Montenegro

Montenegro

Montenegro citizenship-by-investment program was discontinued from January 2023. Click here to explore other programs that are open for investment. 

Montenegro offers a straight citizenship by investment program, where eligible investors and their dependents can obtain a Montenegrin passport within 3-5 months from the time of application.

Important to note that Montenegro is not yet a full member of the EU. Although, it is a candidate country for accession to the EU. In October 2020, the European commission proposed an Economic & Investment plan to bring Montenegro closer to the EU.

Montenegro Citizenship by Investment

Overview

Montenegro citizenship by investment program was launched in 2019. While originally slated to run until 31-Dec-2021, the Montenegrin government has extended the program up to 31-Dec-2022.

There is no minimum stay or language requirements which makes it extremely easy and efficient to obtain the citizenship.

Investors have to acquire government approved real estate and hold their investment for a minimum of 5 years. As a citizen, you are allowed to live, work and study in Montenegro. Investors and their dependents are exempt from the country’s restriction on dual citizenship, which means you are not required to relinquish your citizenship of origin in order to acquire Montenegrin citizenship.

Montenegrin program also has an escrow account feature where the investors have to deposit required funds into an escrow account, to be released only upon a pre-approval, which effectively assures successful application before actually deploying the funds.

Investment

EUR 250,000 investment in undeveloped region (Northern Region)

or
EUR 450,000 investment in developed region (Southern Region)

plus
EUR 100,000 government fund donation

Processing Time

1-3 months for initial approval, after which funds in escrow are released

4-5 months to travel to Montenegro for biometrics and collect passport

Key benefit

– Potential access to the EU upon Montenegro’s accession

– No language test or residency requirements before getting a passport

Requirements of the Citizenship by Investment Program

  • Hold a valid passport
  • No entry bans to the EU, US, UK or Canada
  • Provide KYC documents and proof of funds.
  • Qualifying investment to be held for at least 5 years
  • No criminal records or police clearance certificate for all adult applicants 

Benefits of the Citizenship by Investment Program

  • Right to live, work and study in Montenegro.
  • Visa-free travel within EU Schengen area for up to 90 days. Visa free access to 120+ countries around the world.
  • E-2 treaty between US and Montenegro allows citizens of Montenegro to operate a commercial enterprise in the US and reside in US
  • Imminent access to the EU in a few years. Ability to live, work & study in any EU member state once Montenegro becomes full member.
  • Low personal and corporate tax rate of up to 9%
  • No language test or residency requirement before obtaining passport