Montenegro discovered massive abuse when obtaining a residence permit.
The Ministry of the Interior of Montenegro stated that about 80% of the foreigners who tried to register or regulate their stay in the country during the last two months abused the immigration procedures.
This was announced on October 30 by the representative of the Ministry of the Interior, Dragan Dasic, on state television. According to him, just in the last month, a large number of new companies were registered in Montenegro, which could be created mainly to provide foreigners with a place to live.
Now the Ministry of the Interior together with the police and the tax administration will check all the newly registered companies, as well as the circumstances of obtaining the residence permit through them.
Why is this happening now?
From November 1, 2026, Montenegro will introduce visas for citizens of five countries: Russia, Turkey, Belarus, China and Saudi Arabia.
Therefore, it can be assumed that a significant part of the new applications for residence permits comes from citizens of Russia and Turkey, which are two of the three largest foreign communities in the country.
Obtaining a legal residence permit allows you to live in Montenegro and return to it without issuing a separate visa. But registering a company in itself does not guarantee the granting of a residence permit.
Dashic emphasized that foreigners with valid temporary or permanent residence permits will not face restrictions on entry and exit.
How many foreigners live in Montenegro?
According to September data of the Ministry of the Interior published by the Center for Civic Education, 69,945 foreign citizens had residence permits.
Main groups by citizenship:
Russia - 17,907 people.
Serbia - 15,287.
Turkey - 10,600.
Bosnia and Herzegovina - 3,801.
Kosovo - 3 139.
Albania - 3,064.
Azerbaijan - 2,552.
Ukraine - 1,614.
North Macedonia - 1,174.
Germany - 1,093.