Guidance

Serbia: Knowledge Base profile

Published 12 September 2025

About: Serbia

This document contains useful information about Serbia which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 3.0
• published for Home Office staff on 8 September 2025

Changes from last version of this document

This guidance has been updated with formatting changes.

Serbia: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Serbia.

Surnames in Serbia are usually printed first on local documents. A person’s name will normally consist of:

• 1 forename
• 1 surname

If a citizen’s full name is made up of more than 3 names, they must use a shortened version of the name in legal situations.

Change of name

Name changes are allowed in Serbia.

Name changes by marriage must be registered in Serbia with the local municipality, in the local office where the person’s birth was registered before a Serbia passport can be issued in the new name.

Name changes by marriage can be registered:

• in person
• through the Embassy (if the person was married in the embassy)
• by power of attorney in Serbia

Name changes through any other route or for any other reason cannot be done through the Embassy, these must be done by an attorney in Serbia.

Serbia: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Serbia.

Dual nationality is allowed in Serbia.

Serbia: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Serbia.

Legitimacy

Serbia recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.

A child will be considered:

• legitimate if their parents:
  • were married at the time of the birth
  • marry after the birth
• illegitimate if their parents never marry

Parental responsibility

Both parents have parental responsibility in Serbia.

Serbia: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Serbia.

Adoption is legal in Serbia.

Serbia: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Serbia.

Surrogacy is illegal in Serbia.

Serbia: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Serbia.

Transgender citizens are not recognised in Serbia.

Serbia: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Serbia.

Civil partnerships and same sex relationships are not recognised in Serbia.

Civil marriages are legal in Serbia.

Serbia: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents from Serbia.

A 13 digit Personal Identification Number (PIN) will always be included on a Serbia national’s:

• birth certificate
• marriage certificate
• death certificate

Serbia issues 3 types of birth, marriage and death certificate:

• one in Latin
• one in Cyrillic
• international certificate

Customers may show their place of birth as Serbia, Kosovo or Yugoslavia.

Towns and districts in Presevo are known by both Albanian and Serbian names. The names are interchangeable. Albania names are Presheva/e and Bujanovo and Serbia names are Presevo and Bujanovac.

Birth certificates

Births in Serbia must be registered at the local Registrar’s Office within 30 days of the date of birth.

Late registrations are accepted in exceptional circumstances, for example due to death or illness.

A birth certificate will be issued within 10 days of the birth being registered.

Non-Serbia parents must get an international birth certificate for their child.

If an error is identified on a birth certificate, the certificate is corrected and added as a marginal note to a certified copy.

Local birth certificates (issued in Latin or Cyrillic) will always show gender and time of birth. It may be issued without the father’s name.

International birth certificates are light green.

Latin and Cyrillic birth certificates issued:

• after 2010 are light pink
• before 2010 are light green

Hospital notification records exist. They hold the mother’s record only.

Marriage certificate

All marriages must be registered at the Local Registrars Office to be recognised legally. Marriage certificates can be issued on the same day or up to 10 days later.

Marriages in Serbia must be registered within 10 days. Late registrations are accepted in exceptional circumstances.

Death certificates

Deaths in Serbia must be registered at the local Registrar’s Office within 7 days of the death and a death certificate issued. Late registrations are accepted in exceptional circumstances, for example following police involvement.

 Death records are held with local Registrars or police.

Identity documents

Identity cards (issued by the police) are mandatory for all Serbia nationals over 16 years of age. A foreign national may hold a Serbia identity card if they have been resident in Serbia for over 10 years.