GENERAL INFORMATION
Serbia covers 88,361km2. According to population census 2002 the population of Serbia is 7.5 million.

CAPITAL CITY
Belgrade is the capital of Republic of Serbia, with the population of approximately 1.7 million people. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, and is one of the oldest cities in Europe.

Language and Alphabet
The official language is Serbian. The official alphabet is Cyrillic, but the Roman alphabet is very extensively used. In large cities a lot of people especially the young, speak English as a foreign language, although French, Russian and German are also used.

Religion
Religion and language are the primary factors that distinguish ethnic groups in Serbia. Serbs are by tradition Orthodox Christians and Cyrillic alphabet is used. Muslim Slavs (generally known as Bosniaks) speak Bosnian and write it with the Latin alphabet. Ethnic Albanians speak Albanian, which is written with the Latin alphabet. Most Albanians are Sunni Muslims, but there are also Orthodox Christian and Roman Catholic Albanians, particularly in Montenegro. Hungarians speak Hungarian as well as Croatian. The region is also home to a small population of Roma.

CURRENCY
The official currency in Serbia is the dinar. You will have no difficulty changing pounds to dinars – no need to buy US dollars to bring with you, as is the case for some other countries in the region. It is advisable to change all your dinars back before you leave the country. There are exchange offices in hotels and at the airport and at numerous reliable banks and kiosks (keep your receipt in case customs ask for it).

Use of credit and debit cards is common in Serbia as Diners, Visa and MasterCard are accepted by most of the hotels and restaurants. It's easy to find a bank machine/cash point that will pay out money from foreign accounts.

CLIMATE
Moderate continental climate in Serbia. In summer, temperatures can get as high as 35-40C, while winters can be cold (as low as -20C). Spring and autumn are usually rainy, but it can be sunny and warm until late October.

TIME
GMT +1 in winter and +2 in summer (always one hour ahead of the UK).

VOLTAGE
220-240V, continental plugs (two-pin) are used.

VISAS
Citizens of the following countries do not need a visa: the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Vatican, Andorra, San Marino, Israel, Cyprus, Malta, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Croatia, the United States of America, Canada, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

For others, a tourist pass scheme is in operation until the end of September. This means that you will be able to buy a tourist pass at the airport (before the passport control and customs) instead of a visa, at a cost of 55 €. (Important: only notes are accepted, not coins. Change is given in dinars.) Please note that Belgrade must be your final destination in order to qualify for a pass.

If you hold a passport that is not covered by the scheme, you need to obtain an official invitation, which will allow you to apply for a visa. Once you have your invitation, you need to fill in a visa application which needs to be sent off with the invitation to your local Serbia Embassy or Consulate. You will need to check with each individual Embassy about supporting documentation, as the requirements can vary. The fee can also vary, but should be somewhere in the region of GBP 35.