Registering the number is mandatory

Under the electronic communications law, all prepaid numbers in Serbia must be registered. Numbers left unregistered are disconnected. In practice: a SIM bought at a kiosk will not work until it is registered to your name.

Which documents a foreigner needs

The set depends on your status, and this matters because it is where people most often get stuck:

  • Foreigner without temporary or permanent residence: a passport, or a national ID card if you are a citizen of a country whose nationals may enter Serbia with an ID card.
  • Foreigner with temporary residence: passport, ED number and address registration — the 'white card'.
  • Foreigner with permanent residence: a foreigner's ID card (lična karta za strance).

What happens if the number is not registered

Until registration, ordinary communication is unavailable on the number: only emergency calls and contact with the operator work. There is a limited period from activation to register — if it is missed, the number is disconnected.

How to register

There are three ways: in the operator's app, on the operator's website, or in a shop. For a foreigner with residence the first thing needed is the white card, because without it the number will not be registered. So the logical order is: address first, SIM second.

What to take to the shop

Your passport, the white card and, if you already have it, the foreigner's ID card. According to reports, shops complete everything in one visit and activate the number immediately. It is worth asking specifically about the tariff: operators have monthly internet packages, priced by gigabytes, and the package usually has to be renewed on time or the internet is cut until the next payment.

What to keep in mind in practice

First: the SIM is tied to your document, so when your status changes — for example once you receive residence — the number is worth re-registering to the new details. Second: without the white card, registering a number is impossible, so start with address registration. Third: tariffs and package terms change, so check current conditions with the operator itself before buying.

Data checked on 11 October 2026 against Serbian operators' materials and the law on electronic communications.