Serbia has received oral permission from the Libyan authorities to start evacuating its citizens from this north African country, said reports.

The first plane will take off from Belgrade today and head for Tripoli. Women and children will be among the first to be evacuated, it has been announced.

Others will follow on successive flights that are expected on Tuesday evening and in the coming days, FoNet news agency is reporting.

First Deputy Serbian Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic said today that the planes for the evacuation of Serbian citizens from Libya are ready to take off and are waiting for the permission to land.

Dacic, who leads the team of the Serbian government for the evacuation of Serbian nationals from Libya, told the B92 TV that he expects the Serbian citizens will be evacuated from Libya today.

One of the obstacles was removed when Libyan authorities abolished visas required to leave the country, Dacic said.

However, there is another problem – many of our citizens working there do not have their passports on them as they are stored at their companies' headquarters. We will provide them with all the necessary papers so that they can leave Libya, he said.

It is recommended that all Serbian citizens currently residing in Libya should contact the Serbian Embassy in Tripoli.

The Serbian citizens who are far from the major cities where the airports are located are advised to notify the embassy of their location through the Internet or via Skype. The Serbian authorities will employ alternative methods in the evacuation of these citizens, Dacic said.