Living in Serbia
Opening a bank account in Serbia
Opening a bank account in Serbia is a simple process. Please keep reading to learn what documents you have to submit and which steps you need to take to open a bank account in Serbia.
HOW TO OPEN A BANK ACCOUNT
Although the procedure of opening a bank account may slightly vary depending on the bank, the necessary documents are the same. When going to the bank, you need to bring the following documents:
- Your passport and ID card, which serve as proof of identity; and
- Your Residence Certificate, which you will receive after you register your arrival in Serbia at the closest police station. For more information about this procedure, you can click here.
Some banks also require you to bring:
- Registration Status Certificate, which you can get from your faculty and which confirms your registration status for the current academic year; and
- Your Academic Transcript.
Additionally, the bank will provide an application form that needs to be filled out and you can always ask a bank employee for help if you require any help.
Having submitted the request for opening a bank account, it will take a few days for the bank to approve the said request, after which they would ask you to come to the bank again to sign some documents and collect a copy of your contracts. From that point on, your bank account is active and you can use it for all common transactions, e.g. withdrawing money or receiving payments.
OPENING A BANK ACCOUNT REMOTELY
As of right now, non-residents cannot open a bank account remotely and have to go to the bank to do so.
BANKING FEES
Although opening a bank account is usually free, many other services are not. For example, banks usually charge a fee when issuing a debit card and charge around 2 to 10 euros to maintain the account. Information regarding these costs can be found in the terms and conditions and they vary depending on the bank.
CURRENCIES
You can have an account for different currencies such as the Serbian dinar, EUR, USD, GBP, CHF, and a few other currencies.
LIST OF BANKS
Some of the major banks in Serbia are:
- Unicredit Bank
- Banca Intesa
- Raiffeisen banka
- Erste Bank
- Addiko Bank
- Mobi Banka
- OTP Bank (In order to open a bank account in this bank, you have to schedule a meeting beforehand by calling the following number: 0800 23 23 22)
- ProCredit Bank