Will of doubt: Montenegro may postpone the introduction of visas for Russians

Podgorica has not yet made an official decision on the visa regime with Russia, Deputy Speaker of the country's parliament Nicolla Kamaj told Izvestia. According to him, this issue is being discussed, but there are no exact dates yet. Experts explain this not only by the importance of Russian tourists for the local economy, but also by the uncertainty surrounding the timing of European integration. Due to Iceland's desire to join the EU in the next year and a half, Montenegro may join the union only in 2030. The prospects of maintaining a visa-free regime with Serbia, whose relations with the EU have recently deteriorated, remain much higher.

When will Montenegro introduce visas for Russians

The Montenegrin authorities have not yet made a final decision on the abolition of the visa-free regime with Russia.

"Although this issue is being considered as part of the process of Montenegro's integration into the EU, at this stage there is no officially confirmed solution or exact dates," Deputy Speaker of the country's parliament, Nicolla Kamaj, told Izvestia.

The editorial board sent a request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic.

Currently, Russian citizens can stay in the Montenegrin territory for 30 days without additional documents. Earlier, officials of the republic spoke about the need to introduce a visa regime with Russia, since otherwise Podgorica would not be able to join the EU. In particular, in September last year, the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatovic, spoke about this. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the republic in 2025 called the possible date for the introduction of visas for Russian citizens - September 2026.

— It is important to emphasize that any such decision will depend on broader strategic considerations and will be officially announced after its adoption. It is still too early to deal with this issue," said Nicolla Kamaj.

Tourism accounts for about a quarter of the Montenegrin economy. At the same time, Russians accounted for 16.4% of the total number of tourists in 2025, second only to guests from Serbia, local media reported. In addition, another 21,000 Russian citizens permanently reside in Montenegro. By the way, the population of the whole country is about 630 thousand people. According to government statistics, about a quarter of all companies with foreign capital in the republic are Russian.

Go beyond borders: Russia and China are interested in extending visa-free travel

Moscow will prepare proposals to Beijing in the second quarter of this year.

Therefore, Montenegro will try to delay the introduction of visas for Russians as long as possible, INF program manager Milan Lazovich said in an interview with Izvestia. In his opinion, it is necessary for the tourist season and the year as a whole to be positive.

Montenegro's accession to the EU may be postponed

The deadline for the introduction of visas for Russian citizens is also affected by uncertainty about the date of EU accession. Previously, Montenegro was the leader of European integration among other candidates: the authorities wanted to complete all the reforms in 2026, so that Podgorica would become a new member of the European Union in 2028.

However, earlier this year, the Icelandic authorities scheduled a referendum on the resumption of EU accession negotiations for August. A Gallup poll shows that 52% of respondents are in favor. Even before the suspension of joining the community in 2013, Iceland had completed 11 of the 33 integration stages. Reykjavik expects to become a new member of the EU in a year and a half and thereby displace Montenegro.

Oleg Bondarenko, director of the Progressive Policy Foundation, told Izvestia that Iceland really has a chance to join the European Union before Montenegro. In the case of a favorable scenario for Podgorica, they will be accepted together.

— Montenegro's accession dates are tentatively scheduled for 2028. But I fully admit that this will shift closer to 2030," the political scientist said.

Montenegro applied for EU membership in 2008 and received candidate status in 2010. Of the 33 sections of the accession negotiations, the country had closed 12 by December. A serious obstacle is Croatia's position, which demands that Montenegro repeal the resolution on the genocide committed by the Croatian Ustashe in the Jasenovac camp during World War II. The issue has not been resolved yet. According to Nicolla Kamaja, Podgorica is "committed to finding mutually acceptable solutions in the coming years."

However, the most difficult problems are still related to the rule of law, especially with regard to the judicial system, the fight against corruption and the protection of fundamental rights, he said.

Guest rest: Montenegro hopes to keep visa-free travel with Russia

What damage will the severance of ties with Moscow do to Podgorica

In addition to Montenegro, eight other countries currently have candidate status for EU membership. Among them, the Balkan states are Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia. In addition, such status has been granted to Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Turkey, which has been awaiting accession since 1999 (the country applied for membership in 1987). Kosovo is considered a potential candidate, but five EU countries — Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Cyprus and Greece - do not recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed republic. Russia and Serbia also did not recognize Kosovo's independence.

Will Serbia keep visa-free travel with Russia

In addition to Montenegro, Russians can travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia without a visa. Milan Lazovic believes that the probability of maintaining visa-free travel between Serbia and Russia is higher than in the case of Montenegro.

— Serbia is not as close to joining the EU as Podgorica, and the level of rethinking of the European path in Serbia is higher. The authorities in Belgrade have no reason yet to make any advances to Brussels, in particular regarding the consideration of the introduction of a visa regime with Russia," the political scientist stressed.

At the same time, the EU is increasingly demanding that Serbia sever ties with Russia and harmonize its foreign policy with the European one. If earlier Brussels exerted pressure by adopting resolutions of the European Parliament, now we are talking about reducing funding. According to Politico, the EU may deprive Serbia of aid programs worth up to €1.5 billion. According to an unnamed EU official, cooperation between Belgrade and Moscow was one of the reasons why the European Commission toughened its position.

Earlier, Izvestia wrote that the European Union was blocking the conclusion of a long-term gas contract between Russia and Serbia, seeking to transfer Belgrade to EU-controlled supply channels. Last summer, it became known about the demands of the union to withdraw pro-Russian politicians from the government and curtail flights with the Russian Federation. Serbian Ambassador to Moscow Momcilo Babic told Izvestia that pressure on Belgrade was being exerted, in particular, by Britain and Germany. They demand to sever ties with Russia and from Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the entities of which, the Republika Srpska, defends the preservation of close relations with Moscow.

Both sides are clearly interested in visa-free travel. In 2025, Serbia received about 174 thousand Russian tourists, their number is second only to the number of visitors from Turkey and China. According to the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, last year the tourist flow from Serbia to Russia increased by 6% compared to 2024. The visa-free regime makes Belgrade the main transfer hub for Russians flying to Europe and for Serbs doing business in Russia. Therefore, its cancellation will seriously affect the economic interests of the two countries.