From November, Russians, Chinese and Turks will need visas to enter Montenegro

Montenegro has fully harmonized its visa policy with that of the European Union (EU), the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

The government decree issued on July 23 decided that citizens of Russia, Belarus, Turkey, China and Saudi Arabia will need a visa to enter and stay in Montenegro from November 1, 2026, the statement said.

They add that this fulfills one of the final criteria for closing Negotiation Chapter 24 – Justice, Freedom and Security in the EU accession negotiations, as well as one of the key obligations from the Reform Agenda.

"Although the harmonisation of the visa regime means that citizens of some countries will need a visa to enter Montenegro in the future, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has intensively and systematically undertaken activities that will mitigate the potential negative effects of these changes, while at the same time taking measures to make the process of obtaining a Montenegrin visa as simple and accessible as possible," the ministry added in a statement.

It was explained that, to facilitate the procedure, applications for Montenegrin visas in the future will also be able to be submitted at VFS Global visa centers, and not only at the diplomatic and consular missions of Montenegro.

The ministry also announced the creation of a new Visa Information System, aligned with EU systems and Schengen security standards, with the aim of introducing electronic visas.

For years, out of the total number of annual foreign arrivals in Montenegro, Russians have generally been in second place in terms of numbers, right behind those coming from Serbia.

The European Commission has been calling for several years on Western Balkan countries, including Montenegro, to align their visa policies with EU rules in order to reduce the risk of irregular migration and abuse of visa-free regimes.

In Montenegro's accession negotiations with the EU, 18 out of a total of 33 chapters in the EU accession negotiation process have been provisionally closed so far.

The Union has already approved the start of drafting the Accession Agreement, which represents the final stage of accession negotiations.

The European Commission has also approved a financial framework for Montenegro, which foresees almost 3.2 billion euros, based on the assumption that the country could become a full member of the European Union in 2028.

The GeoPost