Montenegro entrepreneur residence permit for company owners

The Law on Foreigners gives a specific permit to two groups: entrepreneurs (sole traders registered in Montenegro) and executive directors of companies in which they are the sole owner or hold more than 51 percent of the capital. Both are listed among the permits issued outside the Government's annual quota. Founders and managers who only need to be in Montenegro for short periods can instead use a work registration certificate, which allows up to 90 days of work in a year.

Foreign-owned businesses are a large group: according to the Government, citizens of Türkiye alone owned 3,772 companies in Montenegro, a quarter of all foreign-owned entities. The authorities now cross-check tax data of such companies; in late 2025 the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Tax Administration identified more than 1,000 foreign owners and directors whose companies had no fiscalised turnover at all.

You meet the general residence conditions (means of subsistence, accommodation, health insurance, valid passport, clean criminal record, no security objection) and prove ownership and registration of the sole-trader business or the company in the Central Register of Business Entities. The job offer and diploma required of employees are not needed. The law allows this permit to be issued even to applicants older than 66.

The application is made in person at the Ministry of Internal Affairs office in your place of residence, where biometrics are taken. If your nationality needs a visa, obtain a visa D for business activity first; it is issued against a guarantee or invitation letter or other proof that your costs in Montenegro are covered. After a visa D for work, the permit application must follow within ten days. The Ministry decides within 15 days after receiving the security opinions.

The permit can be extended for as long as you meet the general conditions and show that taxes and contributions of at least EUR 5,000 a year were paid during the permit. Apply 60 to 30 days before expiry; the extension fee is EUR 30. The permit lapses if you spend more than 30 days abroad without notifying the police of a justified absence of up to 90 days.

In November 2025 the Government proposed stricter rules, including a duty for foreign-owned companies to employ at least three people; the law as amended in January and March 2026 contains the EUR 5,000 requirement instead. A new Law on Foreigners was proposed in October 2026, so check the current text before applying.

Your spouse, minor children and stepchildren or adopted children up to 18 can apply for temporary residence for family reunification for the validity of your permit. They may take up work after holding their own permit for one year.

You may appeal a refusal to the Ministry within eight days. The permit is cancelled if it was obtained with untrue data about you or the company, or if you do not use your stay for the declared purpose; an appeal against cancellation does not stop it from taking effect.