Immigration to Montenegro

The difficulty of moving

A fairly simple country for emigration and registration of a residence permit

Quality of life/price ratio

Low-cost living, affordable housing, ease of opening and running a business

Climate

In the north of the country - moderately continental, on the Adriatic coast - Mediterranean

Montenegro Visa Programs

Montenegro. Residence permit for entrepreneurs

Immigration to Montenegro

A handy compilation of practical information

Polina

Imigrata Immigration specialist

Visas to Montenegro:
There are no restrictions on entry into the country for Russians, without a visa, you can stay in Montenegro for up to 30 days only with a foreign passport.

Transit conditions:
Transit is allowed without restrictions without leaving the transit zone.

Tickets:
Montenegro has banned flights of Russian aircraft over its territory, flights from Russia have been canceled. You can enter the country through Turkey, the UAE or other countries.

Epidemiological situation:
At the moment, no special medical documents are required when entering Montenegro, but a Certificate of vaccination with Sputnik-V (if available) will not hurt.

The best cities to live in Montenegro

The top 5 best cities to live in Montenegro include:
Bar is a city near the coast with lots of free parking, wide streets and an ideal infrastructure for living with children and playing sports;
Budva is one of the most Russian-speaking cities in Montenegro, a resort with a comfortable climate, but a fairly expensive life;
Podgorica is the capital of Montenegro with affordable prices, a comfortable climate and offices of the world's largest companies. It is a rare case when it is cheaper to live in the capital than in some other regions of the country;
Tivat is a very comfortable resort town in the Bay of Kotor with incredibly beautiful landscapes and a botanical garden. Ideal for yoga and healthy lifestyle lovers;
Kotor is a small cozy town with two universities and a student hangout.

Pros and cons of moving to Montenegro

Advantages of living in Montenegro:

loyal visa policy and ease of obtaining a residence permit;
in the near future - accession to the European Union (plans for 2023);
low taxation with a rate of 9% on profits and 19% VAT - one of the lowest corporate taxes in Europe;
convenient location – you can get to Italy by ferry, to Germany by low–cost airline for 20€;
a fairly large Russian-speaking diaspora with regular meetings, Russian kindergartens and events;
low crime rate;
stunningly beautiful nature and good ecology;
a steadily developing market economy with high growth rates and low public debt;
The high human development index, which determines the standard of living of a country, consisting of life expectancy, literacy rate and gross national income per capita in terms of purchasing power, ranks 52nd in the world.

Cons of living in Montenegro:

low wages compared to other European countries;
Montenegro is small, so if you need something non-standard or special (for example, a good laptop), you will have to go to the capital or another nearby relatively large city to get it;
a full medical examination can be carried out only in the capital;
life here flows steadily and slowly - this is not a minus, but it may be unusual for residents of large Russian cities;
it is difficult to find clean tap water, it is better to buy in bottles, otherwise scale forms on kettles and other cooking utensils due to the hardness and impurities of salts.

Housing in Montenegro

It is not difficult to rent a house in Montenegro for a long time, but it is worth bearing in mind that:

registration at the place of residence is mandatory in the country. To do this, you need to find out from the landlord the exact address of the housing and the full name of the owner - ideally, if the owner provides a "non-secrecy sheet" with all the data in Montenegrin, which you will show in Tourist Information (in addition to registration, you will also need to pay a small tourist tax);
not all housing, even new buildings, are equipped with a central heating system. Pay attention to how bright and dry the apartment or house is, this is really important, since winters in Montenegro are wet and rainy;
from May to October in Montenegro is the holiday season with crowds of tourists, noise on the streets and music until the morning, keep this in mind when choosing a long-term home (perhaps for a family with young children, an apartment in the city center or on the first line by the sea is not the best choice).

The cost of renting an apartment:
it depends on the location - the most expensive in Porto Montenegro, Lustica Bay and Portonovi.

Housing prices start, on average, from 250 euros per month, for example, a nice furnished one-bedroom apartment in Budva of 74 sq.m will cost 650 euros.

The cost of utilities:
approximately 100-120 euros per month.

Telephone, Internet and satellite TV are paid extra:

the subscription fee for the phone is around €5 per month;
internet - €18-25 per month, depending on traffic;
satellite TV - €10 per month, cable - €15-20.

Where to look for housing:

Medicine in Montenegro

Medicine in Montenegro is not the main plus of the country, but it is not worse than the average Russian one.

Every resident of Montenegro, and often a family, in the presence of a medical insurance policy, is "assigned" to a family doctor, whose duties include:

provision of medical care;
medication discharge;
collection and storage of patient's medical documents;
determining the need for outpatient treatment for a patient;
referral to rehabilitation, medical commissions and disability determination commissions;
referral for treatment to specialized institutions for examination, if necessary.

Education in Montenegro

In Montenegro:

167 schools;
56 secondary vocational educational institutions;
3 universities (one public and two private).

Children from 6 to 14 years old study in primary school - the nine-year educational program is free;

The secondary school is divided into three types:

gymnasium is the most prestigious option for college preparatory general education (duration of study - 4 years);
school - training in a specific specialty in parallel with general education (duration - 3-4 years);
vocational school with highly specialized education (3 years).

Montenegrins receive bachelor's, master's or doctorate degrees at universities or academies of arts with programs of "higher" or "high" education. The duration of study is 4-6 years, depending on the degree.