The limited liability company (društvo sa ograničenom odgovornošću, DOO) is the most common vehicle for foreign founders in Serbia. It can be fully foreign-owned and registered relatively quickly.
LLC or branch?
A branch is not a separate legal entity, so the parent company is directly liable for its obligations. An LLC limits liability to the company’s assets and is usually the better choice for an operating business.
The founding act
Registration requires a founding act (or a memorandum of association for several founders). For companies with more than one founder, we recommend a shareholders’ agreement covering governance, transfers of shares, new investors and deadlocks.
Registration
The company is registered with the Serbian Business Registers Agency (APR). Documents issued abroad generally need to be legalised or apostilled and translated by a certified court interpreter.
After incorporation
Next steps include opening a bank account, registering for tax, appointing an accountant and, if you hire staff, preparing employment contracts and internal rules. We guide foreign founders through every step in English.