No. The law requires legal stay, and a visa-free stay with a registered address is legal stay. The NBS decision on non-resident accounts expressly describes the documents for a foreigner without a residence permit. In practice many banks refuse people without a permit, so submit a written application and insist on a written answer.

The EBS (foreigner's registration number) is given only for foreigners with a residence permit or permanent residence. This is stated expressly in t. 14 of the NBS decision on non-resident accounts (Sl. glasnik 63/2026) and in t. 6 of the decision on the Single Register of Accounts (Sl. glasnik 54/2026). For people without a residence permit these rules do not provide for an EBS, so the bank cannot demand one. Cite these rules in your application or complaint.

The bank may ask for the identification number of your country of citizenship, if such a number exists. If there is no such number, or it is not shown in your passport, your date and place of birth are given instead (t. 6 of the NBS decision, Sl. glasnik 54/2026). Refusing you because you don't have such a number is unlawful.

The law sets no such conditions for a basic account. The bank may ask about the purpose of the account and the source of funds (AML), but it cannot make the account depend on having a job in Serbia. State the purpose and the source of your money in the application and attach what you have: a rental agreement, a bank statement, proof of income.

This is discrimination based on citizenship: Art. 73b ZPU and the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination forbid it. Write down the date, time, branch and the employee's name, then file a prigovor and, in parallel, a complaint with the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality (Poverenik za zaštitu ravnopravnosti). In 2022 the NBS stated that a bank's freedom to choose its clients applies only if the ban on discrimination is respected, and that the bank must open a basic account for any consumer who is legally staying in Serbia. In 2021 the Commissioner found that a bank discriminated when it refused a whole group of foreigners because of their citizenship without assessing each case; it is the bank that must prove there was no discrimination (Art. 45 of the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination).

Send it the same day by registered mail with return receipt to the bank's address, and also e-mail it to the complaints address. You can describe the refusal to accept your documents in a complaint (the “verbal refusal” template).

That is a general rule of the Law on Banks (čl. 41 ZB). For the basic account there is a special duty under Art. 73n ZPU, which expressly requires the bank to open the account. Quote this reference in your complaint.

The ban on disclosure covers only reports to the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering and related measures (čl. 90 ZSPNFT). The bank must in any case tell you in writing that it refuses and that you have the right to complain. In your complaint to the NBS, ask it to check whether the refusal really is based on AML and whether the bank asked you for documents.

The bank may refuse if you have an account with another Serbian bank. It cannot refuse if you declare in writing that you will close that account and bring the other bank's notice of closure (čl. 73nj st. 2 ZPU). Accounts with foreign banks and services do not count.

Alta's license was revoked on 30.10.2026, and since 03.11.2026 the bank has been in bankruptcy. If you have no other account in Serbia, you have the right to a basic account at any other bank. Deposits up to 50 000 EUR are paid out by the Deposit Insurance Agency (AOD) through Banka Poštanska štedionica: see the separate page for how it works.

No. The basic account is a personal dinar account for everyday payments. A foreign-currency account, a sole-trader account (preduzetnik) and a company account are different products, and the right under Art. 73n does not apply to them. Details on the “What is a basic account” page.

No. The basic account is only for consumers, i.e. individuals using it for personal purposes. An account for a sole trader is opened under the general rules, and the bank is not obliged to open it.

No more than 150 RSD a month. The package includes a debit card, e-banking and m-banking, cash at the bank's branches and ATMs, and transfers and IPS payments with no limit on their number.

Usually 4–5 months if the bank resists to the end: 10 working days for the application, up to 30 days for the complaint, up to 3 months at the NBS. In the worst case up to 11 months, if the NBS extends its deadline. Often the bank changes its mind as soon as you complain to the NBS.

Not for the basic account: the bank has a direct duty, deadlines and fines. There is a known case from 2026: after a complaint to the NBS, the bank itself called and invited the person to open an account. The more written refusals and complaints there are, the harder it is for banks to keep refusing verbally.

Not at a post office counter. The law allows a bank to open basic accounts through Pošta Srbije (čl. 73n st. 2 ZPU), but no bank does this at the moment: for Poštanska štedionica accounts you can only deposit and withdraw cash at the post office. You can, however, send your account application and complaints to any bank, including Poštanska, by registered mail: the bank's deadlines start from the delivery date. You will most likely have to sign the contract in person at a branch: as a rule, the bank identifies a client from their identity document in their presence (čl. 17 ZSPNFT), and banks do not offer remote identification (čl. 18 ZSPNFT) to everyone.

Serbian: the templates on this site are already in Serbian. The translations on this site are only there to help you understand. The bank may ask for documents in a foreign language to be translated by a court interpreter.