Moving to Montenegro

Art. 60a, as replaced by the December 2025 amendment, asks for the general conditions of Art. 43: means of support, accommodation, health insurance, a passport or foreign identity card valid at least three months beyond the permit, and no entry ban, no final unconditional prison sentence of more than six months in Montenegro or the country of origin, and no national or internal security or public-health obstacle, plus an employment contract or other document showing the applicant works electronically for a foreign company or for their own company not registered in Montenegro, and proof that the company is registered in another state. The permit is issued for up to two years and can be extended by at most two more; a new one can be issued only six months after the previous one expired. Close family can join: a spouse, their minor children born in or outside marriage, and either spouse's children and adopted children under 18. The Law sets no income figure: Art. 43 asks for means of support, and Art. 60a leaves the detailed conditions to a Ministry of Interior rule that is not in our archive, so confirm the amount with the Ministry. A complete application is decided within 40 days (Art. 62). Because the permit lasts at most four years in a row and a new one needs a six-month gap, it cannot by itself give the five continuous years of temporary residence that permanent residence requires (Art. 86). Read against the Law on Foreigners as the Ministry of Interior consolidated it in 2019 and the amending law Parliament adopted on 31 December 2025; the 2024 amendment and a further amendment in force from March 2026 were not read, so confirm current conditions with the Ministry of Interior.

Art. 56 asks for proof of ownership from the real-estate cadastre (a co-owner needs at least a half share) of a family house, holiday house, villa, apartment, hospitality building, residential-commercial building or business premises, and the general conditions of Art. 43: means of support, accommodation, health insurance, a passport or foreign identity card valid at least three months beyond the permit, and no entry ban, no final unconditional prison sentence of more than six months in Montenegro or the country of origin, and no national or internal security or public-health obstacle. Since the amendment, the proof of value is the local tax authority's decision assessing real-estate transfer tax, with a tax base of at least EUR 150,000; this proof is not required of citizens of EU member states or their family members, or of citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. A foreigner who held this permit before the amendment took effect has a later extension decided under the Law as it stood before (Art. 217b); the 2019 text asked for proof of ownership, not of value. A temporary residence permit is issued for up to one year (Art. 63) and can be extended only on the same legal basis (Art. 38). A complete application is decided within 40 days (Art. 62). Family members can join a temporary resident (Art. 44). Five years of continuous lawful temporary residence can lead to permanent residence (Art. 86) if the further conditions of Art. 88 are met, among them basic knowledge of the Montenegrin language and, since the amendment, proof that taxes were paid while the temporary permit ran. Read against the Law on Foreigners as the Ministry of Interior consolidated it in 2019 and the amending law Parliament adopted on 31 December 2025; the 2024 amendment and a further amendment in force from March 2026 were not read, so confirm current conditions with the Ministry of Interior.

Each year, by 30 November, the Government sets the next year's annual quota of these permits and the activities in which foreigners may be employed, with separate quotas for employment and for seasonal employment (Art. 76). Some workers are outside the quota (Art. 78); since the December 2025 amendment they include people employed in the IT sector. The same amendment also puts citizens of EU member states, their family members, whether or not they are EU citizens, and citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland outside the quota, but only from the day Montenegro joins the European Union (Art. 221b); until then their permits fall within the quota unless another ground in Art. 78 covers them. Besides the general conditions of Art. 43: means of support, accommodation, health insurance, a passport or foreign identity card valid at least three months beyond the permit, and no entry ban, no final unconditional prison sentence of more than six months in Montenegro or the country of origin, and no national or internal security or public-health obstacle, the application must now include proof of the applicant's level of education and qualification (Art. 69). The permit is issued for up to one year and can be extended up to two years if the foreigner has a full-time employment contract (Art. 70, as amended). Family members can join a temporary resident (Art. 44), but not the family of a seasonal worker. Five years of continuous lawful temporary residence can lead to permanent residence (Art. 86) if the further conditions of Art. 88 are met, among them basic knowledge of the Montenegrin language and, since the amendment, proof that taxes were paid while the temporary permit ran. Read against the Law on Foreigners as the Ministry of Interior consolidated it in 2019 and the amending law Parliament adopted on 31 December 2025; the 2024 amendment and a further amendment in force from March 2026 were not read, so confirm current conditions with the Ministry of Interior.