Montenegro plans to end visa-free travel for Russians starting in November
Montenegro’s government has published draft amendments to its visa regulations. The organization Kovcheg flagged the document.
Under the draft, citizens of Russia and Belarus can enter Montenegro, transit through the country, and stay for up to 30 days with a valid travel document until October 31, 2026. After that date, they will need a visa.
Kovcheg said media outlets had previously cited an earlier date, October 1, for the visa regime’s introduction. The draft amendments proposed by Montenegro’s government, however, have not yet been officially approved.
Montenegro has remained one of the few European countries Russians can visit without a visa, but as part of its bid to join the European Union, the country must bring its visa regime into line with EU law.
After Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022, Russians leaving the country moved to Montenegro, among other destinations, and those living in Serbia often used it for “visa runs”: border crossings formally required to remain in Serbia legally.
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at reports@meduza.io.
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.