Montenegro Ends Visa-Free Entry for Russians

Montenegro's decision to require visas for Russian citizens took effect on November 1.

Visas can be obtained through VFS Global visa service centers in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Petrozavodsk, Pskov, Novorossiysk, Voronezh and Yekaterinburg, as well as at Montenegro's embassy in Moscow, the Foreign Ministry's consular department said.

According to Russia's embassy in Podgorica, the visa requirement will not affect Russians who previously received temporary residence rights in the country. As of September 2026, their number stood at 17,900, according to the latest Montenegrin Interior Ministry data. The Russian Union of Travel Industry said a visa to Montenegro will cost about 35 euros for an adult and around 17.5 euros for a child under 14.

Experts say the move had long been expected and was driven by political considerations. "This step has long been expected, and it is an aspect of standardizing the foreign policy of regional powers in line with Brussels' requirements," Alexander Pivovarenko, a researcher at the HSE Center for Mediterranean Studies, told RIA Novosti. He said Montenegro has pursued this course consistently over the past ten years, moving slowly for many reasons but without deviation. "Therefore, as they say in Brussels, Montenegro is normalizing its foreign policy," he said.

Montenegro has held EU candidate status since 2010. Earlier this year, President Jakov Milatović said he considers the government's goal of EU membership by 2028 achievable. According to the Monstat statistics office, Russian citizens made 203,000 entries into Montenegro in 2025, 8% of all foreign entries, and spent 2,144,519 nights there, or 16.4% of all foreign overnight stays.