Creating an Airbnb Listing in Belgrade: Categorization First, Then the Listing

An Airbnb listing can be set up in an hour. Anyone who wants to rent out a Belgrade apartment to guests should still not start with the photos, but with the question of whether the apartment may be rented out at all. Serbia treats short-term rental as accommodation under the Hospitality Act (Zakon o ugostiteljstvu), and the obligations begin before the first guest arrives. Only after that comes the actual craft: photos, title, description, amenities list, pricing, house rules and a check-in solution that still works when you yourself are in Germany. This article walks you through both parts in the right order. Whether short-term rental is even worthwhile for your apartment is covered in our comparison Long-Term vs. Short-Term Rental: Making the Right Call for Your Belgrade Apartment.

Before Your Belgrade Airbnb Listing Goes Live: The Legal Requirements

Who May Rent Out

Under the Hospitality Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia No. 17/2019), a natural person may offer accommodation in apartments, rooms or houses if they are the owner or co-owner of the property (Article 32). Where there is co-ownership, the written consent of the other co-owners is required. A family member can take over the letting with a notarized consent from the owner. Capacity for private individuals is capped at 30 beds and a maximum of 30 guests (Article 30). Letting for stays of up to 30 days counts as accommodation in this sense (Article 35).

Subletting a rented apartment is therefore not possible under this route. Whether foreign owners without residence in Serbia need to provide additional documentation is not explicitly regulated in the law text. Clarify this with the responsible authority or a lawyer before applying.

Categorization: The Decision Before the First Guest

Before starting the activity, the accommodation must be categorized (Article 31). For apartments (apartman), rooms (soba) and houses (kuća), the local self-government is responsible. According to the state portal eTurista, the application is submitted exclusively electronically through eTurista; the process is successfully completed once the status reads "Prihvaćen" (accepted). Guides describe the process like this:

1. Initial registration with the relevant city office with an ID document, to obtain access credentials for eTurista. In Belgrade, according to this information, the City Secretariat for Economy (Sekretarijat za privredu) is responsible.
2. Application through the portal with details about the apartment and the required documents: proof of ownership, a copy of your ID, proof of the administrative fee paid, and declarations on minimum technical requirements, the standards of the requested category and hygiene conditions.
3. An inspection visit by a commission that checks your details on site.
4. A decision (rešenje o kategorizaciji), which is entered into eTurista. Only then may guests arrive.

A separate application is needed for every apartment, even if several units are in the same building. Under Article 20 of the law, the city's decision is valid for three years from the date of delivery. Note that date so the renewal is requested in time and the listing doesn't keep running without a valid category.

Guest Registration via eTurista

Every guest must be reported in the central information system. The law requires that the data be recorded daily and properly, based on an ID card or passport. The basics of this registration requirement, and why many owners hand it off to a management company, are covered in our article Airbnb Management in Belgrade: How Short-Term Rental Differs From Classic Property Management. For the listing itself, the registration requirement has one practical consequence we'll come back to under check-in: you need every guest's ID details.

Tourist Tax and Income Tax for Private Landlords

This is where Serbia differs from many countries. According to eTurista, private landlords do not charge their guests a tourist tax (boravišna taksa). Instead, they pay an annual flat amount that, under a separate government regulation, depends on the number of beds and the category of the tourist location and is set by official decision. How much that amount is for your apartment, and in what instalments it falls due, follows from that decision.

Income tax works similarly. It is 20 percent, calculated not on actual income but on a flat base: the basis is 5 percent of the average monthly wage in Serbia in the previous year, multiplied by the number of beds and a coefficient based on the category of the tourist location. It is paid quarterly, within 15 days after the end of the quarter. Serbian media point out that the burden is higher in Belgrade than in locations without a tourism classification. After receiving the categorization decision, you have 15 days to register for tax; changes are also reported within 15 days using form PPDG-4R.

Anyone with unlimited tax liability in Germany also needs to keep an eye on the Serbian income in addition. How the double taxation treaty applies here is explained in the article Avoiding Double Taxation of Rental Income Between Germany and Serbia. The calculation for your individual case belongs with a tax advisor.

What Happens Without a Decision

The Hospitality Act provides for fines of 150,000 to 350,000 dinars (Article 92) for natural persons who rent out without a categorization decision or fail to register guests in the system. The Ministry of Tourism announced "zero tolerance" in October 2024 toward hosts advertising on Booking, Airbnb and domestic portals without registration. In addition, Article 7 of the law requires that the type and category of the property also be stated correctly in electronic advertising. For your listing, that means: state the actual category and nothing the decision doesn't support.

Creating an Airbnb Listing in Belgrade: The Craft

Knowing the Market

Belgrade is not an empty market. Data provider AirROI counted roughly 3,660 active listings for the period from August 2025 to July 2026, an average daily rate of 83 US dollars, and an occupancy rate of 35.4 percent. The average rating was 4.84 out of 5 stars, with close to half of hosts being Superhosts. Investor blog Investropa puts occupancy at 40 to 45 percent for early 2026, with an average nightly price of around 74 euros and a median of around 57 euros. The figures differ, but the message is the same: an average listing in Belgrade is booked on less than half its nights, and guests are used to very good reviews.

Photos

The photos decide whether a guest even opens your listing. Invest in a professional photographer, and prepare the apartment: beds freshly made, surfaces clear, lights on, windows cleaned. The first image should show the strongest room, usually the living room in daylight or the view from the balcony. Bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and workspace follow after that. Also show things guests need to know in advance, such as the building entrance or the stairs if there's no elevator. Aggressive wide-angle shots that make a room look twice its size lead to disappointed guests and poor reviews.

Title and Description

The title is short; channel-manager guides cite an upper limit of 50 characters. Use it for what guests filter by: neighborhood, apartment type and one concrete feature, for example "Dorćol, 2 Bedrooms, Balcony, Self-Check-in." Superlatives like "luxurious" or "perfect" don't help.

In the description, answer the questions that would otherwise come in as messages: how far is it on foot to Knez Mihailova or the nearest supermarket? What floor is the apartment on, is there an elevator? Where can guests park? How loud is the street? How is it heated and cooled? Honesty about weaknesses protects your reviews. A fourth-floor apartment without an elevator can still earn excellent reviews if the guest knew about it beforehand.

Amenities List

According to AirROI, Wi-Fi, air conditioning and a TV count as baseline amenities in Belgrade, while kitchen, heating and a hairdryer are common. Investropa also names real bedrooms rather than sofa beds, an elevator, fast Wi-Fi, a workspace, self-check-in and clear parking information as sought after. State only what's actually there and working. If something listed is missing, the guest can complain about it.

A list to tick off before going live:

• Air conditioning in the bedrooms, heating with an explanation of how to operate it
• Wi-Fi with a measured speed, password visible in the apartment
• A workspace with a chair and good light for business travelers
• A fully equipped kitchen, coffee maker
• Two to three sets of bedding and towels per bed
• Smoke detector and fire extinguisher, first-aid kit

Pricing Strategy

A new listing has no reviews and competes with established Superhosts. Many hosts therefore start slightly below the market price of comparable apartments and raise it once the first reviews come in. Investropa also recommends adjusting prices two to four months before major events, citing markups of 15 to 40 percent.

Also pay attention to length of stay. According to AirROI, 33.5 percent of Belgrade listings require a one-night minimum stay, 25.1 percent two nights, and 25.9 percent 30 nights or more. A quarter of the market therefore targets monthly guests. Weekly and monthly discounts can stabilize occupancy and reduce the number of turnover cleanings. For cancellation policies, flexible (36.5 percent) and moderate (30.4 percent) rules dominate.

How strongly occupancy decides the outcome is shown by a simple calculation with a nightly price of 74 euros in a month with 30 nights:

Platform fees, cleaning, utilities, tax and, where applicable, management still come out of that. The table shows that ten percentage points more occupancy achieve more than a few euros more per night. Good photos, an honest description and fast responses are therefore the most effective pricing levers.

House Rules

House rules protect your apartment and your relationship with the building community. In multi-unit buildings, noise and unfamiliar guests in the stairwell are the most common sources of conflict. Set quiet hours that match the building's house rules, rule out parties and events, and set rules on smoking, pets and visitors. Also include a rule grounded in Serbian law: every guest must submit their ID details for registration before or upon arrival.

Check-in Solution

For owners managing remotely, self-check-in with a key box or a smart lock is practical. But with the eTurista requirement, the solution needs to be connected to it: ID details must be captured before or upon arrival, even if no one hands over the keys in person. A proven approach is to request the details through the platform's messaging system after booking and to send the access code only once they've been received. Also clarify how guests get through the front door, since many Belgrade buildings have their own intercom or entry code. And decide who is reachable if the lock fails or the guest is standing at the door at midnight.

How Exgentum Supports You

Exgentum guides owners who don't live in Belgrade through both parts: we organize the documents for categorization, attend the inspection appointment, set up the listing with photographer, description and amenities on request, and, as part of our Airbnb management, handle guest registration, check-in and cleaning. Communication with you runs in German or English. Tax questions in Serbia and Germany belong with a tax advisor, legal questions about ownership status with a lawyer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I list my Belgrade apartment on Airbnb without categorization?

No. The Hospitality Act requires the categorization decision before starting the activity. For natural persons, it provides for fines of 150,000 to 350,000 dinars for violations.

Do I have to collect tourist tax from my guests?

According to eTurista, no. Private landlords instead pay an annual flat amount based on the number of beds and the category of the tourist location.

How is short-term rental taxed as a private individual?

At a flat 20 percent on a base of 5 percent of the Serbian average wage, multiplied by the number of beds and a location coefficient. Payment is made quarterly. Your German tax liability may apply in addition.

Can I sublet a rented apartment on Airbnb?

Not as a private individual under the simplified scheme, since it requires ownership or co-ownership.

How long does it take until the listing can go live?

That depends mainly on the categorization process: application, inspection and decision. Ask the city for the current processing time, and have photos and text prepared in parallel so the listing is ready to go the day the decision arrives.

Conclusion

A successful Airbnb listing in Belgrade starts with paperwork: clarify ownership, apply for categorization, submit the tax registration, organize guest registration. Skip that, and you risk steep fines and a listing that can go offline at any time. After that, the craft decides occupancy: honest photos and descriptions, amenities that match what Belgrade guests want, an entry price that earns reviews, and a check-in solution that accounts for the registration requirement. Follow the steps in this order, and prepare the listing while the authority is working.