Driving in Montenegro: rules, speed limits, fines, winter tyres, parking

Documents: licence, insurance, rental cars

A foreigner temporarily in Montenegro may drive on a valid foreign driving licence, or on an international driving permit presented together with it, for as long as the licence is valid (Law on Road Traffic Safety, Art. 176). The article names no countries, so a UK, US, Canadian, Australian or Indian licence is covered alike.

In your own car, ask your insurer before you leave whether the policy covers Montenegro and whether you need a Green Card (the international motor insurance card).

Whether a rental car may leave the country is a term of the rental contract, not of the law, so ask at the desk. Companies are listed on the car rentals page.

The rules at a glance

• Drive on the right (Art. 29).
• Dipped headlights or daytime running lights on in daytime (Art. 71).
• Seat belts for the driver and every passenger where fitted (Art. 24).
• No phone or other communication device while driving unless hands-free (Art. 22).
• Radar detectors and jammers are banned (Art. 23).
• One reflective vest must be in the car (Art. 24).
• Children under 12 may not ride in the front seat; children up to 5 need a child seat; a child under 3 may ride in front only rear-facing with the airbag off or absent (Art. 25).
• Alcohol: a driver is under the influence above 0.3 g/kg (Art. 182). Young drivers (up to 24) and novice drivers (less than 12 months' experience) may not drive with any alcohol in the body (Art. 182a), and are limited to 70 km/h on open roads and 100 km/h on the motorway (Art. 37a).
• Drivers under 21 may not drive between 00:00 and 05:00, and may drive a category B car over 80 kW only with a person in the car who has held a category B licence for at least five years (Art. 176a).

Speed limits

Fines

The amounts are those of the Law on Road Traffic Safety. Speeding bands are kilometres per hour over the limit; the first figure is for built-up areas, the second for open roads.

Winter tyres: 15 November to 1 April

In the winter period, vehicles of categories M and N (cars, buses, vans and lorries) driven in winter conditions must have winter tyres on all wheels, tread at least 4 mm, or the other prescribed winter equipment (Art. 132). Driving without them in winter conditions costs EUR 500 to 1,000 or up to 60 days in prison (Art. 318). The road conditions page carries the daily AMSCG notices on which roads to Žabljak, Kolašin and the other mountain towns need chains.

Parking zones by town

Street parking in the larger towns is zoned by colour and paid at a meter, at a kiosk or by SMS to a short number. The SMS numbers work only from Montenegrin mobile numbers; in Herceg Novi, foreign SIM cards and roaming numbers cannot pay by SMS at all. With a foreign phone, pay at the machine or the kiosk.

Tolls: no vignette, two toll points

The Sozina tunnel on the Podgorica-Bar road costs EUR 1 for a motorcycle and EUR 2.50 for a car. The Smokovac-Mateševo section of the Bar-Boljare motorway north of Podgorica costs EUR 3.50 per car for the full section, EUR 2.00 to Veruša and EUR 1.50 to Pelev Brijeg. Both take cash, bank cards and the ENP electronic tag. Vehicle classes and the free alternatives are on the tolls page.

Fuel

Fuel prices are maximum retail prices set weekly by the Ministry of Energy and Mining, so every station charges the same or less. This week's figures and the history are on the fuel prices page; the EKO, Petrol and Lukoil stations are in the fuel stations directory.