Overview

Serbia is one of the main transit countries on the so-called Balkan Route. From Greece, people cross through North Macedonia and arrive around the city of Preševo. And in the past months, most people arrive directly via Bulgaria. From Serbia, there are many routes towards the western Europe – to Bosnia and Herzegovina, to Croatia, to Hungary or to Romania. People on the move predominantly see Serbia only as a transit country and not as a country of destination. However, Serbian legislation does not recognize “transit trough the territory” so people who do not apply for asylum will have very limited rights in Serbia and are facing risk of detention or returns to previous countries. Serbia is not part of the European Union and does not share information about asylum seekers with other countries in Europe, so there are no legal consequences if a person applies for asylum.

Serbia has 18 official camps which are run by the government, but at the moment (January 2026) only 5 of them are open and operating due to low number of people who are accommodated. Other camps are currently on a “stand-by” mode and could be opened in the case of bigger influx. People also stay outside of camps, often in tents or ruins near the north borders. Many of these places are controlled by smugglers. Police often destroys these informal camps and brings people to the official camps, usually to the south of the country.

The dominant route towards the western Europe is constantly changing, but people are using all four neighboring countries as an exit point. In many cases, people do not have any saying in where will they go from Serbia, but instead this is decided by a smuggler. This can potentially be very dangerous, so if you find yourself in this situation you should try to stay in contact with your family or someone else you trust and try to keep them informed about your location.

WARNING: There are several potentially dangerous spots along the Serbian territory, where many people are reported missing or to be injured and hurt. One of those spots is the Balkan Mountain (also known as the Old Mountain) between Bulgaria and Serbia, where people often spend several days, without access to shelter, food or water. There are only few villages in this mountain, with lots of wild life (“jungle”) and inaccessible terrain. Another dangerous spot is the river Drina, between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where dozens of people have drowned and gone missing. Also, river Danube at the border with Croatia and river Tisa at the border with Hungary have claimed many lives. If you, or somebody you know, is in urgent need of search and rescue in these locations, call the police at 192 number immediately and ask for their assistance.

There are several independent organizations that help with food, clothes and showers but also information. You can find their contacts here.