Business Customs
Business managers are quite familiar with western-style market economy philosophy, customs, and business practices. Top management is typically designated by the title of Managing Director, a position denoting the key decision-maker. Business relationships in Serbia are founded on trust with significant time and energy invested in developing relationships among the parties. On the other hand, Serbia’s business people are also quick to recognize opportunities and can just as suddenly move at an accelerated pace.
Business dinners are a common practice. While most meals in Serbia are meat-based (all kinds of meat), it is possible to go vegetarian, but it is not easy. It is a common practice to toast with a shot of Slivovica (traditional Serbian plum brandy) or rakija (fruit brandy) prior to the actual meal. A toast is accompanied by saying ‘Ziveli’, which means ‘good health’ and is similar to saying ‘Cheers’, although it is customary in Serbia to look your counterparts in the eye when saying ‘Ziveli’.
As is true in other European countries, summer holidays stretch throughout July and August and it is frequently difficult to reach company management during this period. Likewise, it is nearly impossible to conduct any business in Serbia in the first 2-3 weeks of January due to the Orthodox Christmas and New Year’s holidays as this is the time most people take their winter holiday. Orthodox Easter is also a slow period for business (see the ‘Local Time, Business Hours, and Holidays’ section for a list at dates of all major holidays in Serbia).
Travel Advisory
Please see the Serbia Consular Information Sheet on the Department of State web site.
Visa Requirements
On June 1, 2003, the Serbian government liberalized the visa regime. Visas are no longer required for entry and stay in Serbia for up to 90 days for the citizens of selected countries, including the United States. This policy covers bearers of U.S. tourist, official, and diplomatic passports. Individuals planning to stay longer than 90 days must obtain a visa prior to arrival. American citizens intending to work in Serbia must obtain the requisite visa in advance. Details on visa requirements and other travel information can be found at the following link: http:// www.mfa.gov.rs
U.S. Companies requiring travel of foreign business representative to the United States should be advised that security options are handled via an interagency process. Visa applicants should go to the following links:
State Department Visa Website: http://travel.state.gov/visa/index.html
United States Visas.gov: http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/
American Embassy Belgrade, Consular section:
http://belgrade.usembassy.gov/consular/index.html
Telecommunications
Telekom Serbia, www.telekom.yu is the monopoly owner/operator of Serbia’s telecom network. Main business centers (Belgrade and Novi Sad) are not completely digitalized. Starting from 2000, Telekom Serbia has raised digitalisation levels of 28% in Belgrade, and below 20% in Novi Sad, to 90% in Belgrade and 80% in Novi Sad. However, not all two-party lines (duplexes) have been separated as of year-end 2007. Around 300,000 new digital lines were installed in 2007.
There are three mobile telephone operators currently operating in Serbia: Telekom Serbia, www.telekom.yu, Telenor, www.telenor.co.yu and VIP, www.vipmobile.co.yu. Cell phones in Serbia are operating on European, 900/1800 frequencies. Telecom Serbia is currently testing its recently acquired BlackBerry service, which should be fully deployed in 2008. Telenor is expected to introduce BlackBerry service as well in 2008.
The dialing (country) code for Serbia is 381, followed by the appropriate area code: Belgrade (11), Novi Sad (21), Nis (18).
Internet services were established in the late 1990s. Since then the number of Internet users has gone up by a factor of five. Usage is still relatively low, barely more than 38% of households are using Internet services. Recently all major ISP’s have introduced ADSL Internet connections, which will definitely increase the number of subscribers. There are a increasing number of restaurants and cafés in Belgrade and Novi Sad equipped with wireless Internet hotspots.
Transportation
Serbia operates state-owned airports as well as the national carrier, JAT. Direct-flight regional air travel is limited due to an absence of bilateral agreements between Serbia and many of its neighbors. It is not possible to fly direct from Belgrade to Zagreb (or anywhere in Croatia), Budapest, Sofia, or Bucharest. Serbia has good connections to longer haul destinations such as Vienna, Istanbul, Frankfurt, and beyond. There are no direct flights between Belgrade and the United States. Airline ticket prices are quite high for this region given the virtual monopoly JAT has in the market. Other than German Wings, there are no low-cost airlines flying into or out of Serbia.
There are two major airports in Serbia:
- Belgrade
Belgrade “Nikola Tesla” International Airport is the country's largest airport and has direct service to many Western European cities. The construction of International Terminal 2 and the reconstruction of the runway have helped increase passenger traffic at the airport and enabled it to handle the most sophisticated aircraft such as Airbus A380, according to a report by the ECAA. The report added that inspection of passengers, hand luggage, and baggage is also in line with all international standards, including those of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.
Other than the national carrier, JAT, several other airlines service Belgrade, including Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Air, Cross/Swissair, CSA (Czech), Lufthansa, Olympic (Greece), Turkish Airlines, German Wings, and others.
- Nis
The Nis airport, located in southern Serbia, was damaged during the 1999 NATO action. The airport has been repaired and is now open for some commercial activity. A number of low cost companies have expressed their interest in flying from this airport.
Serbia can also be reached by railway from Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Macedonia. Internal trains service most areas of the country (except Kosovo). Long distances, however, can take considerable a amount of time as the rail infrastructure has not been well maintained.
Serbia can be entered by vehicle from various directions. The quality of the roads, though, varies. Serbia’s motorway network is not extensive; most roads are two-lane highways. There is a motorway between Zagreb and Belgrade (travel time is approximately 3.5 hours). Travel time between Budapest and Belgrade is approximately 4.5 hours, as is the travel time between Belgrade and Sofia. The motorway extends southward from Belgrade towards Nis, which is the route to reach Kosovo, Bulgaria and Greece. Kosovo can be reached by automobile from either Sofia (Bulgaria) or Skopje (FYR Macedonia). Car rental from Hertz, Avis and Budget and others are available.
Rental cars are widely available in Belgrade, especially from the Airport “Nikola Tesla” Belgrade. There are a many international rental car companies such as “Hertz”, “Avis” and others. For a complete list of rental car companies, review the following website www.airport-belgrade.co.yu under the transportation section. U.S. citizens do not need an International driver license to drive in Serbia, a passport and US driver license is sufficient.
Taxis are quite affordable and abundant within Belgrade. Taxis can be hailed curbside, at taxi stands, or by calling ahead to a reputable taxi company for radio dispatch.
Language
The predominant language is Serbian. Fortunately, many business people speak foreign languages, mostly English and German, some French and Italian. In fact, Serbia has one of the highest English proficiency levels in the entire region. In the northwestern Vojvodina region of Serbia, many are fluent in Hungarian Serbia uses the Cyrillic alphabet, although many signs in urban areas are in both Cyrillic and Latin script. There are newspapers and magazines published in Latin script.
Health
Belgrade ‘s air quality is poor during winter months due to smog produced by the burning of low-grade coal, automobile exhaust, cold air inversions and other factors contributing to pollution. Good respiratory hygiene by avoiding common colds (hand washing, avoiding those actively coughing in your face, etc) is helpful.
Fruits and vegetables are usually of good quality and precautions related to the washing of raw fresh fruits and vegetables are similar to those that we should normally be practiced in the United States.
No specific immunization is needed although Hepatitis A and B vaccination are recommended for those living in Serbia.
Many medications may not be available in Belgrade. Local pharmacies may be able to order medications from other parts of Europe, but this could be expensive, time-consuming, and often advance payment is required.
In a case of adult medical emergency please go to the Military Medical Academy (VMA), Crnotravska 17, “Centar Hitne Pomoći” entrance, tel. 2662-381 or 3608 440.
Payment is expected at the time of the service.
Local Time, Business Hours, and Holidays
Local time is GMT+01:00.
Usual business hours are from 08:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday.
Serbian (and U.S.) Holidays in 2009:
January 1 Thursday, New Year's Day
January 2 Friday, New Year’s Day
January 7 Wednesday, Orthodox Christmas
January 19, Monday, Martin Luther King Day
February 15 Sunday, Serbian State Day
February 16, President’s Day
April 17 Friday, Orthodox Good Friday
April 19 Sunday, Orthodox Easter
April 20 Monday, Orthodox Easter (Observed)
May 1 Friday, May Day
May 2 Saturday, May Day
May 25 Monday, Memorial Day
July 3 Friday, Independence Day
September 7 Monday, Columbus Day
November 11 Wednesday, Veterans Day
November 26 Thursday, Thanksgiving Day
December 25 Friday, Christmas Day
The following holidays may be observed by Serbia’s citizens of a particular religion: - December 25 Christmas (Catholic)
- Easter (Catholic)
- Ramadan Bairam (Muslim)
- Yom Kippur (Jewish)
- Rosh Hashanah (Jewish)
July and August are prime months for Serbians to take summer vacation and is therefore a very slow time for commercial activity in Serbia. The same can be said of the time during Orthodox Easter.)
Temporary Entry of Materials and Personal Belongings
There are no restrictions or duties to be paid on temporary entry of materials and personal belongings. However items that are temporarily imported have to be reported to custom officials on the border of entry by filling out a designated form. All temporary imported items have to be exported on first (every) crossing of the border.
Web Resources
http://travel.state.gov/visa/index.html