Serbia has a total of 18 camps, but most of them are temporarily closed and on a “stand-by mode” because of the low number of people in the camps. Currently, as of August 2025, only 6 camps are open – the one is Obrenovac, Principovac, Sjenica, Bujanovac, Preševo and Vranje. Most of the camps are located on the south of Serbia and all camps (in Šid, Sombor, Subotica, Kikinda) on the north are currently closed and do not house refugees.
• Camp in Obrenovac is located on the outskirts of Belgrade and this camps accommodates only asylum seekers (both single men and families). This means that you have to be registered and referred by the police to this camp, in order to be accommodated. You must go to the police station first and once you receive the so-called “72 hours paper” (registration confirmation) you will be allowed in this camp. The address of this camp is Nemanjina 130, Obrenovac - location on the map.
• Camp in Principovac is located at the border with Croatia and accommodates only unaccompanied minors, both the ones who are asylum seekers and the ones who do not have “72 hours paper” issued by the police. The address of the camp is Principovac bb, Principovac, location on the map.
• Camp in Sjenica is located on the south of Serbia, near the border with Montenegro. This camp accommodates only single men - both the asylum seekers and undocumented people. The address of the camp is Jablanička bb, Sjenica, location on the map.
• The camp in Bujanovac is located on the south of Serbia, near the border with North Macedonia. This camp accommodates only families and unaccompanied minors – both asylum seekers and undocumented people. The address of this camp is Industrijska zona bb, 17520 Bujanovac, location on the map .
• The camp in Preševo is located on the south of Serbia, neart the border with North Macedonia. This camp accommodates only single men – both the asylum seekers and undocumented people. The address of this camp is Vase Smejevića 2, Preševo, location on the map.
• The camp in Vranje is located on the south of Serbia, near the border with North Macedonia and it accommodates only refugees from Ukraine.
Here is a link to a map showing all asylum and reception camps: data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/89400
Important! Please have in mind that Serbian law guarantees the right to stay in the camp only for asylum seekers. Although some camps allow undocumented people to stay in the camps, there are no guarantees that you will have access to it nor that you will be allowed to stay in the camp for as long as needed, unless you are an asylum seeker. This means that if you are undocumented (you did not apply for asylum in Serbia), you may be denied access to camp or you may be kicked out from the camp at any point in time.
Many undocumented people are sleeping in the “jungles” near the official camps or at the border area on the north. These places are often hidden and away from urban areas, which leaves room for different types of exploitations by smugglers and criminal groups.
Many undocumented people are staying in private accommodation (apartments, houses, etc) which are arranged and run by smugglers. This is the least safe option, since kidnaps and exploitations by smugglers are becoming more and more frequent. If you are staying in such accommodation, make sure that you send your location to your family or someone else you trust. If possible, also share information about the person who is taking you to this location and where are you planning to go from there.
Private Accommodation for asylum seekers
It is also possible to be accommodated privately but only after you have submitted asylum application. You have to find the housing on your own and you have to cover the costs of rent and bills on your own. Before leaving the camp and moving to private accommodation, you must request approval from the Asylum Office. After you move to the private address, you can apply for state support which is around 70 Euro per month. In Belgrade this seems to be easier than in other cities, but be aware that it takes a long time till you finally receive the money, because the Serbian bureaucracy is slow. If you have applied for asylum, you can work after 6 months, even if your asylum procedure is still ongoing.
Accommodation for people with asylum status
When you have been granted asylum and you are not employed so far you may apply for accommodation with the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration (CRM), which should support with around 20’000 RSD (around 170 euros) to cover the housing expenses.