Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
[RS1] Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia (SORS)
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Group for Census Organization and the AMM Statistics
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
5 Milana Rakica Street, Belgrade
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
16 March 2026
2.2. Metadata last posted
16 March 2026
2.3. Metadata last update
16 March 2026
3.1. Data description
Data collection on the residence permits (RESPER) statistics contains statistical information based on the principles stated in the Union legislation on migration Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 as amended by the Regulation (EU) 2020/851 and the Commission Regulation (EU) No 216/2010 implementing the categories of reasons for residence permits.
The main RESPER data collection based on Article 6 of the Migration Statistics Regulation
First residence permits,
Residence permits issued on the occasion of changing the immigration status or reason to stay,
Residence permits valid at the end of the year,
Long-term residence permits valid at the end of the year,
Long-term permits issued during the year.
3.2. Classification system
See table 3.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables RESPER’.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Migration and asylum – Residence permits statistics.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables RESPER’.
3.5. Statistical unit
Persons (third-country nationals), number of issued residence permits
3.6. Statistical population
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables RESPER’.
3.7. Reference area
Republic of Serbia
3.8. Coverage - Time
See table 3.8. in annex ‘Quality report tables RESPER’.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable
Number of permits (issued to third-country nationals).
Calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
In the Republic of Serbia, the activities which relate to data collection, formulation of specific laws in this area and the monitoring of compliance with international regulations are in jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior. The legal basis for regulating the conditions for the entry, movement, residence and return of foreigners is the Law on Foreigners.
Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia (SORS) has the coordination role for European AMM Statistics under Regulation (EC) 862/2007. The SORS activities are defined by the Law on Official Statistics ("Official Gazette of RS", No.109/2025), five-year Program and the annual Plan of Official Statistics.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
The Framework Agreement on Cooperation between Ministry of Interior and the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia established the framework types and conditions of business cooperation, while the additional Agreement defined the acquisition of data for the purposes of conducting research on internal population migration, international migration, as well as managed migration, namely:
citizens of the Republic of Serbia,
foreign citizens (for this purposes, data on issued temporary residence permits - basis and reason).
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
The Law on Official Statistics emphasizes the principle of statistical confidentiality and data protection, and implies that the privacy of data providers, the confidentiality of data they provide, the use of data exclusively for statistical purposes and data security, must be fully guaranteed.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
The Law on Official Statistics stipulates that the responsible producer of official statistics is obliged to protect confidential data during the process of production of official statistics results and dissemination of official statistics
Additionally, the Rulebook on the protection of statistical data in SORS lays down the measures to be implemented so as to protect data and information in the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia.
8.1. Release calendar
The release calendar is not available at this moment.
8.2. Release calendar access
Not applicable.
8.3. Release policy - user access
Not applicable.
Annual data submission to Eurostat is planned.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Not applicable, no press releases are made.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Not applicable, no publications are made in regards to the data submitted to Eurostat.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Not applicable.
10.3.1. Data tables - consultations
Not applicable
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not applicable
10.5.1. Metadata - consultations
Not applicable
10.6. Documentation on methodology
The Residence Permits Statististics are fully in compliance with Technical Guidelines for Data Collection on Residence Permits Statistics under Article 6 of Regulation 862/2007 as amended by Regulation 2020/851
Based on this, SORS has prepared simplified statistical methodology available for internal use with the aim to describe in national level terms the process of collecting and publishing data on temporary residence permits (only in Serbian).
SORS is fully in line with European Statistics Code of Practise. In the process of accessing of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union, the implementation of this Code represents a key framework for strengthening the credibility, independence and quality of official statistics. In this context, SORS has adopted its Quality Policy and Quality Strategy, which provide a systematic framework for implementing quality management in all phases of statistical production.
The work of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia is also guided by the United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, which establish internationally recognised standards for professional independence, impartiality, transparency and the protection of confidential data.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
The overall assessment of data quality for residence permits statistics is carried out in accordance with the standard quality criteria of the European Statistical System. The data are primarily based on administrative sources, and specific validation and consistency checks are regularly performed in order to identify potential inconsistencies and ensure the reliability and comparability of the statistical outputs.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
At this stage, the statistical outputs are produced and transmitted to Eurostat, in line with EU methodological requirements.
Given that this is a new statistical domain, user needs at national level have not yet been fully assessed.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not applicable
12.3. Completeness
See table 12.3. in annex ‘Quality report tables RESPER’.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Not applicable
13.1. Accuracy - overall
At this stage, a detailed quantitative assessment of different sources of error is not available. However, the residence permits statistics are based on administrative data provided by the competent national authority (Ministry of Interior), which ensures a high level of coverage of the target population. Possible sources of error may arise from administrative procedures, including delays in data entry, occasional inconsistencies in administrative records or changes in administrative practices.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable
13.3.1. Coverage error
Coverage errors may occur in cases of delays in administrative registration or changes in administrative procedures.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
Not applicable
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not applicable
13.3.2. Measurement error
Measurement errors are considered limited, as the data originate from official administrative registers. Measurement errors may arise primarily from the way certain variables are recorded in administrative systems.
13.3.3. Non response error
Not applicable
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not applicable
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not applicable
13.3.4. Processing error
During data processing, validation and consistency checks are performed in order to identify and correct potential inconsistencies and to minimise potential errors.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not applicable
14.1. Timeliness
Data supplied to Eurostat is in accordance with the Technical Guidelines, also concerning the timeframe of sending data to Eurostat. The possible time lag is mainly due to administrative processing procedures, the time required for the consolidation of administrative records, and the subsequent validation and preparation of datasets for transmission to Eurostat. The Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia is working on improving data exchange procedures and streamlining validation processes in order to reduce the time lag in the future.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not applicable
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not applicable
14.2. Punctuality
See table 14.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables RESPER’.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not applicable
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Statistics on residence permits are based on administrative data covering the entire territory of the Republic of Serbia, so the same legal framework and administrative procedures are applied. Therefore, the data are considered highly comparable across geographical areas within the country. No significant regional differences in data collection methodology have been identified that would affect the comparability of the statistics. The concepts and definitions used are aligned with the methodological requirements of Eurostat and the standards of the European Statistical System. No major deviations from international concepts and definitions have been identified.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable
15.2. Comparability - over time
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables RESPER’.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
Not applicable
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Statistics on residence permits are based on administrative data provided by the competent authority (Ministry of Interior) responsible for issuing residence permits in the Republic of Serbia. These statistics are conceptually related to other migration statistics, such as data on foreign population, migration flows, etc.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not applicable
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not applicable
15.4. Coherence - internal
Not applicable
There is no direct burden on individual respondents and low internal production costs, which is common for admin-based statistics.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Revisions will be clearly communicated in future releases according to SORS’ general data revision policy.
17.2. Data revision - practice
See table 17.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables RESPER’.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not applicable
18.1. Source data
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables RESPER’.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Monthly
18.3. Data collection
Data from the Ministry of Interior is obtained through the Agreement on the transfer of data on citizens of the Republic of Serbia and foreign citizens. The data are transmitted to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia through an established data exchange procedure. Prior to regular production, the acquisition process was tested through pilot data deliveries and methodological consultations with the data provider in order to ensure that the data structure, variables and definitions comply with the Eurostat requirements.
After data transmission, additional validation and consistency checks are performed by SORS in order to identify potential errors or inconsistencies and to ensure that the data meet the methodological requirements for residence permits statistics.
18.4. Data validation
Residence permit data are extracted from administrative registers and checked for completeness, consistency, and plausibility. Any discrepancies are clarified with the data-providing authority and corrected before transmission to Eurostat. Results of these checks inform revisions and improvements for future data cycles.
Data collection on the residence permits (RESPER) statistics contains statistical information based on the principles stated in the Union legislation on migration Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 as amended by the Regulation (EU) 2020/851 and the Commission Regulation (EU) No 216/2010 implementing the categories of reasons for residence permits.
The main RESPER data collection based on Article 6 of the Migration Statistics Regulation
First residence permits,
Residence permits issued on the occasion of changing the immigration status or reason to stay,
Residence permits valid at the end of the year,
Long-term residence permits valid at the end of the year,
Long-term permits issued during the year.
16 March 2026
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables RESPER’.
Persons (third-country nationals), number of issued residence permits
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables RESPER’.
Republic of Serbia
Calendar year.
At this stage, a detailed quantitative assessment of different sources of error is not available. However, the residence permits statistics are based on administrative data provided by the competent national authority (Ministry of Interior), which ensures a high level of coverage of the target population. Possible sources of error may arise from administrative procedures, including delays in data entry, occasional inconsistencies in administrative records or changes in administrative practices.
Number of permits (issued to third-country nationals).
All processes are according to guidelines.
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables RESPER’.
Annual data submission to Eurostat is planned.
Data supplied to Eurostat is in accordance with the Technical Guidelines, also concerning the timeframe of sending data to Eurostat. The possible time lag is mainly due to administrative processing procedures, the time required for the consolidation of administrative records, and the subsequent validation and preparation of datasets for transmission to Eurostat. The Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia is working on improving data exchange procedures and streamlining validation processes in order to reduce the time lag in the future.
Statistics on residence permits are based on administrative data covering the entire territory of the Republic of Serbia, so the same legal framework and administrative procedures are applied. Therefore, the data are considered highly comparable across geographical areas within the country. No significant regional differences in data collection methodology have been identified that would affect the comparability of the statistics. The concepts and definitions used are aligned with the methodological requirements of Eurostat and the standards of the European Statistical System. No major deviations from international concepts and definitions have been identified.
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables RESPER’.
