If you plan to spend some time in Serbia and then to continue your trip elsewhere you’ll probably need to get tested for COVID-19. With the following lines we will explain how to get a PCR test in Serbia for foreign travelers.

NOTE: This post is not about requirements for entry to Serbia. It’s about when you are in Serbia and you need to get a PCR test to continue your travels.

NOTE II: We are not a testing lab, we are a tour company and this blog post is informative. Please read this post completely before you reach to us by telephone. We can only assist you (for a fee) in booking an appointment or to give you a transfer to the testing site. All other questions should be directed to the institutions where you took/scheduled a test.

VACCINATION NOTE: If you want to learn about vaccination process for tourists in Serbia read it here.

Showing up at the appointed time at the Torlak Institute

Where you can get a PCR test in Serbia?

PCR test in Serbia can only be done within public health system facilities. Private laboratories are not authorized to perform PCR tests. Other kinds of tests (IgM, IgA, IgG, ELISA) can be performed in private testing facilities, but those are not relevant for entry to majority of countries.

All medical care centers from the public health system throughout the country are authorized to take the PCR test swab. But not all of them are equipped or trained to process the swabs, so those are sent to central laboratories for further processing.

There is a difference which facility you should address depending on if you feel symptoms or you just need a test for administrative purpose. If you feel ill and suspect COVID-19 infection you should go to the nearest COVID clinic which will take examination and act accordingly. List of COVID clinics in Serbia with addresses and telephone numbers can be found here (in Serbian only). You can also call this number +381 64 8945235 if you feel symptoms. This number is an emergency hot line number established by the Ministry of Health of Republic of Serbia.

PCR testing on personal request

In order to sort your travel plans you need to take “PCR testing on personal request” and it’s done in dedicated facilities for this purpose. You can make an appointment either online via eGovernment portal or via telephone +381 11 3620000, 8-20h every working day. There is an English version of online scheduler available on this link. It’s not completely translated to English, names of testing facilities are in Serbian Cyrillic, but with a little effort it shouldn’t be a problem.

If you are in a hurry there is a place where you don’t need an appointment. It’s The Torlak Institute, located at Vojvode Stepe 458 in Belgrade, phone: + 381 11 3953 700, email: [email protected]. Tests are done every day except Sunday between 8 and 19h.

As of the 11th of June 2021 there is a new testing site location at the airport Nikola Tesla. It’s located at the Terminal 1, it works 24/7 and they guarantee results within 2h. They also perform an antigen test, for which results are received within 1h. The price of the PCR test is the same like anywhere else (6000RSD) and you can pay for it in the post office across the terminal hall, which also operates 24/7. An appointment is not required.

Taking a swab at the Torlak Institute

There are other facilities in Belgrade where you can take the test. All of them require an appointment. So you can make an appointment either online through the above linked portal, or in direct communication. Here is the contact to one of them:

• The Belgrade City Institute for Public Health, Bulevar despota Stefana 54a, Belgrade, phone: +381 11/2078-600, +381 11/2078-601, +381 11/3237-351, email: [email protected]

Cost of the PCR test in Serbia for foreign citizens

Price of the PCR test for foreigners is 6,000RSD, which is equivalent to approx. 50€ or 60$. You can’t pay the fee online at this moment. You need to pay it in a bank or post office, and then to present a proof of payment when you go to get tested.

Bellow you can find example how the payment order (uplatnica in Serbian) looks like. The image shows which information you need to fill out by the fields. In the fields indicated with “” you need to fill out your own details.

After the test you’ll get the result electronically to your email address. The test results are received within 48h, but usually you get it much quicker, within the same day when the swab was taken.

During the previous period we assisted to hundreds of travelers with the above procedure. Aside of occasional queuing everything else was quite smooth.

Assistance on request

We are receiving a number of calls where people report that either nobody answers the official phone numbers or that they don’t speak English once they answer. On top of that you are unable to schedule an appointment via eUprava portal, even though there is an English version available. However, if you still can’t manage to make an appointment on your own, we can offer an assistance. For assistance inquiries you can use our Phone/WhatsApp/Viber number +38163684466 to reach out.

Assistance can be just with making an appointment, or we can give you a complete service with transfer from your accommodation in Belgrade to the testing facility and back (transfer service depends on availability). Our English speaking driver will be there to assist you with the procedure. Please read the table below:

Assistance fees:

Fees include:

What is extra:

Assistance booking process:

All communication with us and payment for our service is automated and can be done online on this page. After you click the below “Book now” button and select an item that you want to pay for, you’ll open up a form where you’ll be asked to fill out certain details required by the Public Health System of Republic of Serbia. These information are required in order to schedule an appointment. Once the payment is cleared you’ll get an automated email from us with a receipt and instructions on how to make payment for the testing fee in a bank/post office. Additionally, you’ll receive another email (and SMS) from eUprava with a confirmation for your PCR test appointment, after we process your order (within couple of minutes or couple of hours, depending on time of the day and our working hours).

Please note following:

• We can’t book an appointment for the same day. There is at least one day in advance requirement.
• If you already tried to book an appointment on your own, and faced an issue, we can’t sort it for you. Even for a fee. If you disregard this note and still pay the fee, it won’t be refunded.
• One fee covers one appointment for up to 5 persons at the same time. If by any chance you pay more than one fee for one appointment for up to 5 persons at the same time, difference won’t be refunded. We’ll consider it as a donation to support our work. We will be thankful for that.

Tours and activities while you are in Serbia

If you look for an activity which will not involve mixing with other travelers take a look at our choice of private tours. Steps we take on our tours to prevent spread of COVID-19 are described here.