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Serbia Could End Visa-Free Travel for Russians Under EU Alignment Push
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Serbia is preparing to align with the Schengen Area by the end of 2027, a move that could require Belgrade to end its visa-free regime for Russian citizens. President Aleksandar Vučić has previously rejected reports that Serbia plans to scrap visa-free travel for Russians.
The plans were outlined by Serbia's European integration minister, Nemanja Starović, in an interview with Radio Belgrade, as reported by The Moscow Times on August 11.
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In that interview, Starović indicated that Belgrade aims to be ready for Schengen membership by the end of 2027, adding that the government has already formed a dedicated working group and approved a plan of required reforms.
He noted that entry into the passport-free zone is envisaged without full membership in the European Union, which he considered unlikely before the end of the decade.
Dragan Stanojević, who heads the parliamentary committee on the diaspora and Serbs in the region, confirmed that a change to the visa arrangement with Russia is under discussion. He explained that any introduction of visas is being weighed as part of efforts to meet the bloc's requirements, The Moscow Times reported.
Serbia remains one of the few European countries that Russians may enter without a visa, currently for stays of up to 30 days. Belgrade has been negotiating EU accession since 2014.
In April 2026, Vučić stated that Serbia intended to meet the criteria for further progress toward European integration by the end of the year, including in the areas of migration and visa policy.
He had called EU membership the country's foreign policy priority in October 2025, while rejecting reports that Belgrade might scrap the visa-free regime with Russia.
Belgrade's deliberations track a comparable move by neighboring Montenegro, which published draft amendments in July requiring Russian and Belarusian citizens to obtain visas after October 31, 2026.
That measure, aimed at bringing Podgorica's rules into line with EU requirements, would replace an arrangement that had allowed visa-free stays of up to 30 days. Montenegro has held EU candidate status since 2010 and is regarded as one of the bloc's likeliest next members.
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