Beautiful nature has made Montenegro an extremely popular tourist destination for a variety of holidays – from relaxing on the Sunny beaches of the Adriatic sea to Hiking in the green mountains for active lovers. Given this, the government’s desire to join the EU and a business-friendly tax system, Montenegro is becoming an attractive candidate for permanent residence.

Obtaining a residence permit in Montenegro is the first and necessary step in your plan to move to this Balkan country. In Montenegro, there is a clear understanding that further economic success will be supported by immigration, so obtaining a residence permit in Montenegro is certainly quite realistic.

Getting a residence permit in Montenegro is relatively easy, but there are several important steps that you need to follow exactly. With this publication, we begin a series of articles in which we will try to consider all issues related to staying in Montenegro.

Visas and residence permits in Montenegro

Montenegro has a very clear and structured program for obtaining visas and residence permits. Consider the levels of this program:

  • Tourist visas and visa-free regime. Montenegro and Russia signed an agreement according to which Russians do not need a tourist visa to Montenegro, but there are a number of restrictions:
    • The maximum period of stay in the country without a visa is 30 days, and in the tourist season (for example, in 2019 — from April 15 to October 31) – up to 90 days.
    • Russians with an American or Schengen visa who entered Montenegro under the visa-free regime can live in the country without a local visa for up to 90 days.
    • The passport must expire at least 3 months after the planned date of departure from Montenegro.
    • Within 24 hours after crossing the border, you must register at the municipality or tourist center, where a ticket called “white cardboard”is issued as proof of registration. Its cost depends on the length of stay in the country.
    • The 90 / 180 rule of stay in Montenegro does not apply to Russian citizens since 2013.Russians can stay on the territory of Montenegro for 30 days (90 days in the tourist season) without limiting the total time of stay during the year. That is, after 30 days of being in Montenegro, you must go outside of it (the so-called “visa-ran”, allowed one day) and re-enter. From now on, the next 30 days will start counting down. So you can live in Montenegro for six months, a year or longer.
    • The purpose of a visa-free stay in Montenegro can not be a job search. To work here, you must obtain a residence permit.
  • Temporary residence permit (residence permit, privremeni boravak). Gives you the right to work on the territory of Montenegro, as well as to open your own company. A temporary residence permit is issued for a period of 1 year, followed by an annual extension, usually as long as you meet the basic conditions (for example, work or study).
  • Permanent residence permit (permanent residence, stalni boravak). After 5 years of continuous residence in Montenegro, you can apply for a permanent residence permit. This gives all the privileges of Montenegrin citizenship, except for the right to vote and the presence of a Montenegrin passport.
  • Citizenship of Montenegro (drzavljanstvo). After 10 years of continuous residence in Montenegro, you can apply for full citizenship.

 

In the following articles, we will look at the conditions and main stages of obtaining a residence permit in Montenegro.