Residence Permit in Montenegro (Boravak)
Current as of June 2026 · Law on Foreigners with 2026 amendments
⚠️ Important for Russian citizens: Montenegro is aligning its visa policy with EU standards. By the end of September 2026, visa-free entry for Russian citizens (currently up to 30 days) will be abolished and a visa will be required. If you plan to legalize your stay through a boravak, schedule your application before that deadline. Read more about the end of visa-free entry
What is a Boravak and why do you need it?
A Boravak is a temporary residence permit (TRP) in Montenegro that allows foreign nationals to legally reside in the country for a specified period. This status is essential if you plan to live, work, study, or conduct business in Montenegro. Obtaining a boravak is a mandatory step for a comfortable life in the country and requires preparing a complete set of documents in accordance with local legislation.
Grounds for obtaining a Boravak
A temporary residence permit in Montenegro can be issued on the grounds of employment, family reunification, business registration, or real estate ownership. Each ground has its own document requirements — choose your option below.
1
Collect documents for your ground
2
Submit to MUP (police)
3
Application review — from 15 days
4
Receive plastic boravak card
General requirements (apply to all grounds)
✓Valid international passport — expiry must exceed the boravak end date by at least 3 months
✓Tourist registration — mandatory before submitting documents
✓Health insurance — covering the entire period of stay
✓No violations of Montenegrin immigration law
✓State fee payment — paid at the time of submission
✓Photograph — for the plastic boravak card
Boravak types and document packages
🏢
Residence Permit (Boravak) — Company Director
€300
initial
€270
renewal
⚠️ ❗ Renewal will require proof that the company has paid at least €5,000 in taxes and contributions for the previous year — start tracking this figure now.
Initial application — €300
📌 Documents from you
- •International passport — 1 page (printout)
- •Diploma nostrification — from €250 (issued no earlier than 6 months before application, or Ministry of Education decision)
- •Lease agreement — from €250 (notarized, with original List nepokretnosti, for 1 year)
- •Criminal record certificate — from country of citizenship (we handle translation)
✅ We handle
- ✓Izvod from CRPS
- ✓Medical fitness certificate (Lekarsko uverenje)
- ✓Ponuda poslodavca — employment offer from your company
- ✓State fees
- ✓Tourist insurance for 30 days
- ✓Translation of criminal record certificate
ℹ️ First application requires: tourist registration and paid fee.
Renewal — €270
📌 Documents from you
- •International passport — 1 page (printout)
- •Diploma nostrification — from €250 (no older than 6 months, or Ministry of Education decision)
- •Lease agreement — for 1 year, notarized with original List nepokretnosti
- •Criminal record certificate — from country of citizenship (we handle translation)
- •Tax payment confirmation — for the previous employment year (❗ renewal will require proof of at least €5,000 in taxes and contributions paid by the company — start tracking this figure now)
- •Photo of previous boravak card
✅ We handle
- ✓Izvod from CRPS
- ✓Medical fitness certificate (Lekarsko uverenje)
- ✓Ponuda poslodavca — document from your company
- ✓State fees
- ✓Tourist insurance for 30 days
👔
Residence Permit (Boravak) — Employee
€300
initial
€270
renewal
Initial application — €300
📌 Documents from you
- •International passport — copy (printout)
- •Diploma nostrification — from €250 (for qualified specialists only, no older than 6 months)
- •Lease agreement — from €250 (notarized, with original List nepokretnosti, for 1 year)
- •Criminal record certificate — from country of citizenship (we handle translation)
- •Ponuda poslodavca — document from your employer (we can provide a template)
- •Employment contract — for a term of at least 12 months (❗ mandatory requirement from 2026)
- •Salary confirmation — minimum €600/month (for specialists with nostrification — from €800/month)
✅ We handle
- ✓Izvod from CRPS
- ✓Medical fitness certificate (Lekarsko uverenje)
- ✓State fees
- ✓Tourist insurance for 30 days
- ✓Translation of criminal record certificate
ℹ️ First application requires: tourist registration and paid fee.
Renewal — €270
📌 Documents from you
- •International passport — copy (printout)
- •Diploma nostrification — from €250 (for qualified specialists only)
- •Tax payment confirmation — for the previous employment year
- •Ponuda poslodavca — document from your employer (we can provide a template)
- •Lease agreement — for 1 year, notarized with original List nepokretnosti
✅ We handle
- ✓Izvod from CRPS
- ✓Medical fitness certificate (Lekarsko uverenje)
- ✓State fees
👨👩👧
Residence Permit (Boravak) — Family Reunification (Employment)
€270
initial
€250
renewal
Initial application — €270
📌 Documents from you
- •International passport — 1 page (printout)
- •Izjava — letter from the company where the sponsoring family member is employed (we provide a template)
- •Income certificate of the sponsoring party — confirming sufficient income to support the family (from 2026)
- •Proof of housing conditions — document confirming adequate housing is available (from 2026)
- •Lease agreement — from €250 (notarized, with original List nepokretnosti, for 1 year)
- •Criminal record certificate — from country of citizenship (❗ including children aged 16+; valid for no more than 6 months; we handle translation)
- •Marriage certificate — you provide, we translate
- •Birth certificate(s) of children — you provide, we translate
- •Copy of both sides of the boravak — of the person the application is based on
- •For children: copies of both parents' passports
- •If one parent is absent from Montenegro: notarized consent of the absent parent (you provide, we translate)
✅ We handle
- ✓State fees
- ✓Tourist insurance for 30 days
- ✓Translation of criminal record certificate
- ✓Translation of marriage certificate
- ✓Translation of birth certificate(s)
- ✓Translation of notarized consent of absent parent (if required)
ℹ️ First application requires: tourist registration and paid fee.
Renewal — €250
📌 Documents from you
- •International passport — 1 page (printout)
- •Izjava — letter from the company where the sponsoring family member is employed (we provide a template)
- •Copy of both sides of the boravak — of the person the application is based on
- •For children: copies of both parents' passports
- •Lease agreement — for 1 year, notarized with original List nepokretnosti
- •If one parent is absent: notarized consent (you provide, we translate)
✅ We handle
- ✓State fees
- ✓Translation of marriage certificate
- ✓Translation of birth certificate
- ✓Translation of notarized consent of absent parent (if required)
🏠
Residence Permit (Boravak) — Real Estate
€250
initial
€200
renewal
⚠️ As of 2026, requirements for the real estate boravak have changed: a minimum confirmed property value of €150,000 has been introduced (for citizens outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland); an upotrebna dozvola (occupancy permit) is now mandatory; the €7,300 bank statement is no longer required. Citizens of EU countries and their family members, as well as citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, are exempt from the value requirement. A 1-year transition period applies for those who already hold an active real estate boravak.
Initial application — €250
📌 Documents from you
- •List nepokretnosti — original (❗ no older than 6 months)
- •Criminal record certificate — from country of citizenship or consulate (valid for no more than 6 months; we handle translation)
- •Upotrebna dozvola — occupancy/use permit for the property (❗ mandatory from 2026)
- •Proof of property value — at least €150,000 (❗ for citizens outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland). The only document accepted by MUP is the real estate transfer tax assessment decision (rješenje o utvrđivanju poreza na promet nepokretnosti) issued by the municipal tax authority, with a tax base of at least €150,000. The price in the sale contract and appraiser reports do not by themselves prove the value.
- •Extract from the State Land Registry (Državni katastar)
- •International passport — copy (printout)
✅ We handle
- ✓State fees
- ✓Tourist insurance for 30 days
- ✓Translation of criminal record certificate
ℹ️ First application requires: tourist registration and paid fee.
Renewal — €200
📌 Documents from you
- •List nepokretnosti — original (❗ no older than 6 months)
- •International passport — copy (printout)
- •Property tax payment confirmation for the previous year
✅ We handle
- ✓State fees
🏡
Residence Permit (Boravak) — Real Estate + Family Reunification
€300
initial
€270
renewal
⚠️ The 2026 requirements also apply to this boravak type: minimum confirmed property value of €150,000 (for citizens outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland), upotrebna dozvola is mandatory. The €7,300 bank statement is no longer required. Citizens of EU countries and their family members, as well as citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, are exempt from the value requirement.
Initial application — €300
📌 Documents from you
- •International passport — 1 page (printout)
- •List nepokretnosti — original (❗ no older than 6 months)
- •Criminal record certificate — from country of citizenship (❗ including children aged 16+; valid for no more than 6 months; we handle translation)
- •Marriage certificate — you provide, we translate
- •Birth certificate(s) of children — you provide, we translate
- •Copy of both sides of the boravak — of the person the application is based on
- •For children: copies of both parents' passports
- •If one parent is absent: notarized consent (you provide, we translate)
- •Upotrebna dozvola — occupancy/use permit for the property (❗ mandatory from 2026)
- •Proof of property value — at least €150,000 (❗ for citizens outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland). The only document accepted by MUP is the real estate transfer tax assessment decision (rješenje o utvrđivanju poreza na promet nepokretnosti) issued by the municipal tax authority, with a tax base of at least €150,000. The price in the sale contract and appraiser reports do not by themselves prove the value.
- •Extract from the State Land Registry (Državni katastar)
✅ We handle
- ✓State fees
- ✓Tourist insurance for 30 days (per person)
- ✓Translation of criminal record certificate
- ✓Translation of marriage certificate
- ✓Translation of birth certificate(s)
- ✓Translation of notarized consent of absent parent (if required)
ℹ️ First application requires: tourist registration and paid fee.
Renewal — €270
📌 Documents from you
- •International passport — 1 page (printout)
- •Marriage certificate — you provide, we translate
- •Birth certificate (children only) — you provide, we translate
- •Copy of both sides of the boravak — of the person the application is based on (print for each person)
- •For children: copies of both parents' passports (first page)
- •If one parent is absent: notarized consent (you provide, we translate)
✅ We handle
- ✓State fees
- ✓Translation of marriage certificate
- ✓Translation of birth certificate (if required)
- ✓Translation of notarized consent of absent parent (if required)
There is also a digital nomad permit — contact us and we will tell you at a consultation whether it suits your situation.
⚖️ Transitional provisions (Law on Foreigners amendments — 2026)
In 2026, amendments to Montenegro's Law on Foreigners came into force, affecting several grounds for obtaining a boravak. Key transitional rules:
- •The amendments were adopted by the Parliament (Skupština) on 31 December 2025 and apply from January 2026.
- •Those who already hold a real estate boravak have one year from the amendments' entry into force to bring their status into line with the new requirements. The €150,000 value requirement affects renewals as well, not only first-time applications.
- •To renew a director/entrepreneur boravak, the company must confirm payment of at least €5,000 in taxes and contributions for the year.
- •Several provisions of the amendments are being challenged before the Constitutional Court of Montenegro; until the court rules, the rules remain in force.
- •Applications submitted before the amendments came into force are processed under the previously applicable rules.
Current as of June 2026. Certain requirements are still being clarified at the level of secondary legislation — we recommend consulting us about your specific situation.
When is it an initial application vs a renewal?
Renewal is only possible if the ground for your residence permit does not change.
✅ Renewal examples
- • You work at company A and continue working there
- • TRP based on real estate, property still in your ownership
- • Family boravak, family status unchanged
❌ New initial application
- • You worked at company A but are moving to company B
- • Had employment-based TRP, now opening a sole proprietorship or company