Montenegro introduces visas for Belarusians and Russians from 1 November

Montenegro has introduced visas for citizens of Belarus and Russia: the authorities' decision took effect on Sunday, 1 November. The Belarusian embassy in Serbia informed Belarusians of the date: from 1 November, a visa is required to enter Montenegro.

Russia is introducing a visa regime for citizens of Montenegro from the same date. This is a response to Podgorica's decision on visas for Russians, according to Maria Zakharova, official spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, who announced the step.

Russians need a visa unless they fall under the exceptions provided for.

The date, 1 November 2026, was announced in advance, two weeks before the introduction.

According to the Montenegrin Foreign Ministry, the consular fee for submitting an application at the country's diplomatic and consular missions is 35 euros.

An application for a short-stay visa must be submitted no later than 15 days before the trip, and for a long-stay visa no later than 60 days, the same ministry said.

Visas are required not only for Belarusians and Russians, but also for citizens of China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Those who legally entered Montenegro no later than 23:59 on 31 October may stay in the country without a visa for up to 30 days.

Now, for a trip to the Balkans, you need to arrange permission to enter and stay in advance.

The Montenegrin Foreign Ministry stated that the visas were introduced to fully align visa policy with the European Union. The country has had EU candidate status since 2010 and is gradually bringing its rules into line with European ones.