SIM cards, eSIM and roaming in Montenegro

Montenegro has three mobile operators, Crnogorski Telekom, One Crna Gora and m:tel, and all three sell prepaid tourist packages that you can buy online as an eSIM before you land. At Telekom and One the packages run from EUR 15 for 500 GB over 15 days to EUR 30 for unlimited data over 30 days; m:tel's three Turist cards give 500 GB to unlimited data for 15 to 45 days. A passport or ID card is required for every SIM. Phones on EU networks do not roam here at home prices: a voluntary operators' declaration caps data roaming from the EU at EUR 14 per GB from 2026 and EUR 9 per GB from 2028, and all three Montenegrin operators signed it. SIMs from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia roam in Montenegro at home prices.

The three operators

The networks are Crnogorski Telekom (telekom.me), One Crna Gora (1.me) and m:tel (mtel.me). All three signed the EU-Western Balkans roaming declaration described below, so the EU price cap applies whichever Montenegrin network your foreign SIM lands on.

Tourist SIM and eSIM packages: price, data, validity

The last column is the data allowance for roaming in the region: Telekom's regional zone lists Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia; One and m:tel give data for the Western Balkans.

Operators change these packages and prices often. Check the current offer on the operator's own page, Telekom, One or m:tel, before you buy.

Top-ups and add-ons

The first top-up adds data on top of the package: at Telekom 500 GB plus 3 GB of zone data, valid for 5 days (on the 10-day package with calls, 500 GB for 10 days without zone data); at One 500 GB for a top-up of EUR 4 or more; at m:tel 500 GB, plus 10 GB of regional data on Turist 20 and Super Turist. Telekom's minimum top-up is EUR 4 online or in its app and EUR 5 at sales points, and a Telekom prepaid number stays valid for 12 months after first use. One's minimum is EUR 4 (EUR 2 online), up to EUR 50, and a One prepaid number stays valid for 90 days after the last top-up.

m:tel sells extra data for its tourist cards through the code *105#: 1 TB for 30 days EUR 20, 500 GB for 30 days EUR 12, 500 GB for 15 days EUR 15, 500 GB for 7 days EUR 10, and 2 GB for one day EUR 2. When the data quota or the 15, 30 or 45 days run out, m:tel cuts the data connection until you top up or buy an add-on. One sells add-ons through *140# or the Moj One app, from Tourist Daily 1GB (1 GB for one day, EUR 1.99) to Tourist 30 1TB (EUR 14.99).

Where to buy: online, operator shops, airports

The simplest route is the eSIM: buy it online before the trip, install it at home and let it activate on arrival. Telekom sells its tourist eSIM online and a prepaid SIM card in Telekom shops and at marked sales points across the country; One sells its tourist packages online, by phone and in One shops; m:tel sells online or in its shops. The shop lists of Podgorica Airport and Tivat Airport name no operator shop or SIM desk; the press and tobacco shops there sell mobile top-ups.

What you need to buy a SIM

The law requires every mobile SIM to be registered to an ID card or passport. Telekom's online purchase includes biometric identification: citizens of EU and Balkan countries can use an ID card or a passport, everyone else a passport. m:tel's online check asks for a photo of an ID document and a selfie. One registers the number during the online purchase.

Setting up the eSIM

Telekom sends the QR code by e-mail; the number activates with the first call, data session or SMS in Montenegro, and the data is credited at that moment. A Telekom eSIM or SIM not activated within 6 months of registration is permanently switched off. One's two-eSIM package activates the moment the QR codes are scanned. m:tel also sends the QR code by e-mail, and every Turist prepaid package can be used as an eSIM.

Roaming: regional, EU and UK SIMs

Since 1 July 2021, SIMs from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia roam in Montenegro at home prices, subject to fair use, and Montenegrin SIMs do the same in those countries, which matters on trips across the border crossings to the region.

EU roam-like-at-home does not yet apply in Montenegro. The European Commission proposed opening negotiations with the Western Balkans on 25 February 2026 and the Council of the EU authorised them on 4 June 2026. Before the scheme applies, each partner needs a signed agreement, full alignment with EU roaming rules, a positive Commission assessment and a decision of a joint body; no date has been set. Until then, a voluntary 2022 declaration caps EU-Western Balkans data roaming at EUR 14 per GB from 2026 and EUR 9 per GB from 2028, for the operators that signed it. UK operators are not covered by the regional scheme or by the EU-Western Balkans declaration, so check your plan's roaming list before you travel. Roaming terms change; your home operator and EKIP, the Montenegrin regulator (ekip.me), publish the current rules.

Calling, +382 and emergency numbers

Montenegro's country code is +382. 112 is the single European emergency number, and calls to 112, 122 (police), 123 (fire and rescue) and 124 (ambulance) are free. Phones roaming on a foreign SIM receive an SMS about 112 when they enter Montenegro. All numbers and the emergency medical unit in each municipality are on the emergency page; the rest of the practical basics are in the travel tips.