A free PDF guide — a budget from €10,000
A guide to Montenegrin residencethrough a company
The cheapest way into a European status: your own company, work as its director and a permission for 1 year, renewed. We set out the real budget, the residence requirement and what is examined at renewal.
- PDF in English
- Free of charge
- Verified on 12.08.2026
- Sent by email, WhatsApp or Telegram
Preliminary information is not a guarantee of approval. The terms and the fees are confirmed on the date of application.
01 / The essentials first
What to know about the status before you count
Four things that decide the budget and whether the status can be held at all.
- There is no investment threshold
The share capital is nominal. The real costs are the registration, the accounting and the compulsory contributions for the director: from €10,000 is set aside for the launch and the first year.
- The company has to work
The status rests on real activity: an employment contract with the director, the reporting, the taxes and the contributions. An empty company will not be renewed.
- Living in the country is compulsory
An absence of more than 30 days at a stretch without notice, or of more than 90 days in a year, puts the status in question.
- This is not Schengen
Montenegro is a candidate for the EU but belongs to neither the Union nor the Schengen area. The status brings no visa-free travel in Europe.
02 / The budget
What the launch and the first year cost
Choose the option and the family: the calculation shows the entry and the running costs of the company.
03 / Two options
The company alone, or the company with a home
The ground is the same; the difference is the housing and the budget to enter.
The values were checked against the official material on 12.08.2026. Only the rows for which there is no official wording are marked separately.
| Criterion | The companyThe launch and the first year, from €10,000 | The company and a homeWith a property purchase, from €100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| The ground for the status | working as the director of your own company | the same, plus a home of your own |
| The budget to enterA BRIDGES estimate | from €10,000 | from €100,000 |
| Housing | a registered tenancy agreement | your own flat or house |
| The term of the permission | 1 year, renewable | 1 year, renewable |
| How long it takesA BRIDGES estimate | 1-2 months | 1-2 months |
| The path to permanent residence | 5 years of residence | 5 years of residence |
| Who it usually suitsA BRIDGES estimate | You want a cheap entry and a quick start | You plan to live there and to buy a home |
- The ground for the status
- working as the director of your own company
- the same, plus a home of your own
- The budget to enterA BRIDGES estimate
- from €10,000
- from €100,000
- Housing
- a registered tenancy agreement
- your own flat or house
- The term of the permission
- 1 year, renewable
- 1 year, renewable
- How long it takesA BRIDGES estimate
- 1-2 months
- 1-2 months
- The path to permanent residence
- 5 years of residence
- 5 years of residence
- Who it usually suitsA BRIDGES estimate
- You want a cheap entry and a quick start
- You plan to live there and to buy a home
In both options the status rests on a working company and on genuinely living in the country.
04 / The country
What the country looks like
Briefly about the country and about what sets the terms of the status.
- The essentials firstThe key facts of the programme: what decides the matter.
- A comparisonThe options and the terms of the programme in one table.
- How the work runsThe process step by step — from the check to the documents.
- The analysisWhat is checked before the status is granted.
- The limitsWhat affects the timings, the costs and keeping the status.
- Your teamWho runs the case and what each specialist answers for.
05 / The order of work
How the process runs
The company and the address first, then the contract and the filing: the order of the steps saves weeks.
- The situation is assessed
The citizenship, the family and your plans for being there. We check whether the residence requirement is realistic for you.
- The company is registered
A limited-liability company, the appointment of the director, registration for tax.
- The housing and the address
A registered tenancy agreement or a property purchase: an address is needed to file.
- The employment contract and the contributions
The director is employed by their own company, registered with the funds, and the contributions begin.
- The application for the permission
The documents go to the Ministry of the Interior: the contract, the certificate of no criminal record, the insurance, the evidence of means.
- The card and the renewals
A permission for 1 year, renewed every year while the company works. The whole process takes 1-2 months.
07 / The check
What is examined on filing and at renewal
On the first application they look at the documents; at renewal, at whether the company works and whether you live in the country.
- A clean record
A certificate from the country of citizenship and from the countries of long residence, apostilled and translated.
- That the company is real
The reporting, the movement on the account and the contributions paid: at renewal they look at whether the business works.
- The housing and the address
The tenancy agreement is registered and the address checked. A formal registration will not do.
- The means to live on
Evidence of income or of an account for the term of the status, and medical insurance.
The main reason renewal is refused is a formal company with no turnover and no contributions paid.
08 / The limits
What to take into account in advance
Five limits that bear on keeping the status and on the costs.
Presence is compulsoryMore than 90 days away is a risk
This is a status for people who genuinely live in Montenegro, not a spare document.
Renewal every yearA permission for 1 year
Every year the company, the contract, the contributions and the housing are evidenced afresh. A missed deadline means losing the status.
The company has to be kept upAccounting, taxes, contributions
The cost of running the company is continuous and does not end once the status is granted.
Neither Schengen nor the EUIt brings no visa-free travel
The country is negotiating accession, but for now the status works only inside Montenegro.
Permanent residence is not automatic5 years of unbroken residence are needed
Breaks in the residence or in the status reset the time accrued.
09 / Your team
Who runs your case
The work is led by specialists who register companies in Montenegro and file with the Ministry of the Interior.
The editorial record
The material was prepared and checked by
- First published
- 12 August 2026
- Last updated
- 12 August 2026
The official sources
- The Law on Foreigners of MontenegroMinistarstvo unutrašnjih poslova Crne Gore · checked 12.08.2026The grounds for a temporary residence and work permit and how it is issued.
- The Revenue and Customs Administration of MontenegroUprava prihoda i carina · checked 12.08.2026Registering a company, tax registration and the contributions for the director.
- The Central Register of Business EntitiesCRPS, Montenegro · checked 12.08.2026The registration of the company and the details of its director and standing.
10 / Common questions
Questions about Montenegrin residence
How much has to be invested?
There is no investment threshold. From €10,000 is set aside for the launch and the first year: the registration, the accounting, the contributions for the director and the rent.
Do I have to live in the country?
Yes. An absence of more than 30 days at a stretch without notice, or of more than 90 days in a year, puts the status in question.
Does the status give Schengen?
No. Montenegro is a candidate for the EU but belongs to neither the Union nor the Schengen area.
What happens at renewal?
They check whether the company works: the reporting, the taxes and contributions paid, a live employment contract and the housing.
May the family be included?
A spouse and minor children take the status by family reunion once the income and the housing are evidenced.
How long does the process take?
1-2 months from the registration of the company, with the pack complete.
When does permanent residence open?
After 5 years of unbroken residence on the status. Breaks reset the clock.
Is buying a home compulsory?
No, a registered tenancy agreement is enough. A purchase from €100,000 is the choice of those moving for the long term.
Free of charge
Take the guide and a budget for your family
We will send the PDF with the order of the work and a budget for your family.
- The real budget of the launch and the first year
- What is examined when the status is renewed
- The residence requirement in figures
- The terms for the family and the path to permanent residence