The picturesque nature, unique attractions and sea coasts of Montenegro are very popular among Russians and residents of post-Soviet countries. But in 2021, this country joined NATO, and soon plans to join the European Union, so its migration legislation may change significantly. Numerous fans of holidays in the Balkans are afraid of possible bureaucratic obstacles when traveling to their favorite resorts in 2021 and want to decide whether a visa to Montenegro is needed.
Visa-free entry for Russians to Montenegro
The authorities of Montenegro are interested in developing the tourism business, therefore, in past years, the most favorable conditions for traveling to this country have been created for citizens of Russia and other post-Soviet states. Fans of holidays in Balkan resorts need not worry - no changes in migration legislation regarding Russian tourists are expected in 2021.
As before, citizens of the Russian Federation can come to Montenegro without a visa for up to 30 days from November 1 to April 26, and if they go on vacation during the holiday season (from April 27 to October 31), they can live in the country for up to 90 days.
Visa-free entry to Montenegro (as Montenegro is called in Europe) gives the right to relax and travel, but any type of work is prohibited. Violators can be detained, forced to pay a fine of between 200 and 1,200 euros, deported and banned from visiting the country in the future.
If citizens of the Russian Federation want to vacation in Montenegro for more than 30 days in the winter season or more than 90 days in the summer, do business, work or study, they need to apply for a visa to Montenegro. The type of national visa depends on the purpose for which you plan to stay in the country.
Currently, Montenegro is not part of the Schengen area, but has an agreement with the European Union to recognize Schengen visas. If you have such a visa, you can visit the country in accordance with Schengen rules and under the conditions under which it was issued. Holders of a Schengen multiple visa can stay on Montenegrin territory for no more than 3 months in a six-month period and no more than 6 months in a year.
How to legally travel with a child?
If you are planning a vacation in Montenegro with your child, be prepared for the fact that completing some documents will take a little more time. For example, if children are traveling alone, then it is necessary to draw up two permits from mom and dad. The same conditions apply to accompanying children by other relatives. If you are taking a child on vacation alone, you must have written permission from the other parent (if the children have not reached the age of majority). Documents must have legal force - be drawn up by a notary.
See also: Visa to Austria for Russians in 2021
Visa-free travel for CIS citizens
Citizens of the states of the former USSR also have the opportunity to enter Montenegro without visas, but for guests from different countries the conditions are significantly different.
- No visas are required for Ukrainians: Ukrainian citizens can spend up to 90 days in Montenegro every 6 months at any time of the year. Similar conditions apply to citizens of Moldova, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
- For Kazakhstanis and citizens of Armenia, visa-free visits are allowed for 30 days from April 4 to October 31. During the rest of the year, visas are required. There are no diplomatic missions of Montenegro in Kazakhstan and Armenia, therefore entry permits for citizens of these countries are issued at the consular department of the Montenegrin Embassy in Moscow or at the Bulgarian embassies in Astana and Yerevan.
- For Belarusians, it is possible to visit Montenegro without a visa throughout the year for up to 30 days, but only with a tourist voucher or invitation. In all other cases, entry is possible only with a visa.
- For citizens of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, visa entry is provided exclusively.
Rules for visiting the country without a visa
Tourists who come to Montenegro without visas must comply with migration rules, the most important of which is mandatory registration.
Within the first 24 hours after arriving in the country, foreigners are required to personally contact the Tourist Center or the internal affairs authorities, register and receive a special coupon, which is called “white cardboard” (prijava boravka). This is a document that confirms the legality of the guest’s stay in the country.
Registration is paid. The tourist tax rate is set by the municipality of the area in which you are located, so it may differ in different cities and regions, but usually amounts to 0.4-1 euros for each day of stay. Before leaving the country, you must deregister.
If guests come on vacation as part of organized tours, registration is usually carried out by the tour operator. If foreigners check into a hotel or rented private apartment, they must be registered by the hotel administrator or the owner of the property, but this must be clarified separately.
For late registration or living in a country without a “white card” you can be fined 200 euros.
When departing from the country by plane, tourists are charged an airport tax of 15 euros. But nowadays it is increasingly included in the price of air tickets.
Required documents
The visa-free entry system into the country has been simplified as much as possible. To travel, citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia will only need a foreign passport, which is valid for the entire duration of their stay in the country plus an additional 90 days after the expected completion date of the trip. A foreign passport can be biometric or traditional.
Citizens of the listed countries are not required to have travel vouchers, confirmation of a hotel reservation or private invitation, medical insurance, return air tickets or tickets for another type of transport.
Citizens of Belarus, as already mentioned, at the border must present not only a passport, but also a tour operator voucher or a notarized invitation from a private individual or organization.
Types of visas to Montenegro
There are different types of visas in Montenegro:
- Visa C is issued for temporary stay in the country for the purpose of recreation, tourism or other visits not related to work or commercial activities for a period of up to 90 days. Tourist visas for a period exceeding 90 days are not issued by the consular department of the Embassy of Montenegro in Moscow.
- The D visa is intended for foreigners who plan to stay in the country for more than 90 days (but not more than 180 days within one year from the date of first entry) to conduct business or in connection with a work trip.
Citizens of any countries who have a Schengen visa, valid US or UK visas, as well as a residence permit in the Schengen countries, the US or the UK, can freely enter the country and stay on its territory for up to 30 days (in accordance with the Decree of the Government of Montenegro “On Amendments and additions to the Decree on the visa regime" dated March 18, 2021).
A visa to Montenegro for citizens of the Russian Federation will only be needed for a long holiday during the winter season (category C) or for business activities (category D). Ukrainians do not need visas of categories A, B and C; they may only need a D visa.
When traveling to Montenegro for treatment, work, study, religious activities on a D visa, you must submit an application to the migration service and obtain a temporary residence permit on the basis of documents that confirm the purpose of your stay in the country: certificate of enrollment in a university, employment contract, contract with medical institution.
Reasons for visa refusal
Obtaining entry permission for tourists occurs according to a well-functioning system. But all information received is carefully checked. Therefore, you need to analyze extracts and certificates before submitting. If there is an error there, there is a high probability of refusal to obtain a visa to Montenegro.
Also, the embassy may not issue a permit for the following reasons:
- A falsification of a passport or other certificates has been detected.
- Deception of embassy workers.
- Unsealed criminal record.
- The behavior is suspicious.
- No vaccination.
If you correct the errors, you can apply for a visa again. The exception is deception or forgery of documents. For such cases, entry into the country is prohibited for several years. Information is stored at the embassy for 3-5 years.
Customs regulations
You can import into the country:
- Medicines needed for personal consumption for six months, with a mandatory supporting document (prescription).
- Any currency. If the amount is 2000 euros, it must be declared orally. In the case when more than 10,000 euros are transported, customs officers send a special notification to the department that deals with the fight against money laundering and other financial fraud.
- 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars or 200 cigarettes (only for persons over 18 years of age).
- One liter of vodka and two liters of wine (for those over 18 years old).
See also: Applying for a Schengen visa 2021 for children
As for things that are classified as personal, you can import a laptop, camera, video camera, player, skis (one pair), tent, binoculars, and one bicycle.
You can take out no more than 2,000 euros from Montenegro (anything that exceeds this amount will be confiscated). Well, those things for individual use that were previously imported.
It is strictly prohibited to import into Montenegro:
- Weapons, ammunition, but an exception is made for sports and hunting weapons with special permission for them.
- Animals and plants that do not have a special certificate.
- Antiques without special permission.
- Native gold or gold dust, as well as coins made from this precious metal.
- Prohibited medications, poisons, substances with increased radioactivity.
It is worthwhile to fill out a special form on the plane, in which you indicate what items are being carried and how much currency you are taking with you. Those entering by car must pay an environmental fee of 10 euros at the border. After this, a special sticker will be placed on the windshield, with which you can drive around the country for 11 months and be sure that such a fee will not be required a second time.
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How to apply for a visa
When considering how to obtain a visa to Montenegro, applicants should take into account that the country's consulate has fairly strict rules.
A visa application can only be submitted in person; for minor children, the application must be submitted by parents. The Consular Section does not accept documents by mail, through third parties (by proxy) or through any third-party service.
The foreign passport must have at least two free pages for affixing a visa. In addition, the validity period of the international passport is of great importance: it cannot be less than 90 days after the expected completion date of the trip. If these conditions are not met, the consulate recommends ordering a new document.
At the consular department of the Embassy of Montenegro in Moscow, not only Russians, but also citizens of other post-Soviet states have the opportunity to order a visa to travel to this country.
Package of visa documents
The documents for a visa to Montenegro are approximately the same as for Schengen. Russians will need to provide:
- An application requesting a visa for a period of up to 3 months, indicating the purpose of the trip, address of residence in Montenegro and length of stay.
- A copy of the first page of the international passport (as well as a copy of the page of the child entered in the passport, if he is traveling with the applicant).
- Two color photographs measuring 3x4 cm.
- A questionnaire filled out in Russian or English.
- Confirmation of the availability of housing in Montenegro: hotel room reservation, a copy of a notarized invitation from a private person (if you plan to live with friends), or ownership of housing (list nepokretnosti) if you have your own real estate in the country.
- A copy of your air ticket reservation.
- Confirmation of solvency: certificate from place of employment indicating salary or bank account statement. The minimum amount for smoothly obtaining a visa to Montenegro is 20 euros per day for an adult citizen. For children under 18 years of age, proof of funds is not required.
- Receipt for payment of the visa fee.
If a Montenegrin visa is applied for in Moscow by a citizen of any other country (not the Russian Federation), he must additionally submit copies of migration documents (visa, migration card, work permit, residence permit or permanent residence permit), which will confirm the legality of his stay in Russia.
Additional documents
Children traveling with their parents may have their own foreign passport or be included in the international identity card of the father or mother. In the second option, it is necessary that the parents’ passport contains a photograph of the child or the child has an additional document with a photo card that allows him to be identified.
Documents for traveling to Montenegro with a child are filled out and signed by parents.
If a child enters the country with only one parent, permission from the other is not required unless a court order prohibiting the child's departure has been issued in the home country. If a minor goes on a trip with a third party (relatives, grandparents, teacher), a notarized consent from one of the parents is sufficient for his departure.
To enter Montenegro with a pet, you need to have its veterinary passport with notes on annual vaccinations and a certificate from a public (not private!) veterinary clinic confirming that the animal is healthy. The certificate must be issued no more than seventy-two hours (3 days) before the planned departure. An electronic chip is not required for pets.
If you plan to travel to the Adriatic coast in a personal car, you will need international car insurance (Zeleni karton) and an international driver's license.
A Russian driver's license is also suitable, but it is better to have an international one.
When traveling by car or train, keep in mind that Montenegro is surrounded by Schengen countries, which Russian citizens cannot enter without a visa. Therefore, you should take care in advance about obtaining Schengen transit visas to Poland, Hungary or other countries through which you will have to travel.
Visa deadlines and costs
The deadlines for obtaining visas to Montenegro are quite strict. The application must be submitted no earlier than 30 days before the planned trip. Documents are reviewed within 14 days, and if the decision is positive, you will be issued a passport with a visa 7 days before departure. There is no expedited procedure for reviewing applications, even for an additional fee.
The cost of a visa to Montenegro is 35 euros. Payment is made in cash and exclusively in euros. Rubles are not accepted to pay the visa fee.
Where to apply for a visa to Montenegro
You can get a Montenegrin visa in Russia only in one place: at the consular section of the Montenegrin Embassy in Moscow.
The powers of the consular department extend to the entire territory of the Russian Federation, as well as to all states included in the CIS.
The institution is located at the address: 117049, Moscow, st. Mytnaya, 3, office 23-25.
By phone strictly from 9.00 to 10.30 you can get answers to questions regarding visa processing.
Acceptance of documents and issuance of completed visas is carried out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10.30 to 12.00, without an appointment.
E-mail address: .
Official website of the Consulate of Montenegro:
Additional phone: +.
Fax: +.
Useful tips
Despite the fact that medical insurance is not required to visit Montenegro, it is still better to get it. The price paid for an insurance policy is not so high, but having it will allow you to protect yourself from unforeseen accidents.
In addition, do not forget that the final decision on whether a tourist is allowed into the country is made by the border services. Border guards may ask questions regarding your place of residence in Montenegro and your vacation plans, and ask to see return tickets and other documents. And if it seems to them that you have not prepared your travel responsibly enough, they may be denied entry permission.
If the period of permitted visa-free stay in the country ends, it can be extended by contacting the migration department. But it is much easier to do otherwise: leave Montenegro for a neighboring country (for example, Serbia, with which Russia also has a visa-free regime), and then return back. The new entry stamp in your passport will begin counting the time of your stay in the country anew.
What to do if the trip is more than 30 days
It is also worth considering the situation when you need to stay in Montenegro for more than a month. In this case, you still need a visa. Another option is the so-called visa run. On the 30th day you will have to leave the country. For example, travel from Montenegro to Croatia.
As a result of crossing the border, you will be given a new stamp, which will provide you with another thirty days of stay. There can be many reasons for extending your stay. However, if you decide to work in the country, you need to remember this prohibition. Your visa-free stay does not imply your employment in the country.
To ensure smooth use of the opportunities provided, you must take into account all the rules and follow them. Basically, all the nuances relate to long trips. If you are planning to relax for a week in the country, then this will not pose any difficulties at all.
