The Republic of Serbia is a State Party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. Serbia is also a party to other relevant international human rights treaties.
The Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, as well as the 2018 Law on Asylum and Temporary Protection provide the main legal framework for the asylum procedure and set of rights of asylum-seeker and those who have been accorded international protection statuses (asylum/refugee protection, subsidiary and /or temporary protection and humanitarian protection). The Asylum Office located in the Ministry of Interior, as a first instance body, conducts procedures to determine whether applicants are deserving of international protection. Pursuant to the 2018 Law, the decisions of the Asylum Office may be reviewed by the Asylum Commission (at the second instance) and by the Administrative Court (at the third instance).
In line with the Objective 1 of the Western Balkans Strategy in the field of asylum building, UNHCR works to improve protection and response capacity, including access to territory and asylum procedure and identification of asylum-seekers and persons with specific needs for appropriate referrals; registration, documentation and coordinated data collection and management; support to asylum system development and quality assurance ; access to basic rights and return of persons without international protection needs. To achieve these, we work closely with the authorities of the Republic of Serbia, civil society, international organizations and donors.