With an intention to control illegal immigration and follow the requirements of the European visa policy, the government of Serbia has decided to end visa-free travel for Indians. According to the statement, from 1 January 2023, Indian passport holders will no longer have the luxury of traveling to Serbia without a valid visa.
Earlier, diplomatic and official Indian passport holders were allowed to visit the country for 90 days without any visa, while the duration was 30 days for ordinary passport holders.
“The existing arrangement of visa-free entry into Serbia for all Indian passport holders for staying in Serbia up to 30 days has been withdrawn by the Government of Serbia,” said the government in a statement.
Exemptions
The new change in visa rule will not be applicable to Indians who have a valid Schengen, UK, and US visa, or a residence permit for any of these countries. The statement from the embassy mentioned that Indian passport holders having a visa or permit from these nations will continue to be allowed visa-free entry into Serbia on or after January 1 for a period of up to 90 days.
Along with India, Serbia has also terminated the visa-free regime with Guinea-Bissau (in west Africa), Tunisia (in north Africa), and Burundi (in east Africa) starting from November 20.
However, other countries like Mauritius, Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, and others still remain visa-free holiday destinations for Indian citizens.
