How to Register Your Stay in Montenegro?

If you are thinking about moving to Montenegro and applying for a resident permit, the first and basic step is to register your stay (that is, place of residence) in Montenegro. Depending on whether you are staying in a tourist accommodation or a private residence, you may need to go and register yourself. Surely, there is no need to worry, as this is a very simple, but important procedure in both cases.

Why is it important to register your stay?

According to the Montenegrin law, every foreign visitor must register his/her stay (residence) address 24 hours from the time of entering the country. So, no matter if you are coming for holiday, work or the intention to stay for a longer time, you must register. Also, it doesn’t matter if you are entering with a visa or visa-free, you must still register. Therefore, if or when you apply for the resident permit, the authorities know how many days were you in the country and if you exceeded your allowed stay (which is usually up to 90 days). In addition, when applying for a resident visa, you will need to submit the stay registration. If you are not sure how many days can you stay in Montenegro without a residence permit, check out our Montenegro Visa Regime page.

If you are staying in a private home

When you stay in a private home, with a friend, or just rent an apartment for a longer period because you are planning to apply for a resident permit, it is best that you register yourself. You can do so in the closest Local tourist organization (LTO). It is also possible to do it in the police (MUP – Ministry of Interior), but they will likely send you to the LTO anyway. Therefore, it is easier for you to just go to the LTO. Every municipality has at least one LTO office. In addition, the coastal towns open several more locations during the summer season, so it’s easy to get around.

Unfortunately, you cannot apply online, so you will have to go to the LTO for the first application. You need to bring your passport and have to give the details about the address and the owner of the place you are staying in. However, the good thing is that you can usually extend the residence by phone once you stay more than 30 days.

The stay tax in Montenegro is €0.60-1.00 per day for adults, for the first 30 days of your stay. If you stay in your own property, you don’t pay the stay tax. 

How Much is a Stay (or Tourist) Tax in Montenegro?

The stay tax in Montenegro is €0.60-1.00 per day for adults, depending on the municipality. For children of 12 to 18 years old, the tax is 50% lower, and for children younger than 12 it’s free. Note that you pay the tax only for the first 30 days of your stay. So if you are planning to stay for more than a month, do not worry, you do not have to pay the residence tax for every day. Although, that this only goes if your stay in Montenegro is uninterrupted. If you leave the country and then register again, you will have to pay the tax again for the first 30 days.

The stay tax in Bar, Budva, Herceg Novi, Kotor and Tivat is €1.00 per day. Also, Kolašin and Žabljak placed their prices at €1.00, although if you are staying in a private home at Žabljak, it’s €0.80 per day. In Podgorica, the tax is €0.9 per day, while in Ulcinj it’s €0.70, which is the lowest price for a coastal town in Montenegro.

If you are staying in your property

If you own a property in Montenegro in which you stay, you do not need to pay the stay tax. But you still need to register every time you come, so do not forget that step. When you register, you need to show your ownership document (List Nepokretnosti), so the LTO knows not to charge the tax. In addition, you do not have to pay the tax for your closest family (spouse, mother, father, daughter, son, sister, brother). However, all other relatives, if they are visiting and staying in your property, must register and pay the residence tax.

We hope that this article was helpful and that you will enjoy your stay in Montenegro.