Indian Passport Holders: Till now diplomatic and official Indian passport holders were allowed to visit the country without a visa for 90 days, while this period was 30 days for ordinary passport holders.
Serbia News: The Government of Serbia has decided to end visa-free entry for Indians. From January 1, 2023, Indian passport holders will no longer have the facility to travel to Serbia without a valid visa. This step has been taken to control illegal immigration and to comply with the requirements of the European Visa Policy.
In a statement, the government said, “The existing arrangement of visa-free entry into the country for all Indian passport holders for a stay of up to 30 days in Serbia has been withdrawn.”
Earlier, holders of diplomatic and official Indian passports were allowed to visit the country without a visa for 90 days, while this period was 30 days for ordinary passport holders.
This system was started in 2017
Visa-free entry was introduced by Serbia in September 2017. Indians traveling to Serbia cannot travel to other countries including Serbia’s neighboring countries and other European countries on visa-free entry basis.
Indian Embassy issued advisory
Following this announcement by the Government of Serbia, the Indian Embassy in the capital Belgrade issued an advisory informing Indian citizens about the change in visa rules.
The advisory said, ‘From January 1, 2023, all Indian nationals traveling to Serbia will require a visa to enter the Republic of Serbia. The existing arrangement of visa-free entry for all Indian passport holders for a stay of up to 30 days in Serbia has been withdrawn by the Government of Serbia. Indian citizens who intend to visit Serbia on or after January 1, 2023, should apply for a visa at the Embassy of Serbia in New Delhi or the country where they reside.
The advisory also states that Indians with valid Schengen, UK visas, or United States visas or with resident status in these countries can still enter Serbia for up to 90 days.
