Border crossings into Montenegro: all 20 road crossings by country

Montenegro has 20 road border crossings: two with Croatia (Debeli Brijeg and Kobila), eight with Bosnia and Herzegovina, five with Serbia, one with Kosovo (Kula) and four with Albania (Sukobin, Božaj, Grnčar and Cijevna). Ten of the twenty take passengers and goods, eight are passenger-only and two (Krstac and Nudo) serve local border traffic. A crossing that is not open 24 hours must post its hours at the crossing itself (Law on Border Control, Art. 10). Two posts on the Bosnian side work around the clock: Hum, opposite Šćepan Polje, and Klobuk, opposite Ilino Brdo. For the queue, the Ministry of the Interior's cameras at ten crossings are the only official view.

Road crossings by neighbour

The list and its categories are the Police Directorate's: "border" crossings (Krstac and Nudo) serve local traffic, and crossings marked passenger-only take no freight. The crossing on the Cijevna is named after the village of Zatrijebač.

Neighbour	Crossing	Category on the police list
Croatia	Debeli Brijeg	Passengers and goods
Croatia	Kobila	Passenger only
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Šćepan Polje	Passengers and goods
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Metaljka	Passengers and goods
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Vraćenovići	Passengers and goods
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Ilino Brdo	Passengers and goods
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Šula	Passenger only
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Krstac	Local ("border") crossing
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Nudo	Local ("border") crossing
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Sitnica	Passenger only
Serbia	Dobrakovo	Passengers and goods
Serbia	Dračenovac	Passengers and goods
Serbia	Ranče	Passengers and goods
Serbia	Vuča	Passenger only
Serbia	Čemerno	Passenger only
Kosovo	Kula	Passengers and goods
Albania	Sukobin	Passenger only (joint crossing)
Albania	Božaj	Passengers and goods
Albania	Grnčar	Passenger only
Albania	Cijevna (Zatrijebačka)	Passenger only; under construction

Cameras and waiting times

The Ministry of the Interior (MUP) publishes camera clips for ten crossings at kamere.mup.gov.me, with an entry and an exit view for most: Božaj, Debeli Brijeg, Dobrakovo, Dračenovac, Ilino Brdo, Ranče, Šćepan Polje, Sitnica, Sukobin and Vraćenovići. The clips are recordings replaced about every 10 minutes, not a live stream, and the site works over http only; Sukobin and Sitnica show the exit view only. There is no official waiting-time feed, so the clips are the way to judge a queue before you set off. All official border and road cameras are on one page: border and road cameras.

The main crossings one by one

The ten crossings with MUP cameras, plus Kula (the only crossing with Kosovo) and Grnčar and Cijevna on the Albanian border. Drive times run from the town centre to the border post, computed on OpenStreetMap data, and assume no queue. Veterinary and plant-health border inspection posts check consignments of animals, animal products and plants; the official lists are for commercial consignments and do not name them as the places where pets travelling with their owners are checked.

Debeli Brijeg (Croatia)

Croatian side: Karasovići. Route on the camera page: Herceg Novi to Dubrovnik.
Traffic: passengers and goods.
Camera: MUP clips, entry and exit.
Veterinary and plant-health inspection post for consignments.
On the Croatian side the EU Entry/Exit System applies to non-EU travellers.
From Herceg Novi: about 9 km, 16 minutes.

Sukobin (Albania)

Albanian side: Murićani (Muriqan); a joint crossing. Route on the camera page: Ulcinj to Shkodër.
Traffic: passengers only.
Camera: MUP clip, exit view only.
No veterinary or plant-health inspection post.
From Ulcinj: about 26 km, 36 minutes.

Božaj (Albania)

Albanian side: Hani i Hotit. Route on the camera page: Podgorica to Shkodër.
Traffic: passengers and goods.
Camera: MUP clips, entry and exit.
Veterinary and plant-health inspection post for consignments.
From Podgorica: about 27 km, 44 minutes.

A red sign reading Crna Gora Montenegro, Doviđenja Goodbye, in front of a stone border building — The Božaj border crossingPhoto: Rakoon, CC0

Dobrakovo (Serbia)

Serbian side: Gostun. Route on the camera page: Bijelo Polje to Prijepolje.
Traffic: passengers and goods.
Camera: MUP clips, entry and exit.
Veterinary and plant-health inspection post for consignments, on the road and at the railway crossing.
From Bijelo Polje: about 14 km, 23 minutes.

Vraćenovići (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Bosnian side: Deleuša; a joint crossing. Route on the camera page: Nikšić to Bileća.
Traffic: passengers and goods.
Camera: MUP clips, entry and exit.
No veterinary or plant-health inspection post.
From Nikšić: about 55 km, 1 hour.

Dračenovac (Serbia)

Serbian side: Špiljani. Route on the camera page: Rožaje to Novi Pazar.
Traffic: passengers and goods.
Camera: MUP clips, entry and exit.
Veterinary and plant-health inspection post for consignments.
From Rožaje: about 19 km, 26 minutes.

Šćepan Polje (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Bosnian side: Hum. Route on the camera page: Nikšić to Sarajevo.
Traffic: passengers and goods.
Hours: the Bosnian post at Hum works 24/7.
Camera: MUP clips, entry and exit.
No veterinary or plant-health inspection post.
From Nikšić: about 84 km, 1 hour 50 minutes.

A steel truss bridge over a green river among wooded slopes at Šćepan Polje — The border with Bosnia and Herzegovina at Šćepan PoljePhoto: Julian Nyča, CC BY-SA 3.0

Ilino Brdo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Bosnian side: Klobuk. Route on the camera page: Nikšić to Trebinje.
Traffic: passengers and goods.
Hours: the Bosnian post at Klobuk works 24/7.
Camera: MUP clips, entry and exit.
Veterinary and plant-health inspection post for consignments.

Sitnica (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Bosnian side: Zupci. Route on the camera page: Herceg Novi to Trebinje.
Traffic: passengers only.
Camera: MUP clip, exit view only.
No veterinary or plant-health inspection post.
From Herceg Novi: about 19 km, 20 minutes.

Ranče (Serbia)

Serbian side: Jabuka. Route on the camera page: Pljevlja to Prijepolje.
Traffic: passengers and goods.
Camera: MUP clips, entry and exit.
Plant-health inspection post for consignments; no veterinary post.
From Pljevlja: about 13 km, 21 minutes.

Kula (Kosovo)

Kosovo side: Kulina (Kullë).
Traffic: passengers and goods.
Camera: none on the MUP site.
Veterinary and plant-health inspection post for consignments.
From Rožaje: about 15 km, 18 minutes.

Grnčar (Albania)

Albanian side: Baškim (Vermosh).
Traffic: passengers only.
Camera: none on the MUP site.
No veterinary or plant-health inspection post.
From Plav: about 18 km, 25 minutes.

Cijevna, Zatrijebačka (Albania)

Albanian side: Grabom; a joint crossing.
Traffic: passengers only. The police list marks the crossing as under construction.
Camera: none on the MUP site.

What you need at the border

Passport valid at least three months beyond your planned departure and issued within the last ten years, or a national ID card if your country is on the ID-card list: see visa and entry rules.
Car insurance: check with your insurer whether your policy covers Montenegro and whether you need a Green Card (international motor insurance card); more in driving in Montenegro.
Pets: pet passport, identification, rabies vaccination and a veterinary certificate; full rules in travelling with a dog or cat.
Cash of EUR 10,000 or more must be declared on entry and exit.

Rail, sea and air borders

Besides the roads, the police list the airports at Podgorica and Tivat; the ports of Bar, Zelenika, Kotor, Tivat (Porto Montenegro), Kumbor (Portonovi) and Budva (seasonal, 1 May to 30 October); and two rail crossings, Bijelo Polje with Serbia for passengers and goods and Tuzi with Albania for goods only. Bijelo Polje is the rail crossing used by the Bar-Belgrade train.

Hiking across the border

The Peaks of the Balkans trail crosses into Albania and Kosovo away from any road crossing. Hikers report the group's entry and exit to the border police in advance; the notice costs EUR 5 per person and is due about three weeks ahead; the current form is on the trail's site.

Common questions

Which border crossing from Dubrovnik to Kotor is faster?

Croatia has two crossings on the police list: Debeli Brijeg (passengers and goods, on the Herceg Novi-Dubrovnik road, about 9 km and 16 minutes from Herceg Novi) and Kobila (passenger only). Waiting times are not published for either; the MUP camera at Debeli Brijeg shows the queue on the Montenegrin side.

Are there live cameras at the Montenegro border?

The Ministry of the Interior posts clips for ten crossings (entry and exit for most), replaced about every 10 minutes; they are recordings, not live video. Each crossing above links its camera page. There is no official wait-time feed.

Is the Božaj crossing open 24 hours?

By law, a crossing that is not open 24 hours must post its hours on site, so check at Božaj. Hum (opposite Šćepan Polje) and Klobuk (opposite Ilino Brdo), on the Bosnian side, work 24/7. Božaj is the only one of the four crossings with Albania that takes goods; Sukobin, Grnčar and Cijevna are passenger crossings.

Can I cross the border with a rental car?

It depends on the rental contract; ask the company before you book.

Can I cross with a dog at every crossing?

Pets need a passport, identification, a rabies vaccination and a veterinary certificate. Some crossings have veterinary border inspection posts, but the official list is for consignments of animals and animal products and does not say pets are checked there.

How long is the wait at the border in August?

Waiting times are not published. The MUP camera clips, replaced about every 10 minutes, are the only official view of the queue.

Practical: Visa requirements Driving Road conditions Webcams Hiking Weather Power, water and air
Cities: Herceg Novi Ulcinj Bijelo Polje Pljevlja
National parks: Prokletije

Sources