Make Sure You Pay Your Montenegro Tourist Tax
If you’re visiting Montenegro as a tourist, it’s important that you register with the authorities and pay your tourist tax. Not doing so could result in a fine when you leave the country.
We’ve been told that this is strictly enforced, so you need to make sure you don’t skip it. If you’re staying in a hotel or apartment, the owner should do this for you. You’ll likely have to pay the tax separately from your accommodation costs.
You need to register and pay the tax within 24 hours of arriving at your destination. We had booked a stay at Old Town Square Apartment and when the owner met us she took us directly to register ourselves. As we had booked three nights, we had to pay 6 EUR – 1 EUR per person per night.
After our initial 3-day stay, we decided to stay another 3 days, so had to re-register and pay the tax for the extra nights. We later traveled to Budva, so also had to register there and pay the tax.
Above you can see the Registration of Residence office in Kotor. It’s around 100 meters from the main gate of the old town.
You’ll need to show your passport or ID card, and give the address you’re staying at and the number of nights you’re staying. You then get two copies of the registration – one for you and one for the owner of the property.
Keep this document safe, as yo may need to show it to immigration when you leave the country. I’ll update this when we leave the country to let you know if we were asked for it or not.
Where to stay in Kotor
We stayed at Old Town Square Kotor Apartment for our first three nights and then moved to Boskovic Apartment for the next three nights. They have the same owner. We wanted to stay at the first apartment but it had already been booked by someone else.
You can find other great hotels and apartments in Kotor by using the Agoda search box above.
So were you asked to show your registration when you left the country or not?
No one asked to see it. I think the checks are probably random. Best to pay just in case you get stopped.
I have been charged on departure from Tivat airport for the 2 nights I spent in Montenegro. I didn’t know about the tax, the apartment owner didn’t ask me to pay or tell me about it, nor did they ask me at the airport if I had paid already, they just demanded payment. No fine, just payment.
It’s good to know that you weren’t fined. It sounds like scanning your passport shows if you’ve paid the tax or not.