look up the agent on the MEA's list of registered recruiting agents on eMigrate.
5. Apply for the D visa yourself
You apply online through welcometoserbia.gov.rs and submit your passport at the Serbian Embassy in New Delhi. The Embassy's FAQ lists the D visa fee as €52 (₹5,222) and says passports are accepted Monday to Thursday, 11:00–13:00, without a special appointment (Embassy of Serbia, New Delhi). So "appointment slot" fees are a red flag.
6. After arrival
The single permit application is filed electronically while your D visa is still valid (eServices help). Then you give biometrics to the police.
If the documents still look doubtful, have them examined independently. Check my Serbia documents →
What can a Serbian employer or agency legally charge you?
Serbia's Law on Employment and Unemployment Insurance gives job seekers the right to use the National Employment Service and employment agencies free of charge, according to Serbia's Social Insurance Institute. The official cost you will see from India is the D visa fee of €52 (₹5,222). Large "permit" or "approval" fees are a warning sign.
- Agency services: free for job seekers under the Law on Employment and Unemployment Insurance (Social Insurance Institute summary).
- Licences: employment agencies need a licence from the Ministry of Labour (register).
- Official costs: the D visa fee of €52 (₹5,222) (Embassy FAQ). There are also administrative fees for the permit card in Serbia; check the current amount on the Ministry of the Interior's website rather than trusting the agent's figure.
- India side: if an Indian agent cheated you, complain to the office of the Protector General of Emigrants with the agent's details, as the MEA advises, and report online payment fraud at cybercrime.gov.in or call the national cyber crime helpline 1930 (PIB).
What are the warning signs of a fake Serbian work permit?
The clearest warning sign of a fake Serbian work permit is a single permit card, or a photo of one, before you have been to Serbia. Others are agents who apply for your visa or sell slots, fees far above the €52 visa fee, no labour market test ID, and promises of jobs in Europe.
- ✗ You're shown a single permit card, or a photo of one, before you have a D visa or have travelled to Serbia.
- ✗ A stand-alone "work permit" letter is presented as your 2026 permission to work instead of a D visa or a single permit card. (Older permits issued before February 2024 can be genuine, so ask why.)
- ✗ The agent, not you, "applies" for your D visa, or charges for an "embassy appointment".
- ✗ Fees far above the official €52 visa fee, labelled "permit fee", "approval fee" or "visa guarantee", paid in cash or UPI to individuals.
- ✗ No labour market test ID number, no draft employment contract, or an employer you can't find in APR.
- ✗ A Serbian agency missing from the Ministry of Labour register, or an Indian agent not on eMigrate.
- ✗ A promise that Serbia leads to jobs in "Europe" or Schengen countries.
- ✗ "Verification portals" that aren't on .gov.rs.
- ✗ Your passport collected "for processing" weeks before any visa appointment.
Is Serbia a back door to jobs in Europe?
No, Serbia is not a back door to jobs in Europe. Serbia is not in the EU or the Schengen area, and a Serbian D visa or single permit does not allow work in EU countries. The Embassy of India in Belgrade has warned about agents promising onward travel through Serbia and says you need separate visas.
- The Indian Embassy's warning: Indians complained that agents promised onward travel to other European countries via Serbia. The Embassy advises taking separate visas for other countries (Embassy of India, Belgrade).
- What a Serbian permit covers: living and working in Serbia, not elsewhere in Europe.
If you were promised a job "in Europe" and ended up with a Serbian offer, read our guides for Croatia, Romania and Poland, or check any European work permit.
Which Serbia job scams have been reported in India?
Two recent Serbia job scam cases from India follow the same pattern: fake Serbian job offers, counterfeit visas and large payments to agents. One involved Nepali job seekers recruited in Delhi, the other Tamil Nadu residents defrauded through a Lucknow-linked operation. Both are reported news, not court findings.
- Delhi Crime Branch (August 2025): police arrested two men who had shown 19 Nepali job seekers fabricated Serbian job offer letters and counterfeit visas. The victims surrendered their passports and paid about €3,500 each, nearly ₹70 lakh in total (Indian Express; Sunday Guardian).
- Lucknow (June 2025): ten Tamil Nadu residents lost ₹90 lakh over fake Serbian visas; their flights were cancelled at the last moment (The420.in).
What should you check before you pay for a Serbia job?
Before paying for a Serbia job, confirm eleven things: the employer is in APR, the contract matches, you have the labour market test ID, the agency is licensed, your Indian agent is registered, you apply for the visa yourself, no slot fee, no card before the visa, no promise of Europe, official fees only, and only .gov.rs websites.
- ✓ The employer appears in the APR register.
- ✓ The contract's name, address and job match the register and the offer letter.
- ✓ The employer (not the agent) gave me the labour market test ID number.
- ✓ Any Serbian agency is in the Ministry of Labour register.
- ✓ My Indian agent is registered on eMigrate.
- ✓ I am applying for the D visa myself.
- ✓ Nobody charged me for an "embassy slot".
- ✓ Nobody showed me a "permit card" before I had a visa.
- ✓ Nobody promised onward jobs in the EU.
- ✓ I'm paying only official fees.
- ✓ I've only used websites ending in .gov.rs.
Still unsure about the offer, the "permit" or the visa? Upload the documents. A human expert reviews the whole file and you get a written verdict within 24 hours, from ₹1,600 incl. GST. Check my Serbia documents → Who runs this service, and how to check us →
What if you can't check the documents yourself?
An independent check of your Serbian documents is the next step if the agent won't share the employer's details, you only have PDFs and photos, or your family needs a written answer before paying. Do it after the official checks above. It adds to the registers and the Embassy; it doesn't replace them.
Testiy is an independent document check for overseas job offers, work permits and visas, run by ARK Tech & Logistics in Thrissur, Kerala. Testiy is not affiliated with any embassy, VFS Global or immigration agency. An AI scan helps a human expert in Germany find signs of editing, and the expert, not the AI, gives the verdict, often after contacting the employer named in the document. The verdict comes within 24 hours, with a certificate and a public verify link, from ₹1,600 incl. GST.
The service does not contact Serbian authorities, speed up a visa, or guarantee one. See how verification works, pricing and refund terms.
Frequently asked questions
Can I check a Serbian work permit by passport number?
We found no public Serbian tool that shows a work permit's status from a passport number. Case details are in the official eServices portal at welcometoserbia.gov.rs, which needs a registered account. Check the employer in the APR register, ask the employer for the labour market test ID, and use only .gov.rs websites.
Do Indians need a visa to work in Serbia?
Yes, Indian ordinary passport holders need a visa, and to work you need a long-stay D visa issued for employment. It lets you enter, stay up to 180 days and work. To stay longer, you apply for a single permit while the D visa is still valid.
What is a Serbian single permit?
A Serbian single permit is a combined temporary residence and work permit, issued by the Ministry of the Interior since February 2024 as a biometric ID card. Applications are filed online by you or your employer, and fingerprints are taken by Serbian police, so you can't hold a genuine card before you've been to Serbia.
What does a real Serbian work permit look like?
A real Serbian single permit is a blue polycarbonate ID card with a chip, titled "TEMPORARY RESIDENCE AND WORK PERMIT", in Serbian Cyrillic and English. It shows your name, date of birth, citizenship, registration number, validity date, grounds of residence and photo, and the back has the issuing authority and a machine-readable zone.
How much does a Serbian work visa cost from India?
The Serbian Embassy in New Delhi lists the D visa fee as €52 (₹5,222). Job seekers have a legal right to free services from Serbian employment agencies. Treat large "permit", "approval" or "slot" fees paid to an agent as a warning sign.
Can I go from Serbia to other European countries with a Serbian visa?
No, a Serbian visa doesn't let you go on to other European countries. The Embassy of India in Belgrade warns about agents promising onward travel through Serbia, and you need a separate visa for every other European country. A Serbian visa or permit doesn't allow work in EU countries either.
More country guides: Check any European work permit · Malta · Italy · Luxembourg · Greece · Portugal · Bulgaria · Poland · Germany · Romania · Croatia
Last checked against official sources: 8 October 2026.