Everything You Need To Know About A Montenegro Visa

If you hold a regular British citizen passport, you do not need a visa to visit the Balkan nation of Montenegro. The visa-free regime is valid for short-term stays; i.e travelers can stay in the country without a visa for a maximum period of up to 90 days in any 180-day span.

After you arrive in Montenegro and wish to extend your stay beyond three months, you can apply for a visa or a temporary residence permit through the Montenegrin Ministry of Interior Affairs. 

You should ensure that you lodge this application at least seven days before the expiry of the allowed 90-day span.

Note: In order to avail the visa-exemption facility, you need to own a passport that had been issued not later than 10 years ago and which is valid for at least 6 months from your date of entry into Montenegro. Again, you must ensure that you carry proof of return/onward travel and hold sufficient funds to sustain the specified stay period in Montenegro.

If you are a holder of dual British-Montenegrin citizenship, immigration authorities shall deem you to be a national of the country from where your passport was issued in the first place.

Registration after arriving in Montenegro

Once you arrive in Montenegro, you have to register with the local police or tourism organisation, located in the town or city where you had been accommodated within the last 24 hours of your entry into the country. On the other hand, if your place of stay is a hotel or other commercial accommodation, the staff members will automatically carry out the registration process after you check in.

Entry requirements for foreigners traveling to Montenegro

If you are staying in the UK but you do not hold a British citizen passport, you might need a visa to visit Montenegro. But before going ahead, check out the list of applicants who do not require to apply for a visa prior to traveling to the country.

Visitors who do not need a visa to enter Montenegro

1. Holders of a valid Schengen visa, a US visa, or a visa to the UK, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. You do not need a visa even if you have permission to stay in either of these countries. If you fall in any of the above categories, you can stay in Montenegro under the visa-free regime for up to 30 days.
2. Travelers who own travel documents issued by any of the member states from the EU, United States of America, Norway, Ireland, Swiss Confederation, Canada, Commonwealth of Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Visitors from these categories may stay in Montenegro without a visa for a maximum span, not exceeding one month.

Types of Montenegrin visa

The immigration authorities of Montenegro issue the following major types of visa. You are recommended to go through each visa category and decide which type you should apply for — in the scenario that you reside in the UK but do not own a British passport or do not belong to any of the visa-exempt categories.

• Airport transit visa (types A, B)
• Short stay visa (C)
• Long stay visa (D)

Airport transit visa (A, B)

An A-category transit visa is issued when a traveler needs to air-transit multiple times through the international airport transit area. However, one should ensure that he/she does not step into the territory of Montenegro between their overseas flights.

The A transit visa is valid for up to three months. Note that the government does not generally require you to carry a transit visa if you do not leave the international transit area in between your flights. It is required only when the government asks certain nations to implement this law for reasons related to security and legal order.

Transit visa (B), which can be obtained in single, double, or multiple entries, allows travelers to transit through Montenegro and stay in the nation for up to five days per visit. It arrives with a validity of up to 6 months and when you apply for one, you need to present proof that you have been granted entry into the country where you are traveling. This visa can be granted either to individual applicants as well as groups.

Short stay visa (C)

A single, double, or multiple entry short stay visa is issued for tourist, business, personal or other purposes. It allows a stay of up to 90 days within any 6-months period. A C-category visa holds a validity of up to 1 year. Sometimes, under special conditions, it can be issued with a validity that exceeds 1 year but in any case, this period cannot be over 5 years.

You can apply for a short stay visa either as an individual or in groups. When issued collectively, the granted validity period cannot be more than 30 days and the visa can be stamped on a group passport.

Long stay visa (D)

Long stay visas, which are available in single, double, and multiple entries, grant a maximum stay period of 3 months in any 6-months span per year. It is issued to travelers who plan to visit Montenegro for the following reasons:

1. Carrying out business or related activities, lending advisory expert services as specified by a business or technical agreement, performing duties related to long-term production cooperation, or executing technology transfers and foreign investments
2. Visiting Montenegro as a member of foreign diplomatic missions, consular representative offices, or international organizations accredited to Montenegro. A long-term visa can also be applied by members of economic and cultural representative office
3. Travelers seeking permission for temporary residence in Montenegro for activities related to employment, work, economic or business purposes, seasonal work, secondary education and studies, participation in student exchange or youth programmes, professional training, practical skills, scientific research, medical treatment, family reunification, humanitarian reasons, or purposes specified by law or international agreements

The visa application process

Once you are sure about which visa type you should apply for, you need to lodge a personal visa application through theMontenegrin Embassy in London. For minors, the application can be filed by a parent or legal guardian.

In order to apply for a visa, you need:

• A completed and signedvisa application form
• A valid travel document (passport), which exceeds the validity of the visa you are applying for
• One recent, colored, passport-size photograph
• Proof of the purpose of visit in Montenegro. This can be in the form of a letter of guarantee issued by a Montenegrin resident or a letter of invitation from a legal organization, state authority or organizer of an international conference or event in Montenegro
• Evidence of accommodation in the form of hotel reservations etc.
• Proof of funds that can be presented through cash, bank account statements or balance, traveler’s checks, or credit cards
• Return or onward tickets
• Comprehensive health insurance
• Proof of payment of consular fee

The consular office may ask for additional documents as per the visa type. Once the documents are in order, the visa shall be stamped on your passport.

Additional points

You can use UK Emergency Travel Documents at points of entry, airside transit and exit from Montenegro.

Sometimes, when traveling in the nation, you can face delays at the border crossings between Montenegro and Croatia because the latter implements EU regulations regarding strict border controls which include extra checks.

If you plan to go on mountain treks or hikes, you should contact the National Tourist Organisation in advance.

After arriving in Montenegro, the border police will put an entry stamp in your passport. If you fail to do so, you face risks of being fined, detained or taken to court.