Accommodation of asylum seekers and people without registration
There are right now 6 asylum centres and 12 reception centres for people on the move and refugees. In practice, there is no separation between the two types of camps and in practice the 72-hour paper is not needed to stay in the camps. In the north of Serbia overcrowding in the camps might be a problem, while some camps in the rest of the country have more capacities.
Some refugees also stay in “jungles” around the camps or in the border area.
Here is a link to a map showing all asylum and reception camps: https://data.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/89400
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, I 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 receive a permission to work after 9 months, even if your asylum procedure is still ongoing.
Accommodation for undocumented people
The possibility to stay in a youth hostel is – legally speaking – **reserved only for those people who have a valid 72-hours-paper. However, some youth hostels take people even without a valid paper, but it is sometimes hard to find these youth hostels, and you might be charged more for staying in one, as the owner is technically breaking the law. In the absence of one of the two types of papers, or finding a youth hostel that is willing to accommodate people without papers, many people sleep in the streets, parks, under bridges, abandoned buildings, “jungles“ close to the borders.
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. There is also the possibility to receive financial support from UNHCR for accommodation.