Do I need to register in Montenegro? Tourist registration in Montenegro and tourist tax. How to register with a tourism organization
Montenegro is a small, hospitable country located in Europe. Tourists flock to it for the warm Adriatic Sea, beautiful mountain landscapes and natural attractions. Below we will talk about the process of registering tourists in Montenegro, and also discuss all the fees and taxes that vacationers must pay.
What you need for a trip to Montenegro
IN summer season There is a visa-free regime for citizens of CIS countries in Montenegro. Every year, the requirements and permitted dates of stay in this country change.
In 2018, the visa-free regime for Russian citizens is valid from April to October, that is, throughout the entire tourist season.
Despite the fact that there is no need to obtain a visa, foreigners wishing to holiday in Montenegro still need to go through bureaucratic procedures. These include payment of tourist tax and tourist registration.
You must pay for every day you stay in this country. Sum tourist tax in Montenegro depends on the specific city and resort. In touristically developed places (Budva, Tivat, Kotor) the fee is 1 euro per day per vacationer. In less popular places it decreases somewhat: in Herceg Novi you need to pay 0.9 euros per person, in Ulcinj - 0.7 euros per day. The fee for children from 12 to 18 years old is halved.
If you book your hotel online, chances are the tourist tax is already included in the price. It is better to find out about this in advance by writing a message to the hotel administration.
Who is exempt from tourist tax
The following are not subject to tourist tax:
- children under 12 years of age;
- disabled people;
- foreigners with real estate in Montenegro;
- relatives of property owners;
- tourists who arrived in the country for a period of more than 90 days and have a visa.
Where to pay the tourist tax
Tourist tax can be paid:
- at the post office;
- in the bank;
- at the tourist office.
It is important to note that not all travel agencies accept tourist taxes. In many of them it can only be paid by non-cash method.
How is the tourist tax paid?
It takes no more than 5 minutes to pay the tourist tax. If you decide to pay at a bank or post office, then you need:
- provide the cashier with your passport;
- say what exactly you are paying for;
- indicate the number of days of stay in Montenegro.
Afterwards, the cashier will give you a one-time paper, with which you will need to go to the tourist office to register. It is important to save the document before leaving the country. You may still have to provide it to the border guard.
Any foreign citizen arriving in Montenegro on holiday is required to go through the registration process. Once upon a time, it was accompanied by the issuance of a “White Card” - a paper that was issued in a couple of minutes and gave the tourist the right to stay in Montenegro. Now vacationers are not issued such a document, but they are still required to register.
Why registration is needed
Registration of tourists in Montenegro has two main tasks:
- collect money from vacationers that will go to the state treasury;
- control the movement of tourists around the country.
What the law says
The tourist registration process is regulated by Montenegrin law. It states that any foreigner arriving in Montenegro is required to register with the tourist office. According to the law, this must be done within 24 hours of arrival in a foreign country. If the arrival falls on a weekend or holiday, the foreigner is given 3 days to register. Registration must be completed at the place of stay in Montenegro. The tourist registers for each day of his planned vacation.
Who is responsible for registration
As a rule, most often registration is carried out not by tourists themselves, but by the owners of the accommodation where they stay. This is also regulated by law. It states that all citizens of Montenegro who provide living space to tourists on legal grounds must register their guests themselves. They are given 12 hours for this. In most cases, apartment owners immediately ask their guests to present them with a passport. If you haven't been asked to do so, remind the property owner to register. Afterwards, it is also advisable to make sure that he has performed all the necessary operations.
Those who come to Montenegro on a tourist package also do not need to worry about registration. They are registered in advance by the tour operator.
Foreigners who arrive in Montenegro without a tourist package and do not intend to stay in official hotel or hotel, must register yourself. Upon arrival at the hotel, it is advisable to immediately inquire whether its owners have a license. To avoid self-registration, you should look for apartments not on local, but on international sites.
How to register
Registration can be done at any tourist office. To do this you need to have with you:
- passport;
- receipt for payment of the fee (if you do not fall into the category of citizens who are exempt from payment);
- a document confirming membership in a preferential category (this applies to those who are exempt from paying the tourist tax).
After presenting the documents, you need to tell the bureau employee the address of the hotel and the duration of your planned stay in Montenegro. There is a registration fee of 1 euro per person.
As tourists note, the registration process takes no more than 5 minutes. As a rule, you have to wait longer in line.
Where to register
As we said above, foreigners register at travel agencies, which are found in all Montenegrin cities. Most often they are small stalls or offices with a separate entrance. They almost always have a sign on them « TURIST INFO. Below we will indicate on the map the location of each such bureau in all popular tourist areas Montenegro.
Kotor
Budva
Herceg Novi
Bar
Tivat
Is it possible not to pay the fee and not register?
Theoretically, you can not follow the rules and forget about the tourist tax and registration. However, when leaving Montenegro you will have to pay a fine of 200 euros. This sanction amount is approved by law. According to some tourists, fines are not imposed on everyone and not always.
What should I do if I did not have time/forgot to pay the fee and register?
The outcome of this situation depends on the mood of the employees of the bank, post office or travel agency. Some people don't pay attention to this. Others issue fines and send forgetful foreigners to an inspector. In practice, some tourists were even expelled from the country for such a violation.
What if I'm going to live in different places?
According to the law of Montenegro, every tourist must re-register in each city to which he arrives. Many people bypass this rule by registering in one place for the entire duration of their stay and then moving freely around the country. This allows you to save time that would have to be spent on repeated trips to tourist centers, waiting in lines and all bureaucratic procedures.
What to do if I want to combine a holiday in Montenegro with a trip to a neighboring country
For example, you registered in Montenegro for a period of 30 days, and in the middle of your trip you decided to go to a neighboring country. In this case, you must take with you a receipt for payment of the tourist tax. If you don't do this, you may have problems when leaving home. When will you return to Montenegro from neighboring country, you will no longer have to pay the fee again.
Bottom line
Tourist registration is a mandatory procedure for all foreigners arriving on holiday in Montenegro. The tourist tax is not levied on certain categories of citizens. Payment can be made at any bank or at the nearest post office, and there are special travel offices for registration. Failure to register and pay the fee will result in a fine of 200 euros. We recommend that you do not forget about payment and registration, because both of these procedures are controlled by Montenegrin border guards.
When organizing your own holiday in Montenegro, you must take into account the need to register and pay a tourist tax, which many find out about only upon arrival. Considering that in Budva its amount is 1 euro per day per person, for two you will have to pay about 30 euros if you come for 14 days.
The legislative basis for mandatory registration in Montenegro is the local law “On Tourist Tax”. The official reason for introducing a tourist tax is the need to maintain cultural, historical and recreational sites visited by tourists in proper condition.
According to the bill, any foreigner coming to the country must register within 24 hours of arrival at your place of residence, and also pay a tourist tax for each day you are in the country. .
Absolutely everyone needs to go through the registration procedure. But since the responsibility for registering tourists falls on the owner of the property, tourists staying in hotels often do not even suspect that all tourist taxes are already included in the price of their stay.
Interestingly, a fine for failure to register can be charged to both the property owner and the guest. If you rent an apartment through Airbnb and pay in cash without receiving a receipt in return, it is better to go through this procedure yourself or ask the owner to complete the paperwork.
Who pays tourist taxes and how much?
The amount of the tourist tax varies depending on the resort and ranges from 0.5 to 1 euro per day.
| Resort | Fee per night per person |
| Budva | 1,00 € |
| Petrovac | 1,00 € |
| Sveti Stefan | 1,00 € |
| Kotor | 0,80 € |
| Herceg Novi | 0,70 € |
| Bar | 0,70 € |
| Tivat | 0,70 € |
| Zabljak | 0,60 € |
| Kolasin | 0,60 € |
| Ulcinj | 0,50 € |
Tourist tax in Montenegro resorts in 2018
The following are not subject to tourist tax:
- disabled people,
- children under 12 years old,
- foreigners who own real estate in Montenegro and their relatives,
- persons arriving for a period of more than 90 days and holding a visa.
- Children aged 12-18 years pay 50% of the tax.
How to register and pay the fee yourself
In most cases, it is enough to ask the owner about this, but you will have to give up your passport, which not everyone decides to do. If you want, you can go through the entire procedure yourself. It is not difficult:
- Clarify and write down exact location of your stay.
- If you are staying with a private owner, also write down his last name. It’s even better if he writes it down himself.
- Pay the fee directly at the travel agency office (), but most likely you will be sent to the nearest bank branch or post office.
- Show your passport, say that this is a tourist tax and indicate the number of days. Take the payment receipt to the travel agency.
- There are bureaus in every city and are called “Tourist Info”. Just ask anyone local resident: “How do I get to Tourist Info?” At the travel agency you must present your passport, a receipt for payment of the fee, name the place and duration of stay, say “registration”.
The owner of the property where you are staying must provide your TIN to the bureau in advance and register in the system. If everything is in order, you will be registered. The cost of registration is symbolic, it is 1 euro. You must leave the office with this piece of paper:
Form for registration and payment of tourist tax
Important! Be sure to carry a photocopy of your passport and receipt with you throughout your stay in Montenegro. Originals will be asked only when leaving the country.
What happens if you don’t pay and don’t register?
Many say that they did not pay any taxes and no one asked anything when leaving. There are two points to take into account here:
- Where did you live? If at the hotel and officially (everything was already included in the price)
- Data about tourists is entered into a single database. The customs officer sees the registration in the database and does not bother tourists if everything is in order.
- As everywhere else, the human factor works. Depending on the mood of the inspector, they may be released without consequences.
For being in the country without registration, you will be forced to pay 50 euros at the police station if your documents are checked on the street. There is a penalty for crossing the border without the required package of registration documents. fine of 200 euros.
Is it possible to travel outside the country on excursions?
If in the middle of your trip you need to go to Croatia or Bosnia for a short time, this can be done without any problems. The only important aspect is the need to have a tourist tax receipt with you. Otherwise problems may arise. Upon returning to Montenegro, you will no longer have to pay the fee again.
1) Now, when entering Montenegro, you are required to register within 24 hours after crossing the border. If you arrive on a weekend, you must do this on the next weekday. Violation threatens you with a fine, if I understand correctly, from 60 € per person and higher, depending on the number of days overdue.
2) Previously it was possible to register in travel agencies, now - only in person at the police. Perhaps hotels were given the opportunity to register their visitors, I can’t say for sure. But everyone who lives in their own or rented apartments/houses definitely needs to go to the local “border police” department.
3) Out of season, the queue for registration at the police station reaches such lengths that it is not possible to defend it in one day. There is only one way out - to arrive not at opening, but half an hour or an hour earlier. That’s exactly what I did, and on the first day I stood for two hours and my turn never came. The corresponding police department in Herceg Novi works from 9:00 to 12:30. It’s hard to even imagine what will happen with the start of the season.
4) Previously, to register, you had to fill out the so-called “white card” - a special form. Now it has been cancelled, registration is carried out entirely through a computer system. In which your data is entered/compared when crossing the border, then at the police, and then when leaving the country.
5) In order to obtain registration, you need two documents: a passport with a border crossing stamp no more than 24 hours old, and a Sheet of Coverage (something like a certificate from the local BTI) for housing - a photocopy is enough, they should give it to you owner of the apartment/house.
6) Each border crossing resets your registration. That is, if you traveled by car, say, to Croatia, then after returning to Montenegro, the registration procedure must be repeated again.
7) Registration rules apply not only to Russian tourists, but also to all foreigners in general (or almost all, perhaps there are concessions to Americans). At least, Serbs and other foreigners stood in line for registration next to the Russians.
Fortunately, the severity of the laws is to some extent offset by the optionality of their implementation. If you have overstayed your registration, you can cross the border again. The likelihood that they will accept registration when leaving is small. Despite computer accounting. I overstayed my registration by a week, after which I left for Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the border, they optionally (already returned the passports) asked about registration, I pretended that I did not understand the language, shrugged my shoulders, and they calmly let me out with my wife and two children. On the same day we returned back, received new stamps, the next day I went early to the police and legalized our stay. Thus, I also resolved the issue with the visa, because... If you stay in the country for > 30 days, you need a visa, but we didn’t have one. But crossing the border reduced this period to acceptable.
Everyone here expects that from May 1, that is, from tomorrow, they will again be allowed to register not with the police, but through travel agencies (otherwise the queue at police stations will be impossible to even imagine). But I went into one and asked - they shrugged their shoulders and said that no one knows anything yet.
So it goes. I hope the information will be useful to someone.
P.S. Yes, I myself was surprised that you can easily look into the police computer and take photographs.
Montenegro – visa-free country for many tourists, but every visitor to the country must register with tourism organization and pay the fee in accordance with Article 94 of the Law on Foreigners, which came into force on April 1, 2015.
Until April 2015, there was “White Cardboard”, which had to be bought in local “bookstores”. Now everyone who arrived in Montenegro is already included in the database at passport control and there is no need to purchase “White Cardboard”.
According to the new law, tourists within 24 hours upon arrival, you must register with the local tourism organization “Turisrićka Organizacija”. And if the branch is not open on weekends, then registration will be “transferred” to the first working day.
The tourist tax costs from 0.70 to 1 euro per day for 1 adult. The cost of the fee is set by each community independently; in the city of Bar it is 1 euro. A tourist tax of 50% is paid by persons aged 12 to 18 years, and children under 12 years of age do not pay.
A receipt is paid separately, which in Bar costs 1.20 euros.
Property owners are also exempt from paying tax; they only pay a receipt for the entire stay. People who own their property are required to provide a document confirming the ownership of the property (List Nepokretnosti). In the case of property ownership, only the closest family members (father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister) do not pay the tourist tax, and all other relatives, godparents and friends must pay.
To register, you need a tourist’s passport and information about the place of stay (last and first name of the owner, his Matićni broj, housing address).
If the tourist tax is not paid on time, the tourist faces a fine., which is issued by the local inspector for foreigners. The minimum amount is 60 euros, but if paid within the time specified by the inspector, the fine is reduced by a third. If you refuse to pay, the case may go to court and the fine may increase.
The period of non-exit in Montenegro for a tourist from Ukraine is 90 days, from Russia and Belarus - 30. According to new changes to the law, from June 2016, Russian citizens can stay in the country for up to 90 days without leaving during the summer tourist season. This stay is valid only until October 31, 2016; then you need to leave and enter the country with a 30-day visa-free stay.
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