Montenegro Fully Aligns Visa Policy with the European Union – Citizens of Numerous Countries Can More Easily Apply for a Montenegrin Visa

Montenegro has fully aligned its visa policy with the European Union's visa policy, fulfilling one of the final criteria for closing Chapter 24 – Justice, Freedom, and Security, as well as a key obligation from the Reform Agenda. In 2023, it adopted a Regulation amending the Visa Regime Regulation, which stipulates that citizens of countries previously non-compliant with Montenegro's visa regime (Belarus, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey) will need a visa to enter Montenegro. While aligning the visa regime means that citizens of certain countries will require a visa to enter Montenegro, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been actively and systematically undertaking measures to mitigate potential negative effects of these changes, and to make the process of obtaining a Montenegrin visa as simple and accessible as possible. Thanks to cooperation with VFS Global, a leading global partner for visa services, visa applications for Montenegro can now be submitted at VFS application centers in India, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia. At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is implementing one of the most significant projects in visa policy management – establishing a new, modern Visa Information System, fully compatible with EU information systems and aligned with Schengen security standards. By aligning its visa policy with the European Union, Montenegro is fulfilling an important obligation on its path to EU membership, while also modernizing its visa system and facilitating access for citizens from numerous emitting markets.