You are ready for your long-awaited vacation, and at work you just heard a story from your colleagues about a neighbor who returned from vacation a few days ago, where instead of the planned 10 days, he only spent one. He was turned back at the border due to the expiration date of his passport. Is that possible?

You are going home worried and opening your passport to check the expiration date.

Is it true that for a ten-day vacation, your passport must be valid for three more months after your return date to Serbia? Yes, and here is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia says about it:

“As of 19.07.2013, the condition for the entry of citizens of the Republic of Serbia into any EU member state is that they possess a travel document issued within the last ten years and that it must be valid for at least three months after the planned date of leaving the EU member state. Passengers who do not meet these criteria will be turned back at the border.

Greece is a member of the Schengen Agreement, which means that holders of Serbian biometric passports do not need a visa to stay for up to 90 days within a period of six months. The visa-free regime does not apply to holders of travel documents issued by the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia - Coordination Directorate. If traveling for other reasons with the intention of staying in Greece for more than 90 days, it is necessary to obtain a special visa before the trip to start the process of obtaining a residence permit (e.g. student, family reunion, etc.).

Passengers are advised to check upon entry into Greece whether the Greek border authorities have stamped their entry in the passport (so as not to have problems when leaving Greece).”

Another quick reminder, the validity period of children’s passports is shorter compared to adult passports, so based on the experience of our guests, it is not uncommon for parents to “forget” and realize at the last moment that their children’s passports will expire soon or have already expired. According to the current law on travel documents, passports are issued to persons under three years of age with a validity period of three years, to persons aged three to 14 years with a validity period of five years. For children over 14 years of age, passports are issued with a validity period of 10 years.

In conclusion, if you do not want to risk your long-awaited vacation ending before it even begins, make sure to check your passports on time.

We wish you a pleasant vacation!

source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia