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Explore: Montenegro - Formalities

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Clearance

COVID-19 coronavirus: Restrictions are in place for citizens of some countries – see Biosecurity for more details.

Yachts approaching Montenegro coast should expect to be intercepted by naval craft patrolling the area.

Arrival and Departure processes are made to be as effortless as possible, even officially encouraged to be so by the Montenegrin tourism ministry. If you choose to not stay at a marina, it may benefit you to stay one night at arrival and then one night prior to departure in order to expedite and simplify the arrival process.

Arrivals

All foreign-flagged yachts should fly the Q-flag with the Montenegrin courtesy flag. All vessels must also immediately proceed to the nearest Port of Entry and contact the harbour master PRIOR to landing. Most marina offices will direct you to either a berth or the customs dock (if there is one).

Most marinas will be able to arrange transportation to the immigration officials (if off-site) for the skipper. All crew must remain on board until clearance formalities have been completed.

Whilst in Montenegrin waters VHF Channel 16 should be monitored constantly and if contacted by a naval vessel, the radio operator of the yacht will be expected to give the following information: name of the yacht, international callsign, flag, port of registration, last port of call, destination. The name of the owner and the general description of the cargo is sometimes also requested. Failure to respond guarantees a visit from the authorities.

All yachts must proceed to the nearest Port of Entry using VHF Channel 16. Ports of Entry are Bar, Zelenika, Tivat, and Kotor. Cruisers MUST check in before anchoring or proceeding to any other minor ports.

Yachts coming from the south usually clear in at Bar. Yachts coming from the north may clear in at Zelenika, Tivat, or Kotor.

Yachts must purchase a cruising permit (a “vignette”), valid for 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months or one year. This has to be purchased at the Harbour Master’s office. See fees below for details. There is a fee for clearance and allow half a day for formalities.

Note: Visiting yachts, for whatever reason (fuel, water etc.) are required to clear-in and will be obliged to pay for a cruising permit.

Departures

When departing from Montenegro to another country, you must conduct the proper departure procedures. Mostly it is the arrival process but in reverse. Marina offices usually assist with the departure procedures. The typical process will include:

  • Update crew and passenger list (if required)
  • Ensure permits are “voided” for departure

All crew (except the skipper) must stay on board as soon as the departure process begins.

Last updated:  February 2018.

Related Businesses

  • Barradio

    VHF Channel 16, 24

    Use this coast radio station to report any safety concerns, get medical advice or weather reports (ch. 24).

     ... Read More

  • Budva Customs Dock

    Address: Bar, Montenegro,

    Position 42°16.748'N, 18°50.345'E. Depth 3.5m. Alongside berthing.

     ... Read More

  • Harbour Master – Bar

    Address: Bar, Montenegro,

    Read More

  • Port Authority – Kotor

    Address: Kotor, Montenegro,

    Read More

Immigration

All visitors require a valid passport except those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia and Macedonia who only require an ID card. EU citizen who enters the country with only an I.D. card may stay for 30 days only.

Note: With the current refugee crisis, it is advisable that everyone has a valid passport. (Jan 2016)

Ensure your passport is stamped on entry otherwise you may face difficulties when leaving.

No visas are needed for stays up to 90 days for the following countries:

Andorra, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Greece, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, El Salvador, San Marino, Seychelles, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Other nationalities require visas, which cannot be obtained on arrival. There are consulates in Bucharest, Sofia, Athens and Tirana.

Citizens with a valid Schengen visas from other Schengen countries, a valid visa of the United States of America, or a permission to stay in these countries may enter and stay (i.e., pass through) the territory of Montenegro up to seven days, and not longer than the expiry of visa if the period of validity of visa is less than seven days.

Last updated:  February 2018.

Customs

Foreign yachts are able to stay in Montenegro waters nearly indefinitely with unlimited crew changes. Obviously, the crew on board may not stay indefinitely, but the yacht is able to do so.

It is essential to declare all hard currency to avoid it being confiscated on departure.

A firearms certificate must be held if there are any such weapons on board, including a flare pistol.

It is possible to purchase duty-free fuel after clearing out; however, apparently, this requires the services of an agent, which costs around 100€.

Last updated:  February 2018

BioSecurity

While the protocols below are as accurate as per the last date recorded, the situation is constantly changing with regards to Covid-19 protocols for yacht arrivals and skippers should always check with their intended port of arrival before getting underway to be 100% certain of what is required.

COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS:

September 21, 2020: 

Foreign nationals are allowed to enter Montenegro without additional restrictions if he or she meets all three of the following conditions:

  1. he or she is a resident of one of the countries from the green list, or he or she stayed in the country from the green list, for at least 15 days before entering Montenegro;
  2. if in the period from the 15th day before entering Montenegro to the day of entry, he or she did not stay in any of the countries not included in the green list of countries;
  3. he or she did not travel to any of the countries or through any of the countries not included in the green list of countries, except in transit (transit is travel without delay, as evidenced by insight into the travel document).

Foreign nationals are also allowed to enter Montenegro from any countries on the yellow list with a negative PCR test for novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) not more than 72 hours old, or, a positive coronavirus antibody test result (SARS-CoV-2) of the IgG class, or, a negative antibody serologic test result of the IgM class obtained by ELISA serologic test not more than 72 hours old. This also applies if he/she has come from one of the countries on the “green list”, and in the period of 15 days before entering Montenegro, he or she stayed in one of the countries on the “yellow list”.

For the current ‘green and yellow lists’ and more information see the Government website – http://www.gov.me/en/homepage/measures_and_recommendations/

Notes:

  • Children up to the age of five are not obliged to have a test.
  • A stamp in your passport is required to prove you have spent at least the past 15 days until the day of entering Montenegro in one of the countries on the list that applies to you.

June 1, 2020: 

  • Montenegro removes quarantine requirement for yachts arriving from designated countries – with less than 25 people infected on 100 000 inhabitants.
  • List of countries (in alphabetical order) from which the arrival and stay in Montenegro will be allowed from June 1, 2020.
  • Porto Montenegro has permission to accommodate yachts coming from outside Montenegro, subject to a quarantine period. The official quarantine period for nationalities not on the list is as per the EU standard of 14 days. Recognition of time spent at sea between the last port of departure and Montenegro will also be taken into consideration and subtracted from the 14 day period. 
  • At least 24 hrs prior to arrival send yacht registration, crew list and copies of all crew passports to Porto Montenegro and make a booking.
  • On arrival in Montenegro waters e-mail Montenegro VTS with yacht registration, crew list, Captain’s certificate of competence, authorization letter if applicable and insurance.
  • Clearance procedures can all be carried out at the Marina. Yachts will be berthed at a designated quarantine area unless coming to just re-fuel. All crew must remain on board the yacht. The marina can assist with food delivery, pump out etc.
  • Crew changes are possible. Arriving crew can join the yacht immediately on arrival, but this does then require the yacht and existing crew to enter into a 14 day quarantine period. Alternatively arriving crew can obtain permission to undertake the required 14 day quarantine period ashore prior to joining the yacht. The marina has a hotel suitable for quarantine.
  • All businesses and services are now open and fully functioning.

May 8, 2020: 

As per the recent Government directive with regards to international yacht arrivals, the official quarantine period for arriving yachts into Porto Montenegro is now as per the EU standard of 14 days. Recognition of time spent at sea between the last port of departure and Montenegro will also be taken into consideration and subtracted from the 14 day period. Full details on the Tivat page.

May 1, 2020:

Tivat (Porto Montenegro) is now open to international yacht arrivals, following strict governmental procedures on health and safety. All yachts coming from outside Montenegro will be subject to a quarantine period. The yacht and crew will be subject to a 14 day quarantine period and a further 14 days of self-isolation. Crew changes will be permitted during this period subject to Government guidelines. See port link for further details.

Useful timeline of Covid-19 restrictions etc. in Montenegro by Porto Montenegro.

March 15, 2020:

The latest Government restrictions relating to visiting foreign yachts (and yacht crew) are:

  • Prohibition of entry for all cruisers and yachts into ports: Bar, Budva, Kotor, Kumbor – Portonovi port, Tivat (Gat I and Gat li) and Zelenika, until 2 April 2020;
  • Prohibition of all foreign national arrivals from Spain, South Korea, Iran, China and Italy;
  • Prohibition of travel from Montenegro to Japan, France, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Austria;
  • Sanitary supervision for any one arriving from – Japan, France, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Slovenia and Austria.

As of Monday 16 March to 2nd April all schools will be closed. Workers are recommended to work from home. Prohibition of public gatherings and the small border between Montenegro and Croatia at Kobila will be closed (the larger crossing at Debeli Brijeg remains open).

The situation remains fluid.

Full details can be found on the Montenegro Government website.

Health

Tap water is usually drinkable in most cities. Water at the dockside is usually potable. Some visitors have reported a slightly upset stomach due to the difference in treatment technique from elsewhere in the EU.

Herceg Novi caution: It is advised that you do not drink the water in Herceg Novi in the month of May as they close off and clean the pipes from the main reservoir and revert to a local reservoir. This local reservoir is reported to be less clean.

Hospitals

The health system in Montenegro can suffer from a shortage of medicines and other essentials. Medical staff do not always speak English.

 

Documents

Documents required for Montenegro are:

  • Yacht registration/documentation documents – originals are required.
  • A full crew and guest list (with name, nationality, passport no., date and place of birth, position on board)
  • Official document stating a maximum number of crew and guests. NOTE: The number on board must not exceed the safe capacity rated for the vessel (re: CE Mark).
  • Captain’s/Skipper’s License or International Certificate of Competence
  • If the owner is not aboard: Letter of appointment for the skipper that is signed and stamped by owning/management company
  • Insurance Certificate/s – originals are required
  • A list of any tenders/dinghies (with evidence of insurance coverage)

It is suggested to have an itemized list of expensive items on board (for example: computers, cameras, jewelry, other electronics that are detachable from the vessel).

Note that without the correct documents you will be denied entry into the country; however, you may be permitted to refuel and re-provision whilst on the Customs berth.

Fees

As of early 2017, the city of Tivat is charging a new “Tourist Tax”. This was €40 for 2 people for 1 month for a 16-metre sailboat. It is not clear whether the tax could be avoided by arriving in a different port of entry, or whether other municipalities also feature this “innovation.”

Cruising permits (vignettes) can be purchased at the Harbour Master’s office of the Port of Entry. Costs appear to be changed annually. (For example in 2019 a vignette for one week for a 11.5m boat costs 27€ and a 11.5m catamaran costs 84€)

If you are planning on keeping your boat in a marina or on the hard and not moving, a cruising permit is not required.

Current Cruising Permit fees (quoted in Euros by the Maritime Safety Department of Montenegro) can be calculated at http://yachtagent.blogspot.com/2015/05/vignette-in-montenegro.html 

Translation help notes:-

camac do 7m is boat up to 7m

jahta sa pogonom na jedra is ‘Yacht with motorsailors’

jahta na motomi pogon is a motor yacht

visetrupna jahta is a multi-hull yacht

jahta preko 24m bez obzira pogon i vrstu trupai’ is All yacht over 24m regardless of operation and type of hull

Last updated:  August 2019

Restrictions

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