RESIDENCE PERMIT APPLICATION
We provide services regarding getting and renewing residence permit in Montenegro.
Services include consultations, checking and collecting documents, translation services, notary services, support at the immigration police office.
Every applicant should apply IN PERSON due to the biometry prosedure.
When the residency card is ready we can pick it up for you via Power of Attorney.
Contact us to make an appoinment for a consultation or to order the services
VISA, RESIDENCE PERMIT, CITIZENSHIP
VISA
Montenegro issues visas only for short staying, maximum for the period of 90 days. Usually it is tourist visa type C or business visa type D.
National Montenegrin visas are necessary only for those who doesn’t have visa free entrance to Montenegro.
For tourist puproses it is also possible to visit Montenegro while having muptiple entry Shengen, USA or UK and other visas.
Free entrance to Montenegro is able for the EU passports, USA, Kanada, Australia, New Zeland, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, some countries of LA, etc
The maximum period for staying in Montenegro with or without visa is 90 days during half a year. It is so called rule 90/180.
In case if you want to stay longer than 90 days, you will need residence permit.
Want to know if you should have visa to visit Montenegro and other details about entrance regulations?
Contact us to make an appoinment for a consultation
RESIDENCE PERMIT
Montenegro residence permit does not allow for a visa-free entry to the EU conutries neither to Shengen zone.
By obtaining a residence permit, you can apply for visas for other countries at the Consulate offices or Embassies of the third countries in MNE or in the neighbourhood
TYPES OF RESIDENCY
There are two types of residence permit in Montenegro:
Temporary residence permit (privremeni boravak)
Permanent residence permit (stalni boravak)
Temporary resident permit (TRP) is ussually issued for 6 months (season residency), one year or two years (digital nomads). Depends on the type of residency it can be renewed or not.
After 5 years having particular type of the residency the foreigner can apply for Permanent residence permit (PRP). It is issued for a five-year period and renewed for the next five years, etc.
In ten years the applicant has a right to apply for Montenegrin citizenship.
Reasons for a Temporary residence permit
The Montenegrin Immigration law (Zakon o strancima) adopted in 2018 (with changes 2019-2022) provides 13 reasons for obtaining a temporary residence permit. The most popular are:
work
- set up own company and employment as an executive director
- sole trader
- employment to the third company
property owner
family member
digital nomad
yacht crew member
education
medical reasons
A foreigner – founder of a company in Montenegro – CAN NOT obtain a temporary residence permit just because he is the founder.
In order to get a residence permit it is necessary to be hired in the company as an Executive director or as an employee
Why to use our advising services
to apply for a residence permit in Montenegro?
The laws in Montenegro are changed very often. Besides that the local authorities in every city have their additional requirements regarding documents for the residence permit application.
We daily following the all changes in order to inform you in a right moment and save your money and time.
Permanent residence permit
In accordance the Immigration Law of Montenegro Permanent residence can be approved a foreigner who has a continuous (renewed) temporary residence permit for 5 years and has passed an exam in the Montenegrin language. These are the main requirements.
For a Permanent residence permit can only apply
- executive directors of the companies uder certain circumstances
- individual entrepreneurs
- property owners
- the family members of about mentioned categories
- family members of the Montenegrin citizens
Want to know more about residence permit in Montenegro?
Contact us to make an appoinment for a consultation
ABSENCE FROM MONTENEGRO WHILE HAVING RESIDENCE PERMIT
Absence-from-Montenegro restrictions are connected with the Temporary residence pemit. And they affect the right to apply for a Permanent residence permit. If you do not have any future plans to apply for a Permanent residence permit just skip the information below.
There are two levels of requirements regarding the limits
Absence during one-year period
Absence during five-years period
One-year limits
A foreigner with Temporary residence permit can be absent from Montenegro:
- no more than 1 month a year without any reasons
- no more than 3 months a year with a good reason
In case if you are going to be out 3 months it is necessary to inform the Immigration Police in an appropriate way (written statement, notarized, with details and reasons for leaving MNE for that period) before you leave. Unfortunatelly there is no an official list of “good reasons” for absence, so that traditionally it is about health, documents, some other emergent situation. Vacations are not treated as a good reason.
An exception to one-year restrictions are made for executive directors of companies, individual entrepreneurs. Their absence during the year is not limited.
Five-years limits
These restrictions are valid for holders of any type of residence permit eligible to apply for a permanent residency. The allowed period of absence is:
- no more than 10 months during 5 years period with TRP
- no more than 6 months consecutively within above mentioned 10 months
DOCUMENTS AND PROCEDURES
Documents
The main list of documents you need to bring with you to apply for the temporary residence permit are:
1. Valid passport
2. Any relevant document which proves your education level (college, prof.degree, high school diploma)* – for employment
3. No criminal record certificate (proof from your country of origin that you do not have a criminal record)
4. Marriage certificate
5. Birth certificate
6.Lease agreement for the property / owner sertificate
Other documents depends on your particular situation and type of residency
Translation and Apostile
Translation of all documents should be done in Montenegro by a licensed translator.
Also check if you need to make your documents legalized, apostilled or notarized. If your country is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention (1961) and there are no any additional bilateral agreements between your country and Montenegro, you will need an Apostile. If not – the legalization can be necessary.
Procedures
The process of the obtaining the Temporary residence permit includes 2 or 3 phases:
Consultations with your immigration adviser and collecting all the documents
Applying IN PERSON for the temporary residence permit at the police office and getting your residency (can be picked up via Power of Attorney)
Finalizing all procedures regarding employment, registration with tax authorities and state medical insurance (if needed)
The TERM for the consideration of an application depends on the type of residence permit: 15 days for a working permit and 40 days for the others. The whole procedures take approximately 1.5 months.