Yes, and very easily. Montenegro allows foreign nationals to acquire property with almost no restrictions, and in terms of ownership rights foreign buyers are largely treated the same as locals. There is no reciprocity requirement, no quotas, and no prior approval needed for apartments and residential buildings.

Overview by property type:

• Apartments, flats, commercial space and houses — bought completely freely, in the buyer’s own name as a private individual.
• Construction land — a foreigner can also buy it directly in their own name.
• Land not designated for construction — for example agricultural land, forests and forest land, and certain protected or border zones — generally cannot be acquired directly by a foreign individual. The solution is simple: such land is bought through a company registered in Montenegro, which may be 100% foreign-owned and is treated the same as a domestic legal entity.

In practice, this means a foreign buyer can realise virtually any investment — from a seaside apartment to land for a development project — provided the purchase is structured correctly.

Yes — the entire process can be completed remotely. This is one of the major practical advantages of the Montenegrin market.

How it works:

• We can show and verify the property online through a video tour, documentation, cadastre extract and the status of the building.
• You issue a certified power of attorney to a trusted person — usually a lawyer or someone you trust — who represents you at every step: signing the preliminary contract, notarising the sale contract, paying taxes and registering ownership in the cadastre.
• Funds are transferred by bank transfer.

This way, many international buyers become property owners in Montenegro without physically visiting the country until they choose to.

Yes. Property ownership is a recognised basis for applying for a temporary residence permit, issued for one year and renewable.

What’s new in 2026: as of 17 January 2026, amendments to the Law on Foreigners require the property to have an assessed taxable value of at least €150,000 to serve as the basis for residence for non-EU nationals. Previously there was no minimum value threshold. EU citizens are exempt from this condition and enjoy a more liberal regime.

Additional conditions:

• The property must be residential or partly residential, fully built and habitable — a property under construction does not grant residence rights until completed.
• The property must be free of encumbrances — mortgages, disputes, unpaid taxes or utilities, and restrictions.
• You must also provide proof of sufficient means of support and of health coverage.

Outline of the process: register ownership in the cadastre → submit the application in person at the local Ministry of Interior (MUP) office, with biometrics — photo and fingerprints → processing of up to around 40 days → collect the residence card.

Two important points:

• From 2026, a residence permit can only be extended on the same legal basis on which it was originally granted.
• Those who obtained residence based on property before 17 January 2026 are covered by a transition period — extension under the previous conditions for a limited time.

Buying property does not grant citizenship automatically, and there is no “passport for investment” programme — the former citizenship-by-investment scheme has been closed and no longer exists.

There is, however, a long-term path: property gives you residence, and over years of lawful living in Montenegro the route to citizenship opens up. The sequence is:

1. Temporary residence, for example based on property — renewed annually.
2. After enough years, you move to permanent residence.
3. Naturalisation becomes possible after, as a rule, around 10 years of continuous lawful residence, subject to the other conditions — secured accommodation, a stable source of income, no relevant criminal record, and so on.

Two important things to know upfront:

• Montenegro generally does not allow dual citizenship, so naturalisation usually means renouncing your current citizenship, with exceptions provided by international treaties.
• There are also shorter routes in special cases, for example marriage to a Montenegrin citizen, descent or special national interest.

In short: property is an excellent foundation for establishing long-term life in Montenegro, while citizenship is a realistic but multi-year goal.

Around 90+ countries and territories can visit Montenegro without a visa. The standard period is up to 90 days within a 180-day period, but for certain categories a shorter 30-day limit applies as part of EU alignment. Approximate position in 2026:

Visa-free up to 90 days, with a valid passport, includes among others all EU and Schengen countries, the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Israel, and the Western Balkans neighbours — Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Albania.

Entry with a national identity card only, up to 30 days is available to citizens of, for example, Serbia, North Macedonia, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco and San Marino. EU citizens can enter with an identity card for up to 30 days or with a passport for up to 90 days.

Visa-free but limited to 30 days applies to categories whose stay has been shortened as part of EU alignment, including citizens of Türkiye, Russia, Belarus and certain Gulf states — Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain.

Facilitation for holders of certain visas or residence permits, up to 30 days: anyone holding a valid Schengen visa, or a visa or residence permit of the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand or Ireland may enter Montenegro without a Montenegrin visa for up to 30 days. This is a practical route for citizens of many countries who would otherwise need a visa, including India and China.

Important trend: Montenegro is aligning its visa regime with the EU by the end of the third quarter of 2026. As part of this, some visa-free regimes have already been removed, and the introduction of visas for Russian citizens has been announced by the end of September 2026. Because the lists change, check the current status on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro before travelling.

Real estate transfer tax, paid by the buyer on secondary-market — “resale” — properties, is progressive:

• Up to €150,000 — 3%.
• From €150,001 to €500,000 — €4,500 plus 5% on the amount above €150,000.
• Over €500,000 — €22,000 plus 6% on the amount above €500,000.

The Tax Authority assesses the market value and may revise it upward if it considers the contracted price understated; the liability must be declared within 15 days.

New build purchased directly from the developer: for new apartments, VAT at 21% is already included in the price quoted by the developer, so the buyer pays no additional transfer tax. The listed price is therefore final in tax terms.

Annual property tax is proportional, roughly 0.25%–1.00% of market value, with the exact rate set by the municipality depending on type, location, age and use. It is typically higher on the coast and for properties that are not a primary residence.

Other costs: notary fees, cadastre registration, lawyer, document translation and administrative fees.

1. Choosing the property and verifying it at the same time. Alongside selecting the property, its documentation is immediately checked: any encumbrances, restrictions or ambiguities in the cadastre, and whether all permits are in order.
2. Deposit and preliminary contract. The price, deadlines and terms are fixed; the deposit signals serious intent. If the buyer withdraws, the seller generally keeps it.
3. Scheduling the signing with the notary and the notary’s review of the preliminary contract.
4. Notarisation of the sale contract. The transaction becomes legally binding.
5. Transfer to the new owner. The notary forwards the file to the competent authorities — the cadastre — to change the owner. The actual timeframe depends on the municipality, but practically on the same day a notation, or zabilježba, is entered in the property folio indicating that an owner-change procedure is underway for that specific property. This protects the property: it cannot be disposed of in the meantime, and the buyer already holds the documentation proving their status.
6. Registration of the new owner in the property folio. This is the final and only valid proof of ownership. Once registered, if the property exceeds the €150,000 threshold and meets the conditions, you can submit a residence application.
7. Filing the annual property tax with the competent municipality.

The market has become much more orderly in recent years. Montenegro has carried out a comprehensive process of legalisation and tidying up of the cadastre, so risks that once existed are now largely eliminated upfront.

• Illegal buildings can no longer be transferred. Under current legislation — the Law on the Legalisation of Illegal Buildings — a ban has been introduced on the sale, gifting or encumbering of buildings constructed without the appropriate permit, regardless of the date of construction. In other words, a building without proper documentation simply cannot be the subject of a sale before a notary.
• The cadastre is being updated, with deadlines for registering and legalising buildings, gradually bringing the market fully within the legal framework.

For the buyer, this is good news: you are buying in an increasingly transparent market. Even so, the due-diligence rules remain the same and mandatory:

• Always request a fresh extract from the property folio and check encumbrances and annotations in section G.
• Verify the occupancy permit — upotrebna dozvola — and the building’s legalisation status.
• If you are buying for residence, obtain a municipal valuation before the preliminary contract to be sure the property exceeds the €150,000 threshold.

We carry out all these checks together with lawyers, so you only reach the signing once the property is “clean”.