What it is and who must arrange it
The white card is a foreigner's registration at their place of residence — prijava boravišta in Serbian. Under the law on foreigners it is not the foreigner who registers but whoever provides the accommodation: the hotel, the landlord, anyone you are staying with. If you live in your own flat or nobody provides you accommodation, you register yourself. The deadline is short — 24 hours from entry or from the provision of accommodation.
What it is needed for
Without a white card you cannot: rent a flat for the long term, because the next registration requires the previous card; open a bank account; obtain a criminal record certificate; take out a policy; exchange a driving licence; or change non-resident status to resident at a bank. So it is not a formality but the key to most everyday procedures.
Two types of card and the difference
The first is the police card: issued at the district police station, with a 'wet' blue stamp. That is the one banks accept, because the stamp can be verified. The second is the online card: the flat owner produces it through the state services, and hotels do it at reception on check-in. It is more convenient but has a drawback: a bank may refuse it because it cannot confirm it is genuine, and the MUP will not stamp it.
Which documents to take
You go to the station with the accommodation owner's passport and the passports of everyone being registered, plus a document proving ownership: a purchase or inheritance contract, or a cadastre extract. The form is best filled in advance, in two copies per person. If the owner cannot come, you need their izjava — written consent certified by a notary — and then you arrange the card yourself.
When it is done again
If you do not have residence or permanent residence, the card is done at every entry into the country, even if the address has not changed and you came for a couple of days. When moving to a new address — within 24 hours. At a hotel, registration happens at check-in. A separate case is a child born in Serbia: they also need registration, otherwise residence documents may be refused.
Practical nuances
From community experience: in Belgrade and Subotica the owner's izjava is more often attached, while other cities ask for the lease contract. If you have gone to another city for a break or for work for less than 15 days and it is not a move, a new card is not needed. If an officer refuses to issue a new card without you leaving the country, there are two options: do not insist, or come with the old card and the owner to explain the situation. And one more: the card is tied to your passport, so after replacing the passport it is done again.
Data checked on 11 October 2026: registration rules per the law on foreigners; practical observations from community experience.