Montenegro's New Visa Rules for Russians Linked to Property Market and EU Alignment

Montenegro's decision to require visas for Russian citizens has economic motives behind it, including an effort to revive the country's real estate market, according to Alexander Pivovarenko, a researcher at the Mediterranean Studies Center at HSE University.

Montenegro's government approved changes to its visa regulations on July 23, and since November 1, citizens of Russia, Belarus and Turkey have needed a visa to enter the country.

Pivovarenko said the move had long been anticipated and has an economic rationale. For Podgorica, he said, it is a way to restart the property sales cycle, noting that Montenegro has relatively little real estate given its small size. In his view, the aim is for Russian property owners to leave the market so that new buyers can come in - a benefit for the Montenegrin economy. He added that Montenegro is now shifting toward Arab investors or European buyers.

The expert stressed that a political context cannot be ruled out either. Introducing visas for Russians is a step toward aligning Podgorica's policy with Brussels' foreign policy requirements. Pivovarenko suggested, however, that Montenegro's foreign policy in current conditions risks becoming squeezed into a narrow regional neighborhood - limited to Italy, Albania and Bosnia.

In July, the Russian Embassy said the visa requirement, effective November 1, demonstrated official Podgorica's dependence on "foreign patrons" seeking to damage Montenegrin-Russian relations, which it said would harm the republic.