Today Montenegro cancels visa-free travel. How will this affect the Russians? Thanks to the lack of visas, the Balkan country became a popular destination for leaving Russia after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. "In 2022, especially after September, after the mobilization, there was a huge wave of people," shared Irina, who has lived in Israel for 15 years and runs a Telegram channel about local life, in her memories with D. hook.. In 2025, the Montenegrin government named Russians as the largest group of foreign residents in the country: 18,427 people had a residence permit. However, the subsequent tightening of the Foreigners' Law and the conditions for obtaining a residence permit "cut the Russian diaspora to a great extent," says Ben Shiho of D. hook.. "Visas are the final nail," she adds. Starting November 1st, a visa will be required not only for citizens of Russia and Belarus, but also for Turkey, Saudi Arabia and China. According to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Montenegro, citizens of these five countries accounted for 3.4 million overnight stays in 2025 and spent 320 million euros in the country, with the overnight stays of tourists from Turkey and Russia accounting for 21% of the total. A visa for Russians will cost 35 euros for adults and 17.5 euros for children under 14 years old. It will be available through the Montenegrin consulates and VFS Global centers in Moscow and 8 other Russian cities. The official processing time for applications is 10 days, but it can be extended up to 60 days if additional documents are requested. Montenegrin authorities promise that the process of obtaining visas will be "as simple and accessible as possible" to avoid a major blow to the industry due to the loss of Russian tourists. Details are in material d. hook..

Today Montenegro cancels visa-free travel. How will this affect the Russians? Thanks to the lack of visas, the Balkan country became a popular destination for leaving Russia after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. "In 2022, especially after September, after the mobilization, there was a huge wave of people," shared Irina, who has lived in Israel for 15 years and runs a Telegram channel about local life, in her memories with D. hook.. In 2025, the Montenegrin government named Russians as the largest group of foreign residents in the country: 18,427 people had a residence permit. However, the subsequent tightening of the Foreigners' Law and the conditions for obtaining a residence permit "cut the Russian diaspora to a great extent," says Ben Shiho of D. hook.. "Visas are the final nail," she adds. Starting November 1st, a visa will be required not only for citizens of Russia and Belarus, but also for Turkey, Saudi Arabia and China. According to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Montenegro, citizens of these five countries accounted for 3.4 million overnight stays in 2025 and spent 320 million euros in the country, with the overnight stays of tourists from Turkey and Russia accounting for 21% of the total. A visa for Russians will cost 35 euros for adults and 17.5 euros for children under 14 years old. It will be available through the Montenegrin consulates and VFS Global centers in Moscow and 8 other Russian cities. The official processing time for applications is 10 days, but it can be extended up to 60 days if additional documents are requested. Montenegrin authorities promise that the process of obtaining visas will be "as simple and accessible as possible" to avoid a major blow to the industry due to the loss of Russian tourists. Details are in material d. hook..