Everyone has the right to choose where to live, study, work, raise kids. In the search for a better life, thousands of our fellow citizens migrate to other countries. If you’ve been thinking to drastically change your place of residence for a long time but still can’t choose a country to move to, we suggest you consider Montenegro.

Montenegro is one of the most attractive countries for a comfortable life and obtaining citizenship. There are quite a few reasons for this.

The most important benefits of getting Montenegro citizenship:

  • There are no strict time limits to stay in the country. 
  • Montenegro citizens can visit more than 120 countries without a visa, including Schengen countries, that allows travelling more.
  • Montenegro is a NATO member and an EU membership candidate.
  • It’s pretty easy to start a business here. The essentials are the will and a starting capital.
  • Montenegro has a well-optimized tax system.

Of course, these are not all the benefits of living in this warm and welcoming country. Montenegro has a gentle climate, lots of holiday destinations, affordable food and property prices. Real estate here costs rather similar to Russian but notably cheaper than in the EU countries. Universities follow the Bologna system, so after graduation, your children can get employed in any European country.

How to get Montenegro citizenship

From November 2018, the law on the granting citizenship of Montenegro through investments in the country's economic program has been in force. The first applications were accepted in January 2019.

According to the program conditions, a person willing to get a country’s citizenship has to match two requirements: to buy own property in Montenegro and make a gratuitous contribution to the governmental fund. Besides, an applicant with all the family members has to pass the reliability test.

Getting Montenegro citizenship for investments has its solid advantages. Knowing the national language and country’s history is not required. The program is valid for 3 years. And only 2000 quotas.

Rules for obtaining Montenegro citizenship

The laws of Montenegro don’t allow double citizenship. Thus, all potential residents have to renounce their original nationality. But there are a few exceptions:

  • You are a member of the “Citizenship-by-Investments” program that we are talking about now.
  • Your second citizenship is of a country that’s made a special agreement with Montenegro.
  • Montenegro citizenship and another one has been obtained before the country became independent in 2006.
  • You are a former Republic of Yugoslavia resident and became Montenegro citizen less than five years before the independence. Not only you obtained citizenship but were constantly living in the country.

On the MD Realty agency’s site, there’s comprehensive information about getting the citizenship of Montenegro through investments in English with the main extracts in the Russian language.

Main requirements to get Montenegro citizenship:

  • The legal age of majority.
  • Non-EU countries citizenship.
  • No criminal record.
  • Legal income.
  • Passed reliability test.

Together with Montenegro citizenship applicant, close relatives can apply for it too: a spouse and children under 18 years old. Older children have to apply independently.

Getting Montenegro citizenship through investments

There are two ways to get Montenegro citizenship through investments:

  1. Making a gratuitous contribution of €350 thousand to a special governmental fund of Montenegro, and investing in the projects of development of the northern and central parts of the country (except Podgorica).
  2. Making a gratuitous contribution of €450 to the same governmental fund and investing in the projects of the capital or coastal region development. 

All the new residents’ funds will be used for the development of governmental structures.

Photo: antonpetrus