According to the Serbian Economist, Montenegro will soon tighten the visa regime for Russian citizens, bringing it in line with the rules of the European Union. This was announced by the Prime Minister of the country Milojko Spajic.
According to the head of the government, Podgorica intends to fully harmonize visa policy with the EU, which means the abolition of the current order allowing Russians to stay in Montenegro up to 30 days without a visa. Spajic emphasized that the measures will be introduced “very soon” and are part of the course to accelerate European integration and achieve EU membership by 2028.
Russian citizens can now freely enter the country for short periods of time without a visa, which has led to a significant increase in the number of tourists and re-locations from Russia in recent years. Once the regime is tightened, entry will require a visa at consular offices, similar to Schengen rules.
How many Russians now reside in Montenegro
According to official data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Montenegro, at the beginning of 2024-2025 in the country officially registered about 20 thousand citizens of Russia with a temporary or permanent residence permit. This makes Russians one of the most numerous foreign communities in the small 600-thousand-strong state.
In addition, according to the calculations of tourism and migration services, several thousand more Russians are in the country without long-term statuses – on tourist stay, on business grounds or in the process of registration of residence permits.
Prime Minister also recalled that Montenegro had previously tightened visa rules for citizens of Armenia, Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Egypt within the framework of adapting visa policy to EU standards. Podgorica fully follows the general foreign and defense policy of the European Union, including sanctions and visa restrictions against Russia.
Observers attribute the upcoming changes to pressure from Brussels following the tightening of the EU visa regime for Russians, as well as Montenegro’s desire to reaffirm its commitment to the European course against the backdrop of membership negotiations.
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