Montenegro Travel Basics: Tourist Tax, Registration, Money and SIM Cards

The thing that catches people out in Montenegro is not the driving or the language — it is a piece of paper. Every visitor has to be registered with the authorities, and if you are not, you can be fined on the way out of the country. Almost nobody mentions this before you arrive. Here is that, and the rest of what actually matters.

Registration and the tourist tax — read this one

Every foreign visitor must be registered within 24 hours of arrival. Hotels and licensed apartments do this automatically as part of check-in — you hand over your passport and it is done.

The problem is private stays. If you book an unlicensed apartment, stay with friends, or rent from someone informally, the registration may never happen — and the check comes at the exit border, where the fine lands on you, not your host.

• Tourist tax 2026: around €1.00 per person per night for adults, roughly half that for ages 12–18, and under-12s generally exempt.
• It is usually collected separately from the room price, in cash, by the host. A quoted nightly rate often does not include it.
• Ask your host directly: “have you registered me?” If the answer is vague, go to a Turistički Info Centar and register yourself. It takes minutes.
• Keep the receipt or card until you have left the country.

Money

Montenegro uses the euro, although it is not in the eurozone and never formally joined — it adopted the currency unilaterally. There is no exchange to do if you are coming from the eurozone.

Cards are accepted in hotels, supermarkets and most restaurants in towns. Cash still matters for beach kiosks, small bars, taxis, market stalls, boat trips and rural konobas. Carry some.

Entry

Montenegro is not in the EU or the Schengen Area. Many nationalities, including EU, UK and US citizens, enter visa-free for short stays. Because it is outside Schengen, the EU’s ETIAS authorisation is not required for Montenegro itself — though it may apply to countries you transit through.

Check your own nationality’s rules before travelling; these change.

Phone and internet

Local prepaid tourist SIM cards are cheap and sold in phone shops, supermarkets and kiosks — expect roughly €20 for a generous tourist data package. Buy from an operator’s own shop rather than a street reseller.

Note that Montenegro is outside the EU, so EU “roam like at home” does not apply. Check what your operator charges before you rely on your home SIM — this is a common and expensive surprise.

Tap water

Reports differ by town and season, and we would rather say so than give you a confident answer that is wrong somewhere. In most towns tap water is treated and widely drunk; in some places and after heavy summer demand, locals prefer bottled.

Ask your host. They will know for their building and their town. Bottled water costs well under a euro in shops.

Emergency numbers

• 112 — the single number for any emergency. Works from any phone, including foreign SIM cards and phones with no credit.
• 122 police · 123 fire · 124 ambulance
• 19807 — roadside assistance (AMSCG)

The full list, including utilities and duty services, is on our emergency numbers page.

Small things worth knowing

• Plugs are European two-pin, 230V — the same as most of the continent.
• Tipping is not obligatory. Rounding up, or around 10% for good service in a restaurant, is normal.
• Language: Montenegrin, written in both Latin and Cyrillic. English is widely spoken on the coast and by younger people, less so inland.
• Peak season is mid-July to late August. June and September have the same sea and half the crowds.

Next: where to stay, getting around, the best beaches, day trips and what to eat.

Rules, rates and taxes change. Confirm current requirements before you travel.