Yes, you can change employers in Serbia while holding a unified permit (jedinstvena dozvola), but not on your own initiative. Under the Law on Employment of Foreigners, a foreign worker may move to a new employer, work for two or more employers, or change the basis of work during the validity of the unified permit only after the National Employment Service (Nacionalna služba za zapošljavanje, NSZ) has issued its consent (saglasnost). The new employer has to meet the same conditions that applied when your permit was first assessed, including a labour market test where one is required, and the NSZ has a legal deadline of 10 days from a complete request to decide. Until that consent arrives, you may not start working for the new employer. This guide explains how the change of employer works, who files, what the new employer must prove, what happens on the residence side with the Ministry of the Interior (MUP), and which foreigners do not need consent at all.

How a change of employer works on a unified permit in Serbia

The unified permit is a single document that combines temporary residence and the right to work. The Ministry of the Interior issues it and decides on the residence part, while the NSZ carries out an assessment (procena) of whether the conditions for employment, special cases of employment, or self-employment are met. That assessment is made for a particular employer and particular jobs. The law states plainly that a foreigner may work in Serbia on the jobs for which the unified permit was issued.

Because the permit is anchored to that assessment, a new job with a different employer is not automatically covered. Instead of applying for a completely new unified permit, the amended Law on Employment of Foreigners created a separate act: the consent of the NSZ. According to the NSZ guidance on employment of foreigners, consent is required in three situations during the validity of the permit: a change of employer, work for two or more employers at the same time, and a change of the basis of work.

In practice, you are not locked to one employer for the life of the permit, but the change is conditional: the new employer must qualify, and the NSZ must say yes before you start.

What the unified permit actually covers

The official portal for foreigners on residence and work lists the purposes for which work is built into the unified permit: employment under an employment contract or another contract that gives rights from work under the Labour Law, self-employment through registering a business, posted workers (upućeno lice) under a business and technical cooperation contract, intra-company transfers (kretanje u okviru privrednog društva), independent professionals, and training and development such as internships, specialisation and work practice.

Each of these is a separate "basis" of work. If you hold a unified permit as an employee of Company A, the permit reflects the employment assessment made for Company A. If you want to register your own business, that is a change of basis, not a change of employer, but it still needs NSZ consent, and the NSZ applies the self-employment conditions rather than the employment conditions.

The same portal explains that the unified permit can be issued for up to three years, depending on the reasons and evidence in each case, and that permits are issued as biometric documents. A change of employer during that period does not, according to the official guidance we reviewed, require you to start the residence application from scratch. What it requires is consent on the work side.

The NSZ consent requirement explained.d

The legal basis is Article 11 of the Law on Employment of Foreigners as replaced by the amending law, which the NSZ publishes as the amending law on employment of foreigners. Its key points are:

• A foreigner may work in the jobs for which a unified permit for employment, special cases of employment, or self-employment was issued.
• During the validity of the permit, a request for a change of basis of work, a change of employer,r or employment with two or more employers can be filed.
• The locally competent organisational unit of the NSZ decides within 10 days of receiving a complete request.
• An appeal against that decision is decided finally by the minister responsible for employment.
• Only after obtaining consent may the foreigner change the basis of work or the employer, or take up work with two or more employers.
• The Government may, depending on labour market conditions and after an opinion of the Social and Economic Council, exempt certain categories of foreigners, shortage occupations or particular occupations from the consent requirement.

We could not confirm from official sources that the Government has adopted an act exempting any category from consent. Until the NSZ or the Government publishes such an act, assume that consent applies to you if you hold a unified permit for employment.

Three situations that need consent

A new employer. You leave Employer A and want to work for Employer B. This is the most common case and the subject of most of this guide.

Two or more employers. You keep your job with Employer A but want a second contract with Employer B, for example, part-time work in the evenings. You need consent before starting with Employer B, even though your first job continues.

A change of basis. You move from employment to self-employment, or from another basis to employment. The NSZ assesses the conditions for the new basis.

Who can file the request?

The NSZ guidance states that the request may be filed by the foreigner, by the employer on the foreigner's behalf, or by a legal or natural person authorised by either of them. This is useful: you do not need to wait for your new employer to act, and the new employer does not need your physical presence at an office. In most real cases, the new employer prepares the request because it holds the evidence the NSZ needs.

What the new employer must prove

The NSZ states that the conditions and evidence for consent are the same as those for the assessment it carries out in the unified permit procedure. For a change of employer, that means the employment assessment. Under Article 16 of the Law on Employment of Foreigners, the employment assessment is based on the labour market situation and the following conditions:

• The employer has not dismissed staff as redundant for technological, economic,c or organisational reasons in the jobs concerned within 90 days before filing.
• The employer has initiated a labour market test (test tržišta rada) in line with the law.
• There is a draft employment contract or another contract that gives rights to work.

The labour market test for the new employer

The labour market test is run by the NSZ, which checks whether its register contains people who meet the employer's requirements and have the right to work. According to the NSZ English guidance for employers and foreigners, the employer starts the test by submitting the vacancy registration form (Prijava potrebe za zapošljavanjem, often called the PPZ form). The form can be filed through eUprava, through the portal for foreigners together with an application, or at an NSZ branch. Filing generates an ID number that is then entered in the related request. An employer that already holds a valid ID number for the same job does not need to start a new test.

The law also requires the NSZ to prepare its report on the labour demand within four days of the test being started. A positive outcome is not guaranteed: if suitable candidates with the right to work are on the register, that affects the assessment.

Related company rules

Article 16a adds anti-abuse rules for groups of companies. An employer that dismisses its own staff for technological, economic or organisational reasons may not, for three months, engage a foreigner employed by a related entity for the same or similar jobs, and the reverse also applies. A "related entity" is one linked under company law with its seat in the same NSZ branch area. If your new employer is a sister company of your old one, ask whether these rules affect the move.

Step by step through the change of employer

1. Check your status. Confirm that you hold a valid unified permit on the basis of employment and note its expiry date. If it is close to expiry, see the section on renewal below before you plan a move.
2. Agree terms with the new employer in writing. You need a draft employment contract (or another contract giving rights from work) naming the employer, the job, the place of work and pay. Ask whether the stated salary is gross (bruto) or net (neto).
3. The new employer starts the labour market test. It files the PPZ form and obtains the test ID number, unless it already holds a valid one for the job.
4. File the consent request. The request (zahtev za izdavanje saglasnosti) is filed with the NSZ branch covering the new employer's registered seat. The NSZ publishes the request form on its NSZ page of permit forms.
5. Pay the administrative fee and attach proof of payment.
6. Wait for the decision. The legal deadline is 10 days from receipt of a complete request. Missing documents restart the practical clock because the request is not yet complete.
7. Receive consent, then start work. Only after consent may you begin working for the new employer.
8. Close the old job properly. End your old contract in line with the Labour Law, collect final pay and documents, and make sure both employers handle social insurance registration and deregistration.
9. Check the residence side. Keep a copy of the consent with your residence card and ask the police unit for foreigners whether anything else is needed for your residence file.

How to file the NSZ consent request and what it costs

The law provides that the request is filed electronically through the single portal, within the unified permit service, and that consent is delivered through the same portal. The NSZ notes that until that electronic service is technically available, requests may be sent by email, filed at the NSZ registry office, or sent by post to the competent branch. The eForeigner portal for foreigners and companies lists services for companies registered on eUprava, including the unified permit for temporary residence and work, while the full list of services appears only after login. Ask the NSZ branch which channel is open for consent requests at the time you file.

Documents to prepare

The NSZ does not publish a separate checklist for consent in the material we reviewed. Since the evidence is the same as for the employment assessment, expect to need:

• the completed consent request form, signed by the applicant or authorised person;
• a copy of your passport and of your unified permit or residence card;
• the draft employment contract or other contract with the new employer;
• the labour market test ID number from the new employer's PPZ form;
• a power of attorney, if an authorised person files;
• proof of payment of the administrative fee.

Additional documents may be required for regulated professions, for example proof of a recognised qualification.

The fee

The NSZ guidance lists a request fee of RSD 430 under tariff item 1, payable to the budget of the Republic of Serbia, with the account number and payment reference given on the NSZ page. This is the republic administrative fee for filing the request. It is not a charge for a job, a placement or a guaranteed result. Check the amount and reference on the NZS page on the day you pay, as administrative fees are adjusted from time to time.

Timing, decisions and appeals

The 10-day deadline is a legal obligation on the NZS, counted from receipt of a complete request (uredan zahtev). It is not a promise that you will receive consent, and it does not run while the file is incomplete. If the NSZ refuses consent, the decision can be appealed, and the minister responsible for employment decides the appeal finally. If you receive a refusal, read the reasons carefully: they often point to something the new employer can fix, such as a recent redundancy or a labour market test problem.

Plan the dates of your move around this. A sensible approach is to agree a start date with the new employer that falls after the expected decision, and not to resign from your current job until you are confident about the consent, unless you have no choice.

Can you work while the consent request is pending

You may not start working for the new employer before consent is issued. The law is explicit that the change of employer is allowed only after consent is obtained. Starting early, even for a "trial week" or "training", risks being treated as work contrary to the law, both for you and for the new employer.

You may, however, continue working for your current employer while the request is being decided, as long as that employment contract is still in force and your unified permit is valid. This is the safest way to change jobs: keep the old job running until the consent is in your hands.

When your current contract ends before you find a new job

Changing jobs and losing a job overlap. The Law on Employment of Foreigners provides that a foreigner must conclude a new employment contract or other qualifying contract within 30 days after the previous one ends. If that does not happen, the rules of the Law on Foreigners on entry, movement, stay and return apply. The NSZ also points out that, besides the usual Labour Law grounds, employment ends when the unified permit itself expires.

So if you resign or are dismissed before your new job is secured, you have a short window. Within that window, the new employer still needs NSZ consent, so the 30 days must cover finding the job, preparing the request and, ideally, receiving the decision. What exactly happens to your residence after the 30 days, and what registration and notification steps apply, is covered in our separate guide on job loss on a unified permit.

Resigning properly under the Labour Law

NSZ consent deals with immigration and labour market law. Ending your old job is governed by the Labour Law and your contract. Before you change employer:

• Give notice in writing. The Labour Law allows an employee to terminate the employment contract by giving notice, and the notice period may be set in the employment contract or the employer's general act within limits set by law. Read your contract for the exact period.
• Consider an agreed termination. The Labour Law also allows the employment relationship to end by written agreement between employer and employee. An agreement can let you leave on a date that matches your consent.
• Collect final pay. Ask for a final payslip showing outstanding wages, untaken annual leave compensation where it applies, and any other amounts due.
• Check social insurance. Employers register and deregister workers through the Central Register of Compulsory Social Insurance. Your old employer should deregister you on termination, and your new employer should register you no later than the start of work. A registration can be filed before the employee starts work.

If your old employer refuses to release documents, holds your passport, or threatens you with immigration consequences to keep you in the job, contact the Labour Inspectorate. Employers have no legal right to keep your identity documents.

The residence side of the change with the Ministry of the Interior

The unified permit combines residence and work, and the Ministry of the Interior decides on residence. The official guidance on changing the basis of stay confirms that a holder of a unified permit for temporary residence and work may change employer during the validity of the permit, with the prior consent of the competent employment service. It does not describe a separate MUP procedure for the employer change itself.

That does not mean the residence side can be ignored:

• Keep the purpose consistent. The official guidance on frequently asked questions warns that a renewal request may be refused if the earlier stay was not used for the purpose for which it was approved. Working for an employer not covered by your permit or consent is exactly the kind of mismatch that can damage a later renewal.
• Renew on time. According to the official guidance on extending temporary residence, an extension can be filed no earlier than three months before the current permit expires and no later than its expiry date, and if you file on time, you may remain in Serbia until the procedure ends.
• Renew with the new employer in mind. When your unified permit is renewed after a change of employer, the renewal will be assessed on your current job. Expect the new employer to take the role your old employer played in the renewal file.
• Ask the police unit for foreigners. For situations not covered by the online guidance, the portal directs foreigners to the foreigners' affairs unit of the police administration where their address in Serbia is registered.

Official guidance we reviewed does not state whether a new biometric card is issued after consent. Keep the written consent with your card and ask the police unit whether your record needs updating.

Changing employer while you hold a visa D for employment

Some workers enter Serbia on a long-stay visa for employment (viza D) and only later move to a unified permit. The official guidance states that if you want a unified permit based on a visa D issued for employment, the purpose must be identical to the purpose of the visa. The guidance also explains that a person who entered on a visa D for another purpose, for example, family reunification, and then found a job generally has to leave when the visa expires and apply for a new visa D for employment at a Serbian embassy or consulate.

The consent procedure in Article 11 is framed around the validity of the unified permit. We could not confirm from official sources how a change of employer is handled while you are still on a visa D. If you are in that position, ask the NSZ branch and the police unit before agreeing to move.

Foreign workers who do not need NSZ consent

Not every foreigner working in Serbia holds a unified permit. Article 3 of the Law on Employment of Foreigners lists people who have the right to work without one. Because they are not tied to an employer through a unified permit, the consent procedure does not apply to them. The list includes, among others:

• foreigners with permanent residence (stalno nastanjenje);
• people granted asylum or temporary protection, and asylum seekers whose case has not been decided within six months through no fault of their own;
• foreigners with temporary residence based on family reunification with a Serbian citizen or with a foreigner who has permanent residence;
• close family members of a foreigner who holds a unified permit, temporary residence or asylum, from the date of their first temporary residence for family reunification;
• foreigners with temporary residence based on studies or international student exchange, scientific research, ownership of real estate, humanitarian stay, independent stay, accredited journalism, volunteering, religious service, and some other grounds listed in the law.

The list contains conditions and limits, and students, in particular, may work only within the limits set by law. If you are in one of these groups, a change of job is usually a matter of the Labour Law and social insurance registration, not NSZ consent. Your new employer must still keep evidence that you have the right to work.

Citizens of Albania and North Macedonia under Open Balkan

The NSZ notice on Open Balkan labour market access explains that citizens of Albania and North Macedonia who register through the Open Balkan electronic service and obtain an approval have free access to the Serbian labour market without a separate work permit or residence permit. The approval allows a stay of up to two years with the possibility of re-registration. The notice does not address a change of employer and says that matters the agreement does not regulate fall under national law, so ask the NSZ how a job change interacts with your approval.

EU citizens

Serbia is an EU candidate country, not a member state, so EU free movement rules do not apply in Serbia. The list of people who may work without a unified permit in the amended law is based on residence status and purpose, not on EU citizenship. An EU citizen working in Serbia on a unified permit for employment is therefore in the same position as any other unified permit holder and needs NSZ consent to change employer.

Postworkers, intra-company transfers,ees and the self-employed

Several unified permit bases are built around a particular relationship rather than an ordinary employment contract. Moving out of those relationships is a change of basis.

Posted workers. A posted worker is sent to Serbia by a foreign employer to carry out work under a business and technical cooperation contract with a Serbian company. Taking a direct job with a Serbian employer is a change of basis to employment, so the employment assessment and consent apply. Short postings of up to 90 days in any 180 days for specific work such as installing, servicing, or repairing supplied equipment can be done without a permit, and those workers have no permit to "change".

Intra-company transferees. A transfer is tied to a group company. Moving to an unrelated Serbian employer is a change of basis and needs consent.

Self-employed foreigners. If you hold a unified permit for self-employment and want to take a job with another business, or if you are employed and want to open your own business, you need consent for a change of basis. The NSZ applies the conditions for the new basis.

Agency workers. Official guidance states that where an employment agency is the applicant, the labour market test is run at the agency's request, because the foreigner's contract is with the agency, not the user company. Whether moving between user companies of the same agency counts as a change of employer depends on the arrangement. We could not confirm an official answer, so ask the NSZ before you move.

Risks of switching without consent

Changing employer without consent is not a technicality. The Law on Employment of Foreigners prohibits employers from employing or using the work of a foreigner who does not meet the conditions for employment, and it sets fines for the employer, the responsible person,n and the foreign worker. For the most serious breaches, a court can also ban the employer from its activity for a period. The amending law sets separate fines for a foreigner who takes up employment contrary to the law.

The consequences for you can go beyond a fine:

• Your residence may be called into question because you are no longer using it for the approved purpose, and a breach of the conditions of stay is a misdemeanour under the Law on Foreigners.
• A later renewal can be refused because your earlier stay was not used for its purpose.
• You may lose social insurance cover for the period worked if the new employer did not register you.

Protecting yourself when moving to a new employer

Most job changes are straightforward. A few warning signs are worth knowing:

• Fees for "arranging" consent. The official fee is a small administrative fee paid to the state budget. Anyone asking you for large sums to "transfer" your permit is not describing the legal procedure.
• "Start now, papers later". A new employer that wants you to work before consent is asking you to take legal risk on its behalf.
• Pressure to resign immediately. Resigning before the new employer has even filed the PPZ form uses up your 30-day window.
• Unclear employer identity. Check that the company you will work for is registered with the Serbian Business Registers Agency and that its registered seat matches the NSZ branch handling your request.
• Retained documents. Never hand over your passport or residence card to either employer.

Checklist before you accept a new job offer in Serbia

• Is my unified permit valid long enough to make the move, or should I plan the change together with a renewal?
• Has the new employer agreed in writing to file the PPZ form and the consent request, and who pays the fee?
• Has the new employer made anyone redundant in the same job in the past 90 days?
• Can I stay in my current job until consent is issued?
• If not, can everything realistically be done within 30 days of my old contract ending?
• Do I know my notice period under my current contract?
• Will the new employer register me with the Central Register before I start?
• Do I hold another status, such as permanent residence or family reunification, that means I do not need consent at all?

Where to get official answers

For the work side, contact the NSZ branch covering your new employer's registered seat, or the NSZ call centre on 0800 300 301. The NSZ publishes branch contact details and permit forms on its website. For the residence side, contact the foreigners' affairs unit of the police administration where your address is registered. For technical questions about the online portal for foreigners, the portal lists the Office for Information Technologies and eGovernment as a contact. Rules can change, and the Government has power under the law to exempt some categories from consent, so check the NSZ pages before you act.

Sources and References

• Employment of foreigners under the unified permit rules, National Employment Service
• Employment of foreigners in the Republic of Serbia, National Employment Service
• Law amending the Law on Employment of Foreigners, National Employment Service
• Permit and consent request forms, National Employment Service
• Open Balkan free access to the labour market, National Employment Service
• Changing the basis of stay, Portal for Foreigners of the Republic of Serbia
• Residence and work permit, Portal for Foreigners of the Republic of Serbia
• Information on the unified permit, Portal for Foreigners of the Republic of Serbia
• Approval and extension of temporary residence, Portal for Foreigners of the Republic of Serbia
• Answers to common and complex questions, Portal for Foreigners of the Republic of Serbia
• eForeigner online services, Office for Information Technologies and eGovernment
• Central Register of Compulsory Social Insurance