Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic told Politico that the country’s reliance on Russian tourists and investors could hinder its path toward the EU. He said Podgorica had delayed a visa regime for Russians for as long as possible, but the goal of joining the European Union by 2028 requires migration rules to be aligned with European standards, and that this will be done “very soon.”
Under the reform program, as European Commission spokesperson Anna Pisonero Hernandez said, Montenegro must introduce visas by 2027 for citizens of 11 countries seen as sources of irregular migration or a threat to the EU. The list includes Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Egypt. The authorities have already imposed visas on citizens of Armenia, Uzbekistan, Egypt, and Kuwait.
The first people affected by possible changes would be Russians living in the country through the visa run system. Russian citizens can currently stay in Montenegro visa-free for 30 days, then leave and re-enter to restart the period. After the detention in February 2024 at the Sitnica-Zupci crossing of two Russian nationals carrying eight passports allegedly meant to be stamped by a border guard in exchange for payment, controls became stricter.
At the same time, the authorities are tightening residence permit rules. In October 2023, Montenegro scrapped the option of obtaining residence through quarter-time employment, and applicants for renewal were required to pay additional taxes based on full-time status. A draft law under discussion since July could also effectively end the use of shell companies: a director would qualify for residence only if the company is genuinely active, employs at least three people, and includes at least one Montenegrin citizen on staff.
“Will visas be introduced for us? Of course, yes. When will that happen? Nobody knows,” many Russians living in Montenegro are now saying, according to the publication.
According to Montenegro’s Interior Ministry, 6,000 Russians have left the country over the past two years; many are moving to Serbia, where they believe it is easier to obtain temporary and then permanent residence. Political analyst Ljubomir Filipovic stresses, however, that final decisions are made not by the president but by the government, although aligning legislation with EU norms remains a broad political consensus in Montenegro.