German- or English-Speaking Doctor in Belgrade: Where to Get Help When You Fall Ill

If you live in Belgrade or travel there regularly, you usually only start looking for a doctor who speaks your language when it is urgent: a child with a fever at the weekend, a tooth that aches at night or a prescription you forgot to bring. At that point you need an address, a phone number and an idea of what you will pay and how you get the money back.

This article describes the practical route to a doctor in Belgrade who speaks German or at least good English: which list to use first, how public and private care differ in everyday life, roughly what a private doctor in Belgrade costs, which number to call in an emergency and which documents you should prepare. We do not explain again how the Serbian statutory health insurance RFZO works or which private insurance options exist; that is covered in our article on health insurance in Serbia (in German).

German-speaking doctor in Belgrade: start with the embassy list

In its visa and consular section, the German Embassy in Belgrade publishes a list of doctors and clinics in Belgrade. It is the most reliable starting point if you are looking for a doctor in Belgrade who speaks German, because for many entries it states the language explicitly: "German-speaking", "German and English" or "English-speaking". This makes the list useful for English-speaking patients as well. It is sorted by specialty, from paediatricians, ophthalmologists, gynaecology and orthopaedics to dentists and physiotherapy, and it names pharmacies that are open around the clock.

There are two limitations you should know about. First, the embassy itself states that the list is non-binding and provided without guarantee; it reflects the information available when it was compiled, and no update date is given. Second, anyone who visits one of the doctors listed bears the costs themselves. Neither the embassy nor the German Federal Foreign Office covers treatment costs. The list is therefore a point of orientation, not a recommendation with a quality guarantee.

So call ahead and ask whether the doctor who will see you actually speaks German or English, and whether an invoice in German or English is possible. For one dental practice, the embassy explicitly notes invoices in German; many entries only say "English-speaking".

If no German-speaking doctor is available

For many specialties, the list contains only a few German-speaking entries or none at all. In practice, English is the more realistic language of treatment in Belgrade, especially in private clinics. If you only speak German, take someone along to important appointments who can interpret. For appointments you can plan, it is worth asking which doctor at the practice speaks German.

Public or private: two routes to a doctor in Belgrade

The Serbian healthcare system has two levels, and you will notice the difference clearly in everyday life.

Public primary care is provided by health centres (Dom zdravlja, plural domovi zdravlja). Every Belgrade municipality has such a centre with general practitioners, paediatricians, gynaecology and a laboratory. If you are insured with the state health insurance fund RFZO (Republički fond za zdravstveno osiguranje), you choose a family doctor there (izabrani lekar), who issues referrals to specialists and hospitals. For insured patients, services are free apart from small co-payments. However, waiting times for specialist appointments can be long, and there is no guarantee that staff speak German or English.

Private care consists of individual practices (ordinacija), polyclinics (poliklinika) with several specialties and large private hospitals. Here you pay for every service directly, but in return you usually get an appointment at short notice, without a referral, and the chance of English- or German-speaking staff is higher. Most expats use the private side for routine check-ups and specialists.

Why the public side still matters

Even if you go to private doctors, serious emergencies often end up in a public facility. According to the embassy list, the Emergency Centre (Urgentni centar) at Pasterova 2 is open around the clock and English-speaking. The embassy also lists the Military Medical Academy (Vojnomedicinska akademija, VMA) and the University Children's Hospital at Tiršova 10. Make a note of these addresses before your first emergency.

What does a private doctor in Belgrade cost?

There are no fixed prices; every practice and clinic has its own price list (cenovnik). Many publish it on their website, and you can ask for it by phone before an appointment. As a rough guide: a report by the Serbian broadcaster N1, published in August 2023 on 021.rs, gives prices for a specialist examination in a private practice starting at 3,500 dinars, often 6,000 dinars and up to 8,000 dinars for better-known doctors. For a blood draw, the same report mentions about 400 dinars, and up to 6,000 dinars for individual laboratory analyses such as hormone tests. The report also describes private medical services as having become 50 to 100 percent more expensive within two years. The figures should therefore be read as a lower bound.

Example calculation for a typical private visit

Suppose you see an internist at a polyclinic with persistent symptoms and have a blood count done at the same time. Using the figures from the report mentioned above and an exchange rate of around 117 dinars to one euro, the rough calculation looks like this:

Expect higher amounts in large private hospitals or if ultrasound and other diagnostics are added. Ask for the total price before the appointment. For check-up packages (sistematski pregled), it pays to compare two or three providers.

Emergency: which number to call?

The number for the ambulance service (Hitna pomoć) in Serbia is 194. The German Embassy lists it as the emergency number on its list of doctors, and the Belgrade ambulance service also uses it in the name of its website. Do not count on the dispatch centre speaking German. Have your exact address ready in Serbian, ideally with street, house number, entrance (ulaz), floor (sprat) and apartment number (stan). In Belgrade residential complexes with several entrances, this saves valuable minutes.

For situations that are urgent but not life-threatening, there are two options: the Emergency Centre at Pasterova 2 or a private clinic that operates 24 hours a day. The embassy list includes at least one private clinic with doctors from many specialties that is open around the clock but requires you to arrange an appointment. So call ahead, even at night. For children, the embassy also lists a paediatrician who makes house calls.

Pharmacies and prescriptions in Belgrade

There are pharmacies (apoteka) on almost every major street in Belgrade, both public and private. The embassy names several pharmacies open 24 hours a day, including one at Nemanjina 2 in the city centre and one at Glavna 34 in Zemun.

Three points matter for you as a patient coming from Germany:

1. German prescriptions are generally not valid in Serbia. If you need a prescription-only medicine, you need a prescription from a doctor practising in Serbia.
2. Active ingredient instead of brand name. Many medicines have different names in Serbia than in Germany. For every long-term medication, note the active ingredient (international non-proprietary name, INN) and the dosage. This allows the pharmacist or doctor to find a suitable product.
3. Co-payment only on a public-insurance prescription. Only medicines on the RFZO's current list of medicines are dispensed at the expense of the state insurance. You pay for everything else yourself. According to the information leaflet of the German Liaison Agency Health Insurance – International (Deutsche Verbindungsstelle Krankenversicherung Ausland, DVKA), this also applies to holidaymakers with a German entitlement certificate.

Billing: who pays for a private doctor in Belgrade?

How you get your costs back depends on whether you are only visiting Belgrade or living there.

You have German statutory health insurance and are travelling

Germany and Serbia have a social security agreement. According to the DVKA leaflet "Urlaub in Serbien" (Holidays in Serbia, as of June 2018), people with German statutory health insurance who fall ill in Serbia are entitled to immediately necessary benefits in kind under Serbian law. The European Health Insurance Card or a provisional replacement certificate serves as proof of entitlement. Before treatment, you present it at an RFZO branch office and receive form INO-1; for Belgrade, the leaflet mentions branches in all city districts, for example at Nemanjina 30 or in Novi Beograd at Goce Delčeva 42. With this form you are treated in public facilities, with co-payments that the leaflet states as 50 dinars per examination for medical treatment.

The sentence that matters most for your choice of doctor is also in the leaflet: treatment by private providers, return transport to Germany and the co-payments customary in Serbia are not covered. The DVKA therefore strongly recommends private travel health insurance. If you see a private doctor in Belgrade, you will therefore normally submit the invoice to that travel insurance, not to your statutory health insurer (Krankenkasse). If you had to pay yourself for treatment that would in principle have been covered, your health insurer will check, on the basis of a receipted, itemised invoice, whether and to what extent it reimburses you. As the leaflet dates from 2018, ask your health insurer for the current forms before you travel.

You live in Belgrade

If you have moved your residence to Serbia, you are usually covered by the RFZO and a private supplementary or expat insurance. Either the clinic bills the insurer directly, or you pay yourself and submit the invoice. When you book the appointment, ask which route applies to your plan.

What the invoice should show

For its review, the DVKA requires a receipted invoice that shows exactly which services were provided. Private insurers usually also expect your full name, the date of treatment and the diagnosis, ideally with an ICD-10 code. Ask the practice for an invoice in English or German before you pay, and check with your insurer in advance whether it accepts invoices in Serbian or requires a translation.

Documents you should bring from Germany

Even the best German-speaking doctor in Belgrade can do little if they do not know your medical history. Before you move or go on a longer trip, prepare a small health folder, in German and ideally also in English:

• current list of medications with active ingredient, dosage and time of intake
• medical reports and discharge letters from recent years on chronic conditions
• vaccination record and, for children, the yellow child health check booklet (gelbes Untersuchungsheft)
• allergies and intolerances, especially to medicines
• imaging results, on CD or as a file if possible
• glasses and contact lens prescriptions
• proof of insurance and your insurer's emergency number

You do not need a translation by a court-certified translator (sudski tumač) for doctor's visits. An English summary from your family doctor is often more valuable than a pile of individual German findings.

The order in which to proceed

1. Before you move: put together your health folder and clarify insurance cover for the transition period.
2. In the first week: go through the embassy list and note two or three suitable practices near your apartment; save the emergency number 194 and the address of the nearest 24-hour pharmacy.
3. In the first few months: choose a family doctor or a polyclinic for routine questions and introduce yourself once without an acute reason, so that a file exists when it matters.
4. For children: choose a paediatrician early on; the embassy list names several paediatricians.

How these steps fit into the other tasks after your arrival is shown in our checklist for moving to Belgrade (in German).

How Exgentum supports you

Exgentum is not a medical service and does not give medical recommendations. Which doctor is the right professional fit for you is your decision, ideally based on the embassy list and your own experience. What we take care of as part of our relocation support (page in German) is the organisation around it: we help you book appointments with practices where the staff do not speak German, accompany you to the appointment or to the RFZO branch on request and help you compile invoices for your insurer. Your contact person at Exgentum speaks German or English. For questions about insurance terms, your insurer remains responsible; for medical questions, your doctor.

Frequently asked questions

Are there doctors in Belgrade who speak German?

Yes, though not in every specialty. The list of doctors published by the German Embassy in Belgrade marks German-speaking doctors, for example in dentistry, paediatrics, gynaecology, neurology and physiotherapy. In other fields, English is the realistic language of treatment.

Which emergency number do I call for an ambulance in Belgrade?

The number 194. Have your address ready in Serbian with entrance, floor and apartment number, as the dispatch centre does not necessarily speak German or English.

What does an appointment with a private doctor in Belgrade cost?

Each practice sets its own prices. A report from 2023 gives 3,500 to 8,000 dinars for a specialist examination, or about 30 to 68 euros. Prices have tended to rise since then, so ask for the current price list before your appointment.

Will my German statutory health insurer pay for a private doctor in Belgrade?

As a rule, no. According to the DVKA leaflet, the entitlement of people with statutory insurance in Serbia covers benefits in kind in public facilities, not treatment by private providers. That is what private travel health insurance is for.

Can I fill my German prescription at a Belgrade pharmacy?

You should not rely on it. For prescription-only medicines, you generally need a prescription from a doctor in Serbia. Note the active ingredient and dosage so that a suitable product can be found.

Conclusion

Finding a doctor in Belgrade who speaks German is possible, but not in every specialty and not at short notice. Use the German Embassy's list of doctors as your starting point, expect English to be the language of treatment with many doctors and clarify the price and the form of the invoice before every private appointment. If you have German statutory health insurance and are visiting Belgrade, you need travel health insurance for private doctors; if you live there, you need a combination of RFZO and private cover. Put together a health folder before you move, save the emergency number 194 and choose a regular practice in your first few months, before you urgently need it.