Living in Montenegro - Our Expat Guide
20.06.2024
Living in Montenegro - Our Expat Guide. Relocation experts over at 'The Wealth Expat' have recently listed Montenegro as one of the top destinations to move to in 2024, and according to the travel experts at <a href="https://www.gbnews.com/travel/expat-destination-low-cost-living-south-europe">GB News Montenegro just happens to be perfect for everyone as it offers the right balance between luxury and affordability.<br>If you are one of the many that are considering a move to Montenegro - here's our brief expat guide for you, covering all the important aspects about living in Montenegro.
Visa Requirements
Citizens of many countries, including the EU, USA, Canada, Australia, and others, can enter Montenegro without a visa for up to 90 days. For longer stays, a temporary residence permit is required.
To obtain a temporary residence permit, you need: A valid passport, Proof of accommodation, Health insurance, Proof of sufficient funds and either an employment contract or proof of self-employment.
After five years of temporary residence, you can apply for permanent residency. This requires proof of continuous stay, a stable income, and integration into Montenegrin society.
Housing
Renting is straightforward and leases typically require a deposit equal to one month’s rent. There are many real estate agents (including CMM Montenegro) that can assist in finding suitable accommodation. If you'd prefer to buy a property, then foreigners can buy property in Montenegro, except for land designated as agricultural. The process involves legal checks and registration with the local cadastre.
Renting an apartment varies by location. In Podgorica, the capital, expect to pay around €250-€450 per month for a one-bedroom apartment or €500-€800 per month for a three-bedroom apartment. In coastal areas like Budva and Kotor, prices are higher, especially during the tourist season.
Buying a property also varies by location, with one bedroom apartments starting around €80,000 and villas/houses starting from €100,000. Prices are especially higher in new build resorts or popular coastal locations.
Utilities
Monthly utilities (electricity, heating, cooling, water, garbage) for a standard apartment range between €100-€150 with internet and mobile packages averaging between €20-€40 per month. Major providers are Telenor, M, and Telekom with both prepaid and postpaid plans available. Generally there is good coverage throughout the country.
Groceries and Dining
Groceries are relatively inexpensive and there are plenty of local markets offering fresh produce at good prices. These are the best places to shop for ingredients, especially during the agricultural seasons. Dining out is also highly affordable with an inexpensive restaurant costing between €5-€15 per person and a three-course meal for two at a mid-range restaurant costing between €30-€50 per person.
Transportation
Public transportation is available, but many expats prefer owning a car as fuel prices are around €1.30 per liter and most of the public parking is free apart from high touristic areas. Public buses and taxis are affordable, with a monthly public transport pass costing around €30.
Healthcare
Montenegro has both public and private healthcare systems. Public healthcare is available to residents, but many expats opt for private healthcare due to shorter wait times and higher quality services. Health insurance is mandatory and this will provide better coverage and faster access to specialists, of course the cost will vary but basic plans will start from €30 per month.
Education
Montenegro offers public, private, and international schools, with public schools teaching in Montenegrin and the International schools, such as QSI International School in Podgorica, offering their curriculum in English. The University of Montenegro and private institutions also offer higher education. again with many programs conducted in Montenegrin, with some universities offering courses in English.
Language
Montenegrin is the official language, but English is widely spoken in tourist areas and among the younger population. Learning basic Montenegrin phrases can enhance your experience and integration, plus it's relatively simple to do with many courses being offered around the country at decent hourly rates, whether that's alone or with a group.
Culture and Lifestyle
Montenegrins are well known for their hospitality, greeting with a handshake and maintaining eye contact is standard. They are more than happy to welcome tourists & have no issue with opening their homes and hearts to newcomers and expats. Please do dress modestly when visiting religious sites however, and make sure you get involved with as much as you can especially the many festivals and events that are held throughout the year including Kotor Festival, Sea Dance Festival, Jazz Festival and the Podgorica Film Festival.
Outdoor Activities
Montenegro is a paradise for nature lovers, with a wide range of activities including, Hiking in Durmitor National Park, Sailing along the Adriatic coast and Skiing in the winter resorts of Kolasin and Zabljak. They are also in the process of building their first Golf Course and there's plenty of community groups and expat groups that will organize regular meetups, social events and cultural exchanges.
Banking & Finance
Opening a bank account is straightforward with a residence permit. Major banks include NLB, CKB, and Erste Bank.
Safety
Montenegro is generally safe, with low crime rates. Basic precautions should be taken, especially in crowded tourist areas.
Ready to move to Montenegro, or have any further questions? Please contact CMM Montenegro directly and we'd be more than happy to help you!
All the best.
Reviews
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In period May-August 2022 we sold our flats in St-Petersburg Russia and have bought two ones here in Montenegro, Becici. We decided to move here and make new home and business with my husband. Our agent Milica Zugic is really became our angel - provider here in Montenegro. She is very reliable, responsible , professional employee of CMM Budva department. She has developed intuition and found very fast necessary properties which we needed. Also she helped us to speed up the process of registration documents in MUP.( list nepokretnosti, etc). She was our real provider here. Very appreciated her and all staff of Budva department for there assistance. Separately to lawyer Ivan and his legal team. Very recommended choose Milica Zugic as real estate manager when you search for assistant in this complicated and important field as buying property in Montenegro.
Liudmila Nosova St-Petersburg Russia , 13.09.2022 10:20:09
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At the beginning of April 2022, our family living in Prague bought a house in Sutomore with the assistance of your company.
Let me express my gratitude to the management of your company for the service provided, and especially to your employees - Anastasia Zeyak, Alexei Grachev and Elena Bozhovich for their attention, patience and even care for the whole time of buying real estate and the services provided after the purchase.
I would really like all companies to work with the same quality of service. After coming into contact with this kind of attitude towards the client, all our environment, if necessary, will refer to your company only.
With gratitude on behalf of our family.A.V. Ter-Gazaryan, 12.07.2022 11:32:19
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Based on my experience with CMM in Budva, Montenegro, I can say that they are reliable, fast, and they deliver what they promise. They take really good care of their clients. For instance, I was offered a lift from the airport, and they would take me back and forth from Tivat to Budva and Becici to see various properties. They would answer all of my questions and respond promptly. They have an excellent team: Katarina, Alexander, Natasha, Martin and some other guys whose names I don’t remember. Katarina, my wonderful agent, went to every length to help me find a perfect home. Unfortunately, my situation changed and I had to postpone my relocation to Montenegro.
I would strongly recommend this company to anyone who is looking for a property in Montenegro.
Val , 13.05.2022 03:18:13
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We were introduced to CMM by friends who had already done research on Montenegro and CMM. We purchased our apartment in Dobrota, just outside Kotor, all remotely from South Africa, during the lockdown. Everything was seamless without any problems at all. All the CMM departments work together well from the sales team, head office, legal, interior design and rental department. Every detail was well communicated with an abundance of zoom meetings, videos, emails etc
We are thrilled with the outcome and enjoyed working with the CMM team. They were incredibly professional.
After sales service is also excellent as we move into the rental phase of the apartment and over all management of the apartment including maintenance.
We have been directly and indirectly involved with many houses/apartments all over the world and this was the up there with the best service we have received.
Thanks to everyone we dealt with at CMM it has been an absolute pleasure dealing with you all. We look forward too many happy years working with you on our rental.
Mandy and Antoine, 06.10.2021 09:56:22
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Biz Montenegroda CMM komandayla tanish olmushug. Snejana ve Milan bize cox yaxshi destek olublar. Artig bizim burada evimiz de var. Bize gosterdiler cox yuksek service, ve artig butun bizim senedler de gaydasindadir. Boyuk hormetle onlara Cox sagol bildiririk!
Dilara, 01.10.2019 07:17:27
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Last year we decided to find a new home close to the sea. It was quite difficult in the beginning to make the right choice. Once we found CMM Company was a great luck! We immediately received detailed consultation on the country and purchase opportunities. Being attracted by Kotor - one of the most amazing parts of the coast, we decided to take a family trip and maybe make our dream of new home come true. As just discoverers of Montenegro, we were accepted like at home which was a one more pleasant surprise. The most important, we received all detailed information about country regions and procedure of buying property during the first few days. And how beautiful the car journeys were! Difficult choice, but when you find the home you want you can't refuse it. CMM did best to help us with this finding! All the purchase procedure passed well with CMM professional work! Now we are happy owners of a wonderful house with a Kotor bay view, being perfectly served by CMM Management company (of course, we've chosen CMM as professional house manager). Hope our friends and relatives would also move to Montenegro with the CMM help soon !!!
Kate, 22.03.2019 12:06:21