Montenegro Citizenship by Investment

Montenegro's citizenship by investment program is closed. It stopped taking new applications on Jan. 1, 2023. No replacement has been adopted.

The program ran under a government decision of November 2018. Investors could gain citizenship by admission by putting at least €250,000 into an approved development project in the north or center of the country, with a higher minimum in Podgorica and on the coast. They also paid into development funds and covered government processing fees.

The decision first applied from 2019 through 2021. An amendment of December 2021 extended it by a year. It wasn't extended again.

The European Commission treats investor citizenship schemes as a security risk for the Schengen area and has asked Montenegro to repeal the program's legal basis. People who want to live in Montenegro can use residence permits instead, such as the digital nomad permit. The Montenegro guide covers the options.

No one can apply. New applications ended on Jan. 1, 2023.

Applications filed before the deadline are still being decided. The European Commission's report of Dec. 19, 2025 said the Ministry of Interior kept issuing decisions in 2024, with a small number of files still pending in April 2025.

While the program ran, applicants needed a positive due diligence report, including on the origin of their money. A final prison sentence of more than one year for a crime prosecuted ex officio ruled an applicant out.

There's no document list because the program is closed. Pending files are decided by the Ministry of Interior.

The European Commission has asked Montenegro to process the remaining applications to the highest security standards.

No fees apply because applications are closed. The closed program asked for at least €250,000 in an approved project in the north or center, more in Podgorica and on the coast, plus development fund payments and processing fees for the applicant and each family member.

Any current offer of Montenegrin citizenship by investment describes a program that no longer takes applications.

There's no way to file a new application. The program closed on Jan. 1, 2023.

For residence rather than citizenship, the Law on Foreigners offers routes such as the digital nomad permit and temporary residence based on property ownership. Each leads to a residence permit, not a passport.

The program granted citizenship, so there was nothing to renew. The decision provides for loss of citizenship, with no refund, if an applicant gave false information or hid facts about the criteria (Article 17).

The European Commission has asked Montenegro to review citizenship granted under the scheme to people subject to international restrictive measures and revoke it where appropriate.

Montenegro's Personal Income Tax Law sets the residency tests:

• Ties: a home or a center of business and life interests in Montenegro.
• Presence: a stay of more than 183 days in a tax year.

Either test makes a person tax resident, whatever their citizenship.