The key facts

  • From November 1, Russians need a Montenegrin or Schengen visa to enter Montenegro; documents are submitted via VFS Global or the embassy in Moscow.
  • According to the RST forecast, Montenegro will lose 25–35% of Russian tourists; for Russia this is less than 1% of outbound trips.
  • In 2025, Russians accounted for 8% of foreign arrivals in Montenegro — second place after Serbia.

RST forecast: noticeable losses for Montenegro

Expert of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (RST), head of the APKAP analytical center Mikhail Abasov told Gazeta.Ru that a decline in demand after the introduction of visas is a natural process that any destination goes through, and Montenegro will be no exception. According to him, the price of European integration for countries dependent on Russian tourists is always high: in 2025, Russians accounted for 8% of all foreign arrivals in Montenegro and ranked second after Serbia, so the losses for the country will be noticeable.

Advance demand in summer 2026

Abasov noted that news about visas appeared back in summer and pushed Russians to travel while entry was still visa-free. According to official statistics, in June 2026 Montenegro's hotels received 8,000 Russians compared to 5,100 a year earlier (+58%), and in August — 14,300 compared to 7,900 (+81%).

Consequences for the Russian tourism industry

For the Russian tourism industry, the price, according to the expert, will be incomparably smaller: about 204,000 tourists to Montenegro is less than 1% of Russians' outbound trips. According to the RST forecast, immediately after the introduction of visas Montenegro will lose 25–35% of Russian tourists, and this flow will easily shift to Turkey and other visa-free destinations with organized tours.

New visa procedure

From November 1, entry of Russians into Montenegro will require a visa of that state or of Schengen countries. The visa decision will be made after the applicant submits a package of documents to a VFS Global center in Russia or directly to the Montenegrin embassy in Moscow. Montenegro had previously already been warned about the consequences of introducing a visa regime with Russia.