Montenegro student visa and study residence permit

The permit covers secondary education and higher education in Montenegro, for example at the University of Montenegro in Podgorica or at private universities. Students taking part in international pupil and student exchange or youth programmes, and people doing specialisation, vocational or practical training, have their own permit types with similar rules. A minor needs the consent of a parent, guardian or legal representative.

The decisive document is a certificate of enrolment or attendance from the Montenegrin school or university. You also show the general conditions: means of subsistence, accommodation, health insurance, a passport valid three months beyond the permit and a criminal record certificate from your country of origin (not required under 16). For a visa D for study, the mission asks for proof of schooling in Montenegro and proof that tuition, living costs, accommodation, health insurance and the journey home are financed.

Visa-required students apply for a visa D for study at a Montenegrin mission or VFS centre; it allows more than 90 and up to 180 days of stay in a year. After arrival, the student files the residence application in person at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the place of study, on the prescribed form, and gives a photo, two fingerprints and a signature (no fingerprints under 12). A complete application filed before 90 days of stay have passed lets you stay until the decision, due within 40 days.

Because the permit follows the school or academic year, you renew it every year, applying 60 to 30 days before expiry with your passport, proof of accommodation and a new enrolment certificate. To complete your studies the permit can be extended for up to two years beyond the prescribed length of the programme. Spending more than 30 days outside Montenegro during the permit ends it unless you notified the police of a justified absence of up to 90 days in advance; summer holidays at home should be planned with this in mind.

Under the Law on Foreigners, a foreigner holding a temporary residence permit for university study may work without a temporary residence and work permit or a work registration certificate, and has free access to the labour market unless a special law says otherwise. The employer must notify the Ministry within eight days of the start and the end of your work.

A refusal can be appealed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs within eight days. A visa D refusal is appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the mission, also within eight days.