Montenegro tourist visa (visa C) and visa-free entry

The Government's Decree on the Visa Regime sets three groups. Citizens of about 90 states and territories listed in its first article, including the EU states, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Israel, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates, may enter and stay up to 90 days without a visa. Citizens of the EU, the Western Balkan neighbours, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and a few micro-states can travel on their national ID card for stays of up to 30 days. Everyone else needs a visa entered in a valid passport.

As part of its alignment with EU visa policy, the Government amended the decree on 23 July 2026. Citizens of Türkiye and Saudi Arabia keep a 30-day visa-free stay only until 31 October 2026, and the visa-free travel of Russian, Belarusian and Chinese tourists ends on the same date. From 1 November 2026 these nationals need a visa to enter or transit Montenegro.

A separate exemption covers travellers who already hold a valid Schengen visa or a visa of Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the United States or the United Kingdom, and holders of residence permits of those states or of an APEC business travel card. They may stay up to 30 days, but not past the expiry of the visa, permit or card if that comes sooner.

Your passport must have been issued within the last ten years and stay valid at least three months after you plan to leave Montenegro; only in urgent, justified cases does the mission accept a shorter margin. You file a completed application form, one 35 x 45 mm colour photo, proof of the purpose of the trip, travel health insurance and the fee receipt.

For private or business visits the mission may ask for a guarantee or invitation letter in which a person or company in Montenegro undertakes to cover your accommodation, living costs and departure. Tourists show hotel or rental bookings instead. A return ticket and proof of accommodation are listed as supporting evidence and help the officer assess that you will leave on time.

Visa applicants must prove at least EUR 50 for each day of the planned stay, for example with recent bank statements. A seven-day trip therefore needs EUR 350 in documented funds. Travel health insurance covering the whole stay is mandatory; a missing policy is a refusal ground under the Law on Foreigners.

The consular fee for an airport transit (A), transit (B), short-stay (C) or long-stay (D) visa is EUR 35 under tariff no. 126 of the Law on Administrative Fees adopted in March 2019. Children under 14 with their own passport pay 50 percent, and the head of mission may waive the fee in a few listed cases. The application itself is free of charge. A visa C issued exceptionally at a border crossing costs EUR 60. VFS Global centres add a separate service fee, which they publish locally.

Visas are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You apply in person at a Montenegrin embassy or consulate, or at a VFS Global visa application centre; according to the Ministry, VFS centres currently operate in Türkiye, India, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates and Russia, with more planned. Where Montenegro has no mission, Serbian or Bulgarian missions may accept applications under agreements. Parents or legal representatives apply for minors.

Before issuing a visa the Ministry consults the National Security Agency and the police. The law also provides for an electronic visa application through a future Visa Information System, but the Ministry describes the e-visa as a goal that is not yet available.

Every foreigner staying up to 90 days must have the stay registered with the police within 24 hours of arriving at the place of stay, and deregistered when leaving. Hotels, private accommodation providers and hosts file the registration for their guests, within 12 hours of arrival. If you stay with friends or in your own flat, you register yourself at the police or the local tourist organisation using Form 1. A new registration is needed whenever you move to another place for more than 24 hours.

A visa C can be extended only for humanitarian reasons, force majeure or serious personal reasons. You file the request with the police where you stay before the visa expires, with evidence of the reason; the police decide within seven days and you may remain until then. A longer stay for another purpose requires a temporary residence permit.

A visa is refused if the passport is damaged, forged or not yours, if the purpose, funds or insurance are not proven, if you already used 90 days within the current 180-day period, if an entry ban applies, or if there are security, public health or credibility concerns. The refusal is issued on a standard form. You may appeal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the mission within eight days of receiving it.