In Montenegro, approximately62.5 thousand applications for the legalization of illegally built structureshave been submitted to date, however onlyabout six percenthave been resolved, said Nikola Ražnatović from the Directorate for the Legalization of Unauthorized Structures.
Let us recall that as of August 1, 2025, Montenegrobegan implementinga newlaw on the legalization of unauthorized structures. The document was adopted at the eighth session of the 28th convocation of the Parliament on July 31, 2025, and signed by the president on August 1. Its introduction became an important event for the real estate market, as ownership rules and property transactions will now be strictly tied to the availability of permitting documentation.
What does the new law regulate?
The law establishes the procedure for legalizing unauthorized buildings, describes the legal consequences of obtaining approval, and determines which specific structures can be legalized.
As of today,notaries have suspended transactionswith properties whose status is“nema dozvole”(no permit). This is due to the entry into force of the new legalization law. Now,selling or renting out real estate without confirmed legalization documents is no longer possible.
Ražnatović noted that it is difficult to name the exact number of illegal structures in the country. From 2018 to July 2025,62,495 applicationswere submitted, of whichonly 3,589received a decision — which is about6%of the total.
He reminded that satellite images of the structures had already been presented to the public, and a control survey is planned for next year. The base image recorded in July will not be changed. All structures built after July 2025 without a permitwill not be able to be registered in the cadastre, and later a demolition order will be issued for them. If, however, a structure was identified in July 2025 as a building with an overlap, it may qualify for legalization.