Erasmus+ for organisations in Serbia: eligibility and application guide

Serbia is one of the most active Erasmus+ participant countries in the Western Balkans. As an EU candidate country associated to the Erasmus+ programme, Serbian organisations — NGOs, schools, universities, VET providers, youth organisations and public bodies — have access to the same actions and funding opportunities as organisations in EU Member States.

Yet many Serbian organisations still approach Erasmus+ with uncertainty — unsure whether they are eligible, which actions are open to them, or how to navigate an application that competes successfully at European level. This guide covers everything a Serbian organisation needs to know about Erasmus+ in 2026.

Is Serbia a programme country for Erasmus+?

Yes — and this is the most important thing for Serbian organisations to understand. Serbia is not a “third country” in the restrictive sense — it is listed in the official 2026 Programme Guide as a candidate country associated to the Erasmus+ programme, alongside North Macedonia, Türkiye and the other Western Balkans accession countries.

This means Serbian organisations participate in Erasmus+ on the same terms as organisations in EU Member States. A Serbian NGO can coordinate a KA210 project, lead a KA220 consortium, host a youth exchange, send staff abroad for professional development and apply for the Erasmus Accreditation — all on equal footing with organisations from France, Greece or Poland.

This full programme country status is a significant advantage that many Serbian organisations are not aware of. Serbia’s participation in Erasmus+ is not limited to being a partner in projects led by EU organisations — Serbian organisations can and do lead projects of their own.

The National Agency: Tempus Foundation

The National Agency responsible for managing Erasmus+ in Serbia is the Tempus Foundation (Fondacija Tempus). The Tempus Foundation manages all NA-managed Erasmus+ actions in Serbia — including KA1 mobility, KA210, KA220 and the Erasmus Accreditation for school, VET and adult education.

For youth-specific actions (KA152, KA153, KA154), the Tempus Foundation also acts as the relevant point of contact in Serbia — unlike Italy and Spain, Serbia does not have a separate youth agency, so all actions go through Tempus.

The Tempus Foundation publishes national guidance documents and call information in both Serbian and English. Their website includes detailed guidance for each action, national deadline confirmations and contact details for programme officers by field. Always check the Tempus Foundation website before submitting — they publish national call amendments and clarifications after the Programme Guide is released.

Which organisations in Serbia are eligible for Erasmus+?

Erasmus+ is open to a wide range of organisations legally established in Serbia. Eligible types include:

• NGOs and civil society organisations — udruženja, fondacije and other non-profit bodies registered under Serbian law, working in education, youth, social inclusion, culture or civic participation
• Schools — primary schools (osnovne škole), secondary schools (srednje škole), gymnasiums (gimnazije) and other pre-university education providers
• VET providers — stručne škole, technical schools, and other organisations providing initial or continuing vocational training
• Universities and higher education institutions — accredited universities holding a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE)
• Adult education providers — organisations providing non-formal learning for adults, professional development and skills training
• Youth organisations — youth centres, youth associations and informal groups of young people (for KA152)
• Public bodies — local governments (opštine, gradovi), national authorities and public institutions active in education or youth

All organisations must obtain a valid Organisation ID (OID) from the EU Organisation Registration System before applying. Registration is free, takes up to 10 working days and is done through the EU Academy portal. Without an OID your organisation cannot submit any Erasmus+ application.

Which Erasmus+ actions are available to Serbian organisations?

KA210 — Small-Scale Partnerships (recommended starting point)

KA210 is the most accessible and recommended entry point for Serbian organisations applying to Erasmus+ for the first time. It is explicitly designed for smaller and less experienced organisations, with a simplified lump sum grant model and no minimum experience requirement.

KA210 is well-suited to Serbian NGOs, schools and youth organisations that want to develop a transnational project with one European partner on a topic relevant to their work — sharing practices, developing educational resources, running joint workshops or building capacity through mutual learning. The lump sum model is particularly attractive for Serbian organisations that have limited financial management infrastructure for tracking individual EU project expenses.

A practical note on the lump sum tier: the €30,000 tier is the right starting point for most first-time Serbian applicants. It is proportionate to a focused 12–18 month project with one partner, two or three transnational meetings and one concrete output. Starting at €30,000 and building a track record is a stronger strategy than applying for €60,000 with an ambitious plan that evaluators may not consider credible for a first application.

KA220 — Cooperation Partnerships

KA220 is the full-scale cooperation action for Serbian organisations with EU project experience and a clear innovation or systemic impact objective. Three lump sum tiers offer significantly higher grants than KA210 but require a more complex application and a stronger consortium.

KA152 — Youth Exchanges

Serbian youth organisations can host or send groups of young people (aged 13–30) for structured non-formal learning exchanges with partner groups from other programme countries. Youth Exchanges are one of the most impactful and accessible Erasmus+ actions for Serbian youth organisations — bringing young Serbians into direct contact with their European peers on topics like democratic participation, environmental education, social inclusion and intercultural dialogue.

Serbia’s geographic position and cultural context make it a highly attractive host country for Youth Exchanges — Serbian youth organisations regularly receive hosting requests from Western European partners. Being a host organisation is also a strong entry point for organisations with no prior Erasmus+ experience.

KA153 — Youth Worker Mobility

Professional development for Serbian youth workers, trainers and non-formal educators through learning visits, seminars and job shadowing abroad. Two rounds per year. Relevant for any Serbian youth organisation or youth centre with staff working in non-formal education.

KA122 — Short-term Mobility (School, VET and Adult Education)

Serbian schools, VET providers and adult education organisations can fund staff professional development abroad through job shadowing, teaching assignments and training courses. No prior experience required, maximum 30 participants per project.

Erasmus Accreditation — School, VET and Adult Education

Serbian schools, VET providers and adult education organisations with a strategic commitment to European mobility can apply for the Erasmus Accreditation — a long-term quality label that grants simplified annual access to KA1 mobility funding without reapplying each year.

2026 Erasmus+ deadlines for Serbian organisations

All deadlines at 12:00 Brussels time. Always verify with the Tempus Foundation at erasmusplus.rs before submitting — the Tempus Foundation publishes national call information and may adjust deadlines after the Programme Guide is released.

How much funding can Serbian organisations receive?

For unit cost actions, the individual support rate for Serbia as a destination is €120/day — the Programme Guide reference rate for Country Group 3 (which includes Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Türkiye). This is the rate used when participants from other countries travel to Serbia for activities hosted there.

When Serbian staff travel to Western European destinations, the higher destination country rates apply — €160/day to Germany, France or Italy, €140/day to Greece or Portugal, for example.

Serbia’s strategic advantages as an Erasmus+ participant

Serbian organisations bring specific advantages to Erasmus+ consortia that make them attractive partners for coordinators across Europe:

• Western Balkans perspective — Serbia’s position as an EU candidate country in active accession negotiations gives projects a genuine European integration dimension that evaluators value highly in proposals addressing democratic participation, active citizenship and European values
• Diversity in partnerships — a Serbian partner adds geographic and cultural diversity to any consortium, strengthening the transnational dimension of the project narrative
• Lower individual support destination rate — at €120/day, hosting activities in Serbia is more cost-effective than hosting in Western Europe, which can free up budget for more activities or more participants
• Strong NGO and youth sector — Serbia has an active and experienced civil society sector, with many organisations already engaged in transnational youth and education projects
• EU accession context — projects addressing rule of law, democratic governance, digital transformation and green transition in the Western Balkans context are specifically prioritised in the 2026 Programme Guide

The 2026 priorities for Serbian organisations

Serbian organisations applying for Erasmus+ in 2026 should address the four horizontal priorities genuinely in their project design:

• Inclusion and diversity — reaching people with fewer opportunities. Serbia’s rural-urban divide, Roma communities, people with disabilities and young people with limited economic opportunities all represent genuine inclusion contexts well-aligned with this priority
• Digital transformation — digital skills for educators, youth workers and adult learners; digital tools in non-formal education; digital inclusion for disadvantaged communities
• Environment and climate change — environmental education, green practices in project design, sustainable development awareness — a priority with particular resonance in the EU accession context
• Democratic participation and active citizenship — civic education, media literacy and European values — strongly relevant for Serbian youth organisations given Serbia’s EU candidate country status and the democratic participation dimension of the accession process

How to apply: step by step for Serbian organisations

Step 1 — Register your OID. Go to the EU Academy portal, create an account and register your organisation to obtain an Organisation ID (OID). Free, takes up to 10 working days. Do not leave this to the last week before the deadline.

Step 2 — Choose your action. First-time applicants should start with KA210. Youth organisations should consider KA152 or KA153. Schools and VET providers should look at KA122. Experienced organisations with a track record should consider KA220.

Step 3 — Develop your project concept. Define clearly: what problem your project addresses, who your target participants are, what activities you will carry out, what outputs you will produce and how your project connects to the 2026 priorities. For KA210, keep your concept focused and your activities realistic for the lump sum tier you intend to select.

Step 4 — Find your partners. For KA210 you need one partner from another programme country. For KA220 you need two partners from two other countries. Use EPALE, the Erasmus+ partner search tools, the Tempus Foundation’s partner-seeking resources or direct outreach through your existing European network. GrowthProjects.eu also provides a partner matching service for Serbian organisations.

Step 5 — Submit through the Tempus Foundation. Applications for NA-managed actions are submitted online through the Erasmus+ application system. Check the Tempus Foundation website for national guidance documents in Serbian before writing your application — they often include clarifications and practical tips specific to the Serbian national call.

Step 6 — Wait for results and sign your grant agreement. The Tempus Foundation notifies applicants of results approximately 3–4 months after the deadline. If selected, you sign a grant agreement with Tempus Foundation and receive pre-financing.

Common mistakes Serbian organisations make when applying

Not realising Serbia has full programme country status. Some Serbian organisations approach Erasmus+ as if they were a restricted third country — applying only as partners rather than coordinators, or assuming certain actions are closed to them. Serbia is a fully associated programme country. Serbian organisations can coordinate, lead and apply for all NA-managed actions on equal terms with EU Member States.

Choosing the €60,000 KA210 tier for a first application. A first-time applicant from Serbia selecting the higher lump sum tier faces a higher evaluation bar — evaluators will assess whether the organisation has the capacity to manage and deliver a €60,000 project. Starting at €30,000 with a well-designed, focused project is almost always the stronger strategy for a first application.

Generic project concepts without local specificity. Evaluators are experienced at identifying applications that could have been written by any organisation anywhere. The strongest KA210 applications from Serbian organisations are specific — they describe a real problem in their specific context, a realistic activity plan and a credible impact narrative. Leverage Serbia’s specific context: EU accession, digital transformation, rural-urban inequalities, youth unemployment — these are genuine European-level topics that give your project a strong relevance dimension.

Leaving OID registration too late. Many Serbian organisations discover the OID requirement in the final week before the deadline. Registration takes up to 10 working days. Start this process as soon as you decide to apply.

Not reading the Tempus Foundation national guidance. The Tempus Foundation publishes national call documents that clarify how the Programme Guide rules apply in the Serbian national context. These documents often contain important practical information that is not in the Programme Guide. Always read them before writing your application.

Frequently asked questions

Can a Serbian organisation coordinate a KA210 project?

Yes. Serbian organisations can act as the coordinator (applicant) for KA210 projects and submit the application to the Tempus Foundation. There is no requirement for the coordinator to be an EU Member State organisation. Serbian coordinators have the same rights and responsibilities as coordinators from Greece, France or any other programme country.

Can a newly registered Serbian NGO apply for Erasmus+?

Yes, for KA210, KA152, KA153 and KA122. These actions have no minimum age requirement for the organisation. KA220 requires the coordinator to be established at least 2 years before the deadline — but a newly registered NGO can participate as a partner in a KA220 project coordinated by another organisation.

Are Serbian organisations competitive against EU Member State applicants?

Yes — the evaluation criteria do not favour EU Member State organisations over associated country organisations. Serbian applications are evaluated on exactly the same criteria as applications from Greece, Italy or Germany. The quality of the project concept, the strength of the partnership and the relevance to 2026 priorities are what determine the score.

Can a Serbian school apply for the Erasmus Accreditation?

Yes. The Erasmus Accreditation is open to Serbian schools, VET providers and adult education organisations on the same terms as EU Member State organisations. The accreditation is managed by the Tempus Foundation and the deadline is 29 September 2026.

What language should a Serbian organisation write their application in?

Erasmus+ applications can be written in any EU official language. In practice, most Serbian organisations write their KA210 and KA220 applications in English — this is the common working language with most European partners and makes the application accessible to external evaluators. The Tempus Foundation accepts applications in both Serbian and English — check their national guidance for specific requirements for each action.

All programme information is based on the official Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2026 (Version 1, published 12 November 2025). Serbia is listed as a third country associated to the Erasmus+ programme. Deadlines and conditions are subject to confirmation by the Tempus Foundation — always verify current national information at erasmusplus.rs before submitting. GrowthProjects.eu is an independent consultancy and is not affiliated with the Tempus Foundation, the European Commission or EACEA.