Residence Permit

All the data from your passport are entered into the boravak, including the validity period of the card.

Your personal identification number “maticni broj” is also indicated, which is assigned when you enter the police migration registration system. This number is required in banks and authorities, and it must be kept safe. This number does not change with the renewal of the residency.

A foreign citizen is always required to carry their passport and their boravak with them for presentation to the police if necessary. At the same time, a copy is allowed unless during driving, crossing borders or presentation in any government or legal facility. We advise thus to keep both the offline as well as online copies of the documents for any requirement. 

Permanent Residency from Temporary Residence

The temporary residence permit allows one to stay in the country of Montenegro for an uninterrupted period of 1 year, without officially being required to leave the nation at any point. Post 5 years of continuous residence, one can apply for a permanent residence permit. The validity of the permanent residence permit is 5 years, and provides no additional benefits as of this time against the temporary residence permit except reduced renewals.

For the renewal of the annual residence permit, a foreigner may be absent from Montenegro for a total of no more than 1 month a year without justification and no more than 3 months with a valid reason which must be pre-informed to the authorities(from April 1, 2015). This stays as per the addendum to the Law on Foreigners as of 2018. Only exceptions in this matter are acceptable for executive directors of companies, individual entrepreneurs and yacht crews.   

The most common options for application for Residence in Montenegro are as follows:

1. Business In Montenegro (Registration of your own company in Montenegro)

2. Family Reunification (spouses, children)

3. Real Estate (Self Owned Real Estate in Montenegro – specific conditions apply)

4. Education

5. Yatch Crew

6. Digital Nomad Visa (Launching in 2022)

Residence Permit in Montenegro on the basis of working – either by opening your own business in Montenegro or by way of offer from a registered employer in Montenegro. Both of these involve payment of salaries and taxes as determined by the income tax regulations. However, only in the case of being the Director of your company, are you allowed to stay away from the nation for more than 3 months in a year. 

 On the basis of the formation of the legal entity, the business owner becomes the Executive Director and this employment then becomes the basis of the application of residence. The family members (spouse & children only), can then be added to the list of dependents for the Executive Director and can then apply for residence permits in Montenegro. We highly recommend this option as the most suitable one – as the benefits are among the best in Europe.

 The various steps involved to the completion of this residency are delineated below –

• Company Registration (possible remotely without physical presence in Montenegro)
•  Submission of Documents for the application (physical presence required)
•  Employment in Company (physical presence required)
•  Registration with tax authorities and govt bodies (physical presence required)
•  VAT Registration (extra – physical presence required)

Employment with an Employer

This residency is applied for on the basis of an existing job offer from a registered company in Montenegro. 

1. The employee and his family can never apply for a permanent residence in Montenegro.
2. The employee is usually responsible for the appication and maintenance of his/family’s residence permits and documentations.
3. In case of termination, the residence permit is cancelled within the week and the employee must leave the country within this time. 
4. A new resident permit has to be applied for if moving to a new company or changing status. 
5. Employees are subject to quotas as required by the ministry. 

Family Reunification Residency

Only close relatives (blood relations) can get a residence permit in Montenegro as family members , namely:

• spouse
• minor children (including illegitimate children, adopted children) under 18 years of age.
• other relatives can also be classified as close relatives, if there are humanitarian, special or personal reasons

Residency by Real Estate

The Main steps to a residency by real estate are delineated below –

1. 1. Preparation and collection of documents (includes consultations, preparation and execution of the necessary documents, opening personal bank accounts of the applicant)
   2. Registration of a residence permit (implies directly submitting documents and obtaining a residence permit at the Immigration Department of the Police).
   3. Employment / registration with tax authorities / social funds / registration of state medical insurance