Loading...
Can you hold Serbian and foreign citizenship simultaneously?
The answer depends on both sides — both Serbian law and the law of the other country. Serbia allows dual without restrictions. The problem arises when the other country — like Austria — prohibits dual and provides for automatic loss of its own citizenship.
| Country | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | Allowed | Explicitly allowed since June 2024 (StARModG). Applies to all naturalized persons and all who acquire German citizenship. |
| Serbia | Allowed | Serbia allows multiple citizenship without any restrictions. Serbian law does not provide for loss of Serbian upon acquisition of foreign. |
| Switzerland | Allowed | Allowed since 1992. Naturalization requires 10 years of residence, integration, language knowledge (de/fr/it). |
| Austria | Prohibited | § 27 StbG: automatic loss of Austrian upon own-initiative acquisition of foreign citizenship. Affected ~122,000 Serbian citizens in Austria (Statistik Austria, 2024).Exceptions: prior approval (Beibehaltungsgenehmigung) — rarely granted. |
| Montenegro | Prohibited | Montenegrin Citizenship Act (2008), Art. 8(2): renunciation of previous is a condition for acquiring Montenegrin. Rare exceptions. |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Conditional | Generally prohibited — renunciation is a condition for BiH naturalization. Bilateral agreements and special circumstances may create exceptions. |
| Croatia | Allowed | Croatia allows dual citizenship since the Croatian Citizenship Act (1991) — no renunciation of previous citizenship required. Serbian citizens who acquire Croatian can keep Serbian and vice versa. |
| Slovenia | Conditional | Slovenia generally does not allow dual. Exceptions for ethnic Slovenes abroad and for persons who acquired Slovenian based on origin. |
The largest part of the Serbian diaspora in Europe lives in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Here are the relevant details for each of these three countries:
StARModG which entered into force on June 27, 2024 explicitly allows dual citizenship for all naturalized persons. No conditions, no time limit — simply, you no longer have to renounce Serbian to get German.
The reverse also applies: if you have German and receive Serbian under Article 23, you keep German. No automatic loss on the German side.
§ 27 Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetz (StbG): anyone who acquires foreign citizenship at their own request loses Austrian automatically, at the moment of receiving the foreign, without decision and without notification.
About 122,000 Serbian citizens in Austria who are considering Serbian under Article 23 must be aware of this prohibition.
Possible consequences
Only safe path: Beibehaltungsgenehmigung — prior approval from Austrian Ministry of Interior before receiving Serbian citizenship. Requires proven special interest. Rarely granted.
Switzerland allows dual without restrictions since 1992. Serbian citizens who naturalize in Switzerland can keep Serbian. Serbs who receive Serbian under Article 23 do not lose Swiss.
Always check the law on both sides
Serbian law allows dual, but the other country's law may not. You must check both.
For Austria: consult a lawyer before submitting any application
Loss of Austrian is automatic and irreversible without Beibehaltungsgenehmigung. Do not experiment without legal advice.
Use our wizard for a personalized assessment
Based on your situation — where you live, how long, what language level — the wizard shows you available paths.
Last updated: March 2026.