The Montenegrin government announced that, as part of its European Union (EU) membership process, it will impose visa requirements on citizens of Russia, Belarus, China, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey starting November 1, 2026, to align its border rules with EU standards.
The Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a written statement: "Citizens of countries whose visa regimes were previously not aligned with the European Union (Belarus, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey) will be required to obtain a visa to enter Montenegro as of November 1, 2026."
Montenegro had been one of the few European countries that allowed Russian citizens visa-free travel for up to 30 days. After the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many anti-war Russians arrived in the country. According to local media reports this spring, after the Podgorica administration's visa plans became known, 14,000 of the 21,000 registered Russians in the country left Montenegro.
In its Monday statement, Montenegro said it had mitigated potential negative impacts by partnering with a third-party visa processing center and plans to introduce an e-visa system in the future.
Montenegro adopted the euro as its currency in 2002 and applied for EU membership in 2008. It also followed the EU's financial restrictions and travel bans imposed on Russia over the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the EU-Western Balkans summit in June that "Montenegro's accession as the 28th member state by 2028 is within reach."
