If somebody you know has gone missing in Serbia, you should follow these steps:
- Report the disappearance in writing to the Serbian embassy in the country where you live. Contact details of all Serbian embassies around the world are available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, at this link: https://www.mfa.gov.rs/en/diplomatic-missions/serbian-diplomatic-missions/embassies
- Report the disappearance to the International Red Cross/Crescent in the country where you reside, regardless of the country in which the person went missing. Contact information for reporting a missing person can be found at https://familylinks.icrc.org/directory
- If you want and can, report the disappearance to the embassy of your country in Serbia and ask them for help in finding the missing person.
- If you want and can, report the disappearance to the police in your country of origin and ask them to report the disappearance to Interpol in order to issue an international search for missing persons (“yellow notices”). You can find more about Interpol’s list of missing persons on their website: https://www.interpol.int/en/How-we-work/Notices/Yellow-Notices
These steps can only be done by family, relatives or friends of the missing person and it is important that you follow these steps as soon as possible. Time is of the essence. You should also provide as many details as possible, including:
• Name and last name of the person who is missing and his/her nationality;
• Date of birth and age;
• Physical appearance (height, color of the eyes and hair, any specific marks such as tattoos, scars, etc). Also, provide a recent picture of the person, if possible.
• As many information about the disappearance as possible: last known location of the person; when was the last contact; plans for future movements and journey; under which circumstances the person disappeared, etc.
• Provide information if the person had any contact with Serbian authorities, if possible. For example, if the person was in any of the camps or had any contact with the police, and if the person received any documents from the Serbian authorities. This can help to locate the person.
• Provide your contact information and specify how you are related to the missing person.
You can also contact one of the local NGOs who could report the disappearance to the state authorities of Serbia and check if the missing person is in one of the official camps or detention centers in Serbia.
Also, if the person has disappeared near the state border, you should report the disappearance to the authorities of the neighboring country as well. You can do this yourself or seek help from local NGOs.
If you are planning to come to Serbia, keep in mind that Serbia is not a part of the European Union or the Schengen zone and that you may need a visa to come to Serbia, so we advise you to inquire about the conditions of entry to Serbia before your arrival.