Nearshoring to Serbia.Developers in your time zone, in your own team.
With nearshoring, developers from a nearby country work in your team, in the same time zone. We recruit developers in Serbia who work for you full time. You interview the candidates yourself and decide who you continue with.
Nearshore, offshore or secondment.
Three ways to bring developers from outside your organisation into your team. They differ in distance, time zone and who arranges what.
Nearshore
What we doDevelopers in a nearby country, such as Serbia, in the same time zone. They work full time in your team, remotely, and you decide the work.
Offshore
Developers far away. The rate is usually the lowest, but you are often hours apart and a language barrier is more common.
Secondment
A developer from an agency works in your team. Working with us is similar. The difference: we recruit in Serbia and arrange the workplace, laptop, security and admin, on a monthly contract.
What Serbia means for your team.
- The same time zone
- Serbia uses CET in winter and CEST in summer, like the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. A stand-up at half past nine is at half past nine for everyone.
- Good English
- In the EF English Proficiency Index 2025, Serbia ranks 25th of 123, in the high proficiency band. The working language is English, and you have a point of contact in Amsterdam.
- Our own offices
- The developers work at our offices in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš, on laptops we manage. In Novi Sad and Niš we are in the Science Technology Park.
- Different public holidays
- Serbia has its own public holidays, such as Orthodox Christmas on 7 January. Days that are holidays in the Netherlands, such as Ascension Day and Whit Monday, are normal working days there.
- Outside the EU
- Serbia is an EU candidate country and, for the GDPR, a third country without an adequacy decision. If developers have access to personal data, you usually rely on the European Commission's standard contractual clauses. Have your privacy officer or lawyer check this.
From vacancy to colleague.
- Step 1
Introduction
TogetherIn Amsterdam or online, we discuss who you are looking for and how your team works.
- Step 2
Recruitment
UsWe recruit and screen in Serbia, including a practical technical test. Within 7 days we put three candidates in front of you who fit the role.
- Step 3
Selection
YouYou interview the candidates yourself and decide who you continue with.
- Step 4
Start
UsOnboarding starts within 3 weeks. On day one the workstation, the laptop and the accounts are set up. From then on your developer takes part in your sprints and stand-ups, and you get a weekly update.
What nearshoring through us costs.
You pay one amount per month for a full-time developer, including recruitment, workstation, security and admin. Part-time is possible by arrangement.
- from, per month, full-time
- €4,800
- from, per month, full-time
- trial, no charge if you do not continue
- 2 weeks
- trial, no charge if you do not continue
- notice, scale up or down per month
- 1 month
- notice, scale up or down per month
Nearshoring in practice.
Remote teamsWorking with developers in Serbia: time zone, language, holidaysDevelopers in Serbia work in Central European Time and in good English. What differs: public holidays, names and the GDPR, as Serbia is not in the EU.Maarten ter Velde · 4 min read
Remote teamsWhy time zone matters more than the hourly rateA low hourly rate far away can cost you more than it saves. Every question that waits overnight costs a day, and that day is not on the invoice.Maarten ter Velde · 4 min read
Remote teamsHow we screen developers in Serbia, and what you should testWe test English and technical skills, including a short assignment in your stack. You test whether the candidate fits your team, and the trial shows how they work.Milos · 4 min readFrequently asked questions.
Is this the same as staff augmentation?
It is similar. The developer works full-time in your team and you direct the work. The difference is that we recruit in Serbia and take care of the workstation, the laptop, security and admin, on a monthly contract.
How soon can a developer start?
Within 7 days we put three candidates in front of you. Once you choose one, onboarding starts within 3 weeks. On day one the workstation, the laptop and the accounts are set up.
What does a developer through Brainpower Group cost?
A full-time developer costs from €4,800 per month, all-in. Recruitment, workstation, security and admin are included. Part-time is possible by arrangement. In a call we work out the numbers for your team.
Do the developers speak English or Dutch?
They work in English. You also have a permanent Dutch point of contact in Amsterdam.
What about security and the GDPR?
The developers work on laptops we manage with Microsoft Intune, with full-disk encryption and remote wipe. Sign-in runs through SSO with mandatory two-factor authentication. Everyone gets only the access their role needs, and we revoke it as soon as someone leaves. Our way of working is aligned with the GDPR and NIS2, with clear agreements on access and incidents.
Is Serbia a member of the EU?
No. Serbia has been a candidate country since 2012 and has been negotiating accession since 2014. For the GDPR it is a third country without an adequacy decision.
Tell us who you are looking for.
An introduction takes half an hour, online or at our office in Amsterdam. In the chat we usually reply within a few minutes.