Complete Guide to Obtaining a Residence Permit in Montenegro in 2025: Grounds, Procedures, and the Path to Permanent Residence

Updated: September 2025.

Residence permit in Montenegro is the first step on the path to living, working, or investing in this beautiful and promising country. Montenegro, with its stunning nature, mild climate, and course toward joining the European Union, has long been an attractive destination for relocation. But despite its apparent simplicity, immigration rules here can be confusing and change quickly.

The key idea of this article is that choosing the basis for obtaining a temporary residence permit (TRP) plays a decisive role. This step determines whether you will be able to obtain permanent residence (PR) in the future, and then citizenship. A mistake at the start can cost you years: sometimes it turns out that the time lived does not count toward PR, and the whole process has to be started over — with a full set of documents and new waiting periods. That is why it is important to choose a strategy right away that will not lead to a dead end.

We have prepared this guide to help you understand the system, see the pitfalls, and make an informed choice. Here you will find not just information about the types of TRP, but a step-by-step understanding of how to build a reliable path to long-term status.

Comparative analysis of the grounds for obtaining a TRP

For successful immigration planning, it is necessary to clearly understand the differences between the available grounds for obtaining a TRP. Each of them has its own advantages, disadvantages, financial requirements, and, most importantly, different long-term prospects.

The main legal grounds are employment (as a hired employee or director in your own company), property ownership, family reunification, education and the relatively new program for “digital nomads”.

To ensure a clear understanding of the strategic differences, below is a comparative table of the key grounds for obtaining a TRP in Montenegro in 2025.

Overview of grounds for obtaining a TRP in Montenegro (2025)

An analysis of the legislation and its practical application shows that the existing division of types of temporary residence permits (TRP) in Montenegro is not accidental. Some TRPs lead to obtaining permanent residence (PR) — these are usually grounds related to opening a business, working as a director, marriage, or property ownership. Other TRPs, such as hired employment (except in the IT sector and medicine) or study, do not lead to PR.

This system reflects a well-thought-out state strategy. On the one hand, Montenegro attracts foreign investment through real estate without taking on long-term social obligations such as healthcare or pensions. On the other hand, a structured path is created for those who intend to integrate into the country’s economy by opening companies and regularly paying taxes.

* In July 2025, a bill was introduced on amendments to the law on foreigners. Among the key initiatives is the tightening of conditions for extending a TRP on the basis of owning one’s own company (company director). In particular, it is proposed that such a TRP may be extended only if at least three Montenegrin citizens are employed full-time in the company.

In addition, a simplified system for obtaining and extending TRPs for employees in strategic sectors such as IT and medicine is being considered.

It is expected that the final decision will be made by the Government of Montenegro in autumn 2025.

TRP through business (company director)

For applicants whose ultimate goal is to obtain PR and citizenship, the route through business registration and employment in one’s own company is a reliable and strategically sound solution. This method involves registering a limited liability company (D.O.O.) and appointing yourself as the executive director. It is important to understand that the TRP is issued on the basis of employment, not merely the fact of owning a company.

Step-by-step procedure for obtaining a TRP

The process of obtaining a TRP on this basis is clearly structured and takes on average from 3 to 8 weeks.

1. Company registration (7–15 days): The procedure begins with choosing a unique company name and preparing the founding documents. This will require a notarized copy of the passport and a power of attorney. Registration is carried out in the Central Register of Business Entities (CRPS). The minimum share capital is only 1 euro, which does not need to be actually deposited into the account.
2. Opening bank accounts: After registering the company, it is necessary to open corporate and personal bank accounts in one of the Montenegrin banks. This is a mandatory step for making payments and paying salaries.
3. Proof of residence: To apply for a TRP, you must confirm your place of residence. The most common option is a one-year lease agreement (ugovor o zakupu), notarized by a court translator.
4. In addition, the landlord must provide an extract from the real estate register (list nepokretnosti), confirming ownership of the property.
5. Preparation of personal documents: In parallel with the corporate procedures, the applicant collects the necessary set of personal documents in accordance with the list below.
6. Submitting the application to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP): The collected set of documents is submitted to the territorial office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) at the place of residence. During submission, the applicant undergoes biometric data collection (photo, fingerprints, signature sample).
7. Receiving the decision and TRP card (15–20 days): The processing time for a TRP application based on employment depends on the municipality, but on average it is 15–21 days, which is significantly faster than on other grounds (40 days). After approval, the applicant receives a plastic resident card (dozvola za privremeni boravak i rad).

Required list of documents

Corporate documents (prepared with the assistance of consultants):

• Company registration certificate from CRPS.
• Company seal.
• Tax identification number document (PIB).

Applicant’s personal documents:

• Valid foreign passport: The validity period must exceed the requested TRP period by at least 3 months; it is recommended to have a buffer of 15–18 months.
• Certificate of no criminal record: Original from the Ministry of Internal Affairs with a wet seal and no older than 6 months. Please note that an apostille may be required for the document. Below is the list of countries for which an apostille is not required.
• Educational document (university diploma or secondary school certificate): Required for the nostrification (recognition) procedure, which is mandatory for official employment as a director.
• Proof of place of residence: Notarized 12-month lease agreement + extract from the real estate register (list nepokretnosti) from the landlord.
• Health insurance: At the time of application, a policy covering the first 30 days of stay is sufficient.
• Receipts for payment of state fees: The total amount of fees is 67 euros.

Apostille for documents

When applying for a TRP, it is important to consider apostille requirements. Depending on the applicant’s citizenship, some documents may require legalization.

Countries for which an apostille is not required: Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Croatia, Iraq, Italy, Cyprus, Hungary, North Macedonia, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine.

Cost analysis

One-time costs:

• State fees for company registration: Around 86 euros, including fees, notary services, and seal production.
• Diploma nostrification: 50 euros for a school certificate, 100 euros for a higher education diploma.
• Translation and notarization of documents: The cost of translation averages 15–20 euros per page.
• Legal support: The cost of comprehensive services for company registration and TRP processing “turnkey” varies. Some agencies quote prices from 1200 euros, while premium packages can reach 3200 euros for the main applicant.

Regular monthly costs:

• Accountant services: Bookkeeping is mandatory. The cost starts from 100 euros per month for a company with no activity (“zero” company).
• Taxes and social contributions: Calculated from the director’s minimum salary. Since October 1, 2024, the minimum salary for positions requiring higher education is 800 euros, and the taxes and contributions on it are about 125 euros per month. For positions with secondary education — 600 euros salary and 75 euros in taxes.

Advantages and disadvantages of TRP through business

Advantages:

• Direct path to PR: This is one of the few grounds that, after 5 years of continuous TRP renewal, gives the right to apply for PR.
• More lenient physical presence requirements: The executive director of his own company is required to be in Montenegro only 9 months a year (usually this is checked only when applying for PR).
• Additional opportunities: It allows the official employment of family members, as well as registering assets such as real estate and cars to the company.

Disadvantages:

• Initial costs: Investments are required for company registration and related services.
• Ongoing expenses: The need to pay accountant services and taxes every month, even if the company does not carry out real activity.

TRP on the basis of property ownership

Purchasing property in Montenegro is a popular and direct path to obtaining a TRP, which also leads to PR after five years. The process is relatively simple: after purchasing the property and registering ownership in the Cadastre (Katastar), you need to submit a TRP application to the local office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

TRP application procedure

1. Preparation of required documents: Valid foreign passport. Certificate of no criminal record from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, stamped and no older than 6 months (other types of certificates issued by multifunctional centers and their equivalents are not accepted). Document confirming ownership of the property (List Nepokretnosti). Proof of financial means (3650 euros in an account in a Montenegrin bank). Registration with the tourist inspection.
2. Translation and notarization of documents: The cost of translation averages 15–20 euros per page.
3. Submitting the application to the local police department (MUP)
4. Payment of fees: state fee and administrative charges.

Please note! Depending on citizenship, an apostille may be required for some documents. The countries for which an apostille is not required are listed above.

TRP validity periods and applying for PR

A residence permit obtained through property purchase is usually issued for one year with the possibility of extension. After five years of living in Montenegro, property owners may apply for permanent residence (PR), but to do so they must meet several conditions:

• Continuous residence in the country for at least 9 months a year.
• Having a valid TRP at the time of applying for PR.
• Financial solvency and no debts for taxes and fees.
• No serious violations of the law, including immigration rules.

The process of reviewing a PR application takes several months, after which the applicant receives the corresponding status.

Case study

Spouses Ivan and Marina bought an apartment in Budva for 250 000 euros and decided to apply for a TRP. After registering the property, they submitted the documents to the MUP. A few weeks later, they received a one-year TRP with the right to annual renewal, provided that the property remains in their ownership and they regularly comply with the residence requirements.

TRP through employment

Obtaining a temporary residence permit in Montenegro on the basis of employment is also a popular way to legalize one’s stay in the country. The process includes signing an employment contract with a local employer, who then initiates the procedure for obtaining a work and residence permit for the foreign employee.

Procedure and documents for submission

Process:

• Signing an employment contract: The first step is to find an employer and sign an employment contract.
• Employer-initiated procedure: The employer submits a request to the employment service to prove the absence of suitable candidates in the local labor market (for example, knowledge of the Ukrainian language is required).
• Submitting documents to the Ministry of Internal Affairs: After receiving confirmation from the employment service, you submit the document package to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) at the place of your residence in Montenegro.
• Receiving the decision and TRP card: If the decision is positive, you receive a residence and work permit, and then a plastic card (boravak).

Main set of documents from the applicant:

• Foreign passport: The validity period must be more than one year.
• Certificate of no criminal record from the Ministry of Internal Affairs: With an apostille (if required for your country, see the list of countries above), no older than 6 months.
• Educational document (secondary or higher): With an apostille and nostrification (recognition) in Montenegro.
• Health insurance: For the entire period of the TRP.
• Proof of housing: Lease agreement or ownership certificate.

Timing:

• Processing time: 30–60 days.
• 7 days are given to pick up your TRP card (boravak), after which it will be canceled and you will have to resubmit the entire set of documents.
• Renewal: documents must be submitted one month before the current TRP expires.

Approximate expenses:

• Administrative fees: Around 100–150 euros.
• Health insurance: From 30 euros per month.
• Diploma nostrification: Around 150–250 euros.
• Translations and notary services: Around 100–200 euros.

A key feature and a significant drawback of this type of TRP is the rule of interruption of residence period. According to current legislation, a work and residence permit for a hired employee is issued for one year and can be extended for a maximum of two more consecutive years. After this three-year period, the foreigner must leave the country and reapply for a TRP, which resets the accumulated period of continuous residence. This makes it practically impossible to obtain permanent resident status (PR), for which five years of continuous legal stay in the country are required.

However, important changes are brewing in the legislation. In July 2025, the Government of Montenegro approved a bill that, if adopted by parliament, will introduce exceptions for in-demand specialists. In particular, for workers in the field of information technologies (IT) and medicine it is planned to abolish the three-year limit on TRP extensions. This innovation is intended to attract highly qualified professionals to the country and will create a direct path for them to obtain PR after five years of work.

Alternative ways to obtain a TRP

In addition to business and real estate, there are other grounds for legalizing one’s stay, each with its own features.

Family reunification (Spajanje porodice)

This path allows family members (spouses and minor children) to join the main applicant who has already received a TRP in Montenegro.

• Process: First, the main applicant receives their TRP, after which family members can submit their applications.
• Documents: The standard package is supplemented with marriage and birth certificates confirming family ties.
• Cost: The cost of support services averages 300−450 euros per family member, excluding state fees.

The key risk of this path is that the status of family members depends entirely on the main applicant. If the main applicant loses status, the whole family also loses the right to residence.

It is important to remember that official work under a TRP issued for family reunification is allowed only from the second year of stay.

TRP for “digital nomads” (Digital Nomad)

This relatively new program, adopted as part of the strategy through 2025, is aimed at remote workers and freelancers.

Conditions:

• The applicant must work for a foreign company and have no income in Montenegro.
• Minimum monthly income — 1 350 euros.
• Often, account activity for the previous year or a balance of 16 250 euros is required.

Documents:

• An employment contract with a fixed term and confirmation of the possibility of remote work.
• Bank statements confirming regular income.
• An extract from the company’s commercial register.
• Valid foreign passport.
• A certificate of no criminal record is required (no older than 6 months). Please note that an apostille may be required. The list of countries for which an apostille is not needed is given above.
• Health insurance valid in Montenegro. In some cities, insurance for 2 years is required right away.
• Proof of place of residence: a notarized lease agreement for housing, in some cities also for 2 years.

Validity period and renewal:

• The TRP is issued for 2 years with the possibility of renewal for another 2 years.
• A spouse and children may accompany the main applicant by obtaining the relevant residence permits.

Advantages of Montenegro’s Digital Nomad:

• Low income threshold for entry — only 1,350 euros per month.
• Zero tax rate on income earned from abroad.
• The ability to legalize one’s stay in the country without the need to open a company.
• The obtained TRP can be used to apply for visas to other countries.
• The approval rate for applications is quite high, which increases the predictability of obtaining a TRP.

Disadvantages:

• Work in Montenegro’s domestic labor market is prohibited.
• This type of TRP does not lead to PR and citizenship, even after many years of residence.
• Document review takes about 3 months, and each MUP may have its own requirements.

Conclusion: the low financial threshold and flexibility of the program make it attractive, but the lack of precedent and established practice creates uncertainty regarding whether the TRP period will count toward PR.

Summary table of TRP expenses in Montenegro

Analysis and conclusions: where expenses are higher and where they are lower

Where are expenses highest?

1. Business (company director): This path is the most expensive in the long term due to ongoing monthly expenses. Even with a “zero-activity” company, you will have to pay the accountant and taxes every month (~€225), which over 5 years before PR will amount to at least €13,500 just to maintain the status. One-time costs are also significant due to the need for legal support.
2. Real estate: This option requires the largest initial capital investments, since you need to buy a property. However, after the purchase, regular expenses related specifically to the TRP are practically absent, which makes it cheaper than the “business path” in long-term maintenance.

Where are expenses lowest?

1. Hired employee: This method has the lowest initial costs, since the employer can take on most of the process and expenses. Monthly expenses for the employee are minimal. However, this “cheapness” is deceptive, as this path does not lead to PR because of the “reset” rule after 3 years.
2. “Digital nomad” visa (Digital Nomad): In terms of taxes, this is the most advantageous option, since income from abroad is not taxed in Montenegro. Expenses are limited to the cost of document processing, insurance, and personal spending. But, like employment, this path is a dead end for obtaining PR.

Immigration in numbers

An analysis of MUP (Ministry of Internal Affairs) data for Montenegro for 11 months of 2024 shows how difficult the path to PR is:

• A total of 65,895 permits for temporary and permanent residence were issued: 25,301 — temporary residence permits (38% of the total number of permits); 39,563 — temporary residence and work permits (60%); 1,031 — permanent residence permits (1.5%).

That is, roughly 1 PR permit was issued for every 64 TRP permits. This confirms that the system is designed to accept many temporary residents, but grant long-term status to only a few.

Temporary residence permit (without work)

• Issued to those who receive the right to reside without the right to work in Montenegro.
• The grounds for application usually include: property ownership; study at educational institutions; family reunification.
• The main purpose of such a TRP is legal residence in the country, but without the possibility of official employment.

Temporary residence permit and work permit (with the right to work)

• Issued to those who want to not only live but also work officially in Montenegro.
• The grounds for application include: an employment contract with an employer in Montenegro; opening your own company (director / business owner); remote work for a foreign employer (Digital Nomad Visa).
• Such a TRP allows you to legally earn income and pay taxes in Montenegro.

The path to permanent status — from TRP to PR and citizenship

Obtaining permanent residence — an important step toward integration into Montenegrin society. The process is strictly regulated and requires meeting a number of conditions.

Conditions for obtaining PR

• Five years of continuous residence: The applicant must continuously live in Montenegro for 5 years on the basis of a temporary residence permit.
• Qualifying basis: It is important that these 5 years are accumulated on the basis of a TRP that gives the right to PR.
• Absence limit: During the five-year period, the total time spent outside Montenegro must not exceed 10 months, and a single absence must not exceed 6 consecutive months.
• Language knowledge: A mandatory condition is passing an exam in the Montenegrin language at a basic level (A2).
• No criminal record: A recent certificate of no criminal record must be provided both in Montenegro and in the country of citizenship.

The phenomenon of “resetting” or “interrupting boravak”

The main danger awaiting an unprepared applicant is the risk of “resetting” the accumulated period of residence.

For example, if an applicant lived for 3 years on a TRP based on real estate and then switched to a TRP through business, the three-year period is canceled, and the count starts from zero. This is what TRP interruption means. The same applies to changing any other grounds.

Changes in legislation can also affect the strategy: if the rules for TRP renewal change, this may lead to the need to change the basis and lose time.

Final stage: obtaining citizenship

The path to Montenegrin citizenship takes a total of 10 years of continuous legal residence: 5 years with TRP status and the following 5 years with PR status. In addition, to obtain a passport, you will need to renounce your previous citizenship, as Montenegro generally does not recognize dual citizenship.

Conclusion

Immigration rules in Montenegro are constantly changing, and without preparation it is easy to face unexpected difficulties. That is why choosing the right basis for a TRP is important from the very beginning.

We know this system from the inside. Our team has been helping clients for many years go through the entire path — from the first TRP to PR and Montenegrin citizenship. We choose a strategy tailored to your situation, prepare documents without mistakes, and support you at every stage so you do not lose time or face unpleasant surprises such as the cancellation of residence time. Our goal is to make your move as calm as possible and life in Montenegro stable and comfortable.