How To Travel To Serbia From Nigeria & Apply For Serbian Student, Study Visa From Lagos & Abuja

How To Apply For Serbia Student, Study Visa From Nigeria..Application Requirements & Step By Step Guide

Non-EU member nationals traveling to Serbia will need to have a valid visa before they can be admitted into the country. While there are many visa categories, the main criterion for the issuance is the purpose of visit. This means that before you go to the Serbia Embassy to apply for any type of visa, you need to have a good reason which in this case should be for studies.

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Serbia is a nice country with a lot of history. Besides the tourist destinations in the country, there are many decent institutions of higher learning which can compete with other world-class schools.

While this piece is a guide on the rudiments of applying for Serbia Student visa in Nigeria, it is assumed that you must have already applied for and have gained admission into a Serbian institution. This is because every other step onward requires that you have a letter of admission from the institution to facilitate the visa application process.

Some basic facts about Serbia

Formerly a part of the Union of Serbia and Montenegro until 2006 when Montenegro seceded from the union, the Federal Republic of Serbia is a South-Eastern European country. The capital city is Belgrade and used to be popular among foreigners, especially Nigerians, due to their famous leader Josip Broz Tito. Serbia is a landlocked country but still draws lots of internationals due to the high level of development and peace.

In terms of education, Serbia has a good number of world-class educational institutions, with many of them being established in the nineteenth century. The schools are known to offer a variety of degree and postgraduate programs that cut across several fields including sciences, engineering, the arts, finance, and so on. Foreigners are also encouraged to study in the country with more than 200 different programmes.

Types of Serbia Visa

There are basically two types of visas for foreigners intending to visit the Republic of Serbia. The two visa types are classified as either Short-stay visa (Visa C) or Transit visa (Visa B).

Short-stay visas:

These are visas issued to persons who intend to stay in Serbia for a minimum of 3 days and a maximum of 90 days. Short-stay visas include:

Business visa:

This type of visa is required by any person intending to travel to Serbia for business reasons. As with most short-stay visas a business visa is supposed to be valid for a maximum of 90 days.

            Tourism visa:

Foreigners planning to travel to Serbia for tourism will need to be issued a Type-C Tourism visa.

            Visiting visa:

If you are visiting a friend or a family member in Serbia, you need to apply for a visiting visa. In applying for this type of visa it is required that your inviter sends you a letter of invitation (among other documents) which is to be presented at the Embassy.

Transit visa:

This is a type of visa that is required by anyone who wants to pass through Serbia as a connecting point to some other country. Transit visas are valid for only 3 days.

Student visa:

A Serbia Student visa is required for intending travelers planning to go to Serbia for educational purposes. This type of visa is meant to last for at least 3 months beyond your period of studies in the country.

Pre-requisites for applying for the Serbian Student Visa From Nigeria

For a successful visa application, there are supporting documents that are needed. The type of visa goes a long way in determining the types of documents to be submitted. These documents will be submitted and vetted to ensure that they are all genuine and that you are eligible for the Student visa.

For a Serbia Student visa, you will be required to present a minimum of the following documents at the Serbia Embassy:

• Your Nigerian passport with a minimum of three months validity
• Two recent passport-sized photographs with light background
• Completed visa application form with your signature
• Letter of acceptance or admission from the Serbian institution you are to study at
• Proof of financial backing from your bank or that of your sponsor
• Police clearance
• Proof of accommodation in Serbia
• Proof of health insurance

Note: You will need to make photocopies of all the above documents.

Steps to obtain the Serbia Student Visa in Nigeria

In applying for a Student visa – no matter the country, you need to do so well ahead of your scheduled date of traveling so as to give ample time for your application to be processed.

Visit the Serbia Embassy in Nigeria:

When you have all the necessary documents for the application process, you have to go in person to the Serbia Embassy to submit them.

There is only one location of the Serbia Embassy in Nigeria i.e there’s no annex office. It is situated at No 11, Rio Negro Close, Off Yedsera Street, Maitama District, Abuja.

Pay the visa application processing fee:

You should ensure that you get to know and go with the exact application fee to the embassy. The reason why you are advised to go with the exact fee is due to the fact that they might not have the change to give you.

Get your biometric information captured:

This is also supposed to be done at the application center. Your fingerprint is mainly the most important part to be captured during this process.

You might be asked to come on a later date for an interview. As with most other Student visa application processes for other countries, the Serbia Embassy might ask you to return for an interview.

Wait for the approval of the application:

After the interview stage, you will have to wait for your application to be processed. If successful and approved, you will be directed on how to get the visa.

Getting your student visa should not be a problem; however, you need to be very honest during the entire process so as not to risk your application being denied.

Reading the steps in this guide should give you a head-start on what is expected of you during the process.