Drone laws in Montenegro

Verfasst von Francis Markert | Last update on 01.09.2026 | 22 Kommentare

In this article, you will find the current laws for the use of drones in Montenegro. Since 1 July 2024, the country has applied the EU drone rules. You still need an import permit from the Ministry of Economic Development, and without it customs can seize your drone when you enter the country.

You need three things for a legal drone flight in Montenegro:

1. An import permit from the Ministry of Economic Development that you can show on entry
2. A registration as a UAS operator together with the A1/A3 certificate of competency. An EU registration is recognised.
3. Liability insurance that covers damage in Montenegro or in the EU

Two ways to get the import permit

The import permit is the demanding part of your preparation. You have two options, and both lead to the same document.

Option 1: apply yourself

The application goes to the Ministry of Economic Development (Ministarstvo ekonomskog razvoja). The official fee is 10 euros. You need the completed foreign trade application form, a declaration that you are aware of the drone regulations, the technical specifications of your drone, a copy of your passport and proof of payment. The documents have to be written in Montenegrin.

Officially, processing takes up to 30 days. Plan the application well ahead of your trip, even though it is often handled faster in practice.

Option 2: have it done for you

If you would rather not deal with Montenegrin forms or international transfers, you can hand the whole process over. Our contact on the ground, Michael Bader, takes care of the application and pays the official fees for you. This costs 135 euros instead of 150 euros for our community, and all official fees are included.

This is how it works:

1. Fill out the form below.
2. Transfer 135 euros to the account provided.
3. Michael takes care of your application directly.
4. Within 30 days you will receive all the required documents.

Whether that is worth it is your call. You are paying the difference for the language, the forms and for having someone on site when the authorities come back with a question.

Importing drones

Montenegro treats drones as restricted goods. If you bring a drone into the country, even for just a few days, you have to have it approved by the Ministry of Economic Development beforehand. You present the permit to customs when you enter.

Take this seriously. Montenegrin customs can seize drones that have not been properly declared, and getting one back can involve substantial penalty payments. Checks happen at the airport and at the land borders alike.

The import permit is valid for one year.

Registration as an operator

You have to register if your drone weighs 250 grams or more. Below 250 grams the obligation still applies as soon as the drone carries sensors that can capture personal data. A camera or a microphone is enough, which in practice covers just about every travel drone.

The key point for travellers from the EU: if you are already registered as an operator in an EU member state and have passed the theoretical exam for subcategories A1/A3 there, you do not have to repeat any of it in Montenegro. You do have to be able to prove both, so carry your operator number and your exam certificate with you.

If you are coming from outside the EU, you register directly with the Montenegrin Civil Aviation Agency at dron.caa.me and take the online exam there. Both are free of charge. You receive an electronic operator number that is valid for two years and has to be renewed after that. You attach this number to all of your drones.

One point for anyone who has registered in Montenegro before: if you signed up under the old rules before 1 July 2024, you have to register again.

Overview of the European rules with effectiveness in Montenegro

In Montenegro, the regulations of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) apply. The following is a summary of the key facts. For a complete overview, read our article on the new EU drone regulation.

National specificities in Montenegro

Each country can define certain aspects of its drone regulations. For Montenegro, the following requirements apply in addition to the European regulations.

The open category and its subcategories

Montenegro divides drone operations into the open, specific and certified categories. As a private traveller you operate in the open category, which covers the lowest level of risk. It is split into three subcategories, and which one applies to you depends on the class marking of your drone. The rules are the same ones that apply across the EU:

• A1: drones marked C0 or privately built drones under 250 grams. You may fly almost anywhere, but never over assemblies of people. With drones marked C1, you must additionally keep any overflight of uninvolved people to a minimum.
• A2: drones marked C2. You may fly in built-up areas, but you have to keep a safe distance from uninvolved people. As a rule of thumb, that distance equals your flight altitude, and it must never be less than 5 meters.
• A3: drones marked C3 or C4 as well as privately built drones up to 25 kilograms. Here you only fly where no uninvolved people are present, and you keep at least 150 meters away from residential, commercial and industrial areas.

The transition period for drones without a C class marking ended on 30 June 2025. Since then, older drones without a class marking follow the rules for privately built drones, which means A1 below 250 grams and A3 above that.

Further regulations for drone flights in Montenegro

Your drone may fly no higher than 120 meters above the ground, measured from the closest point of the earth’s surface. You keep it within direct line of sight at all times.

Night flights are allowed. Your drone has to carry a green flashing light, just as it does in the EU. This is one of the rules that changed with the new regulation, because night flying used to be prohibited in Montenegro.

You may not fly over assemblies of people. You may only fly over uninvolved people with drones under 250 grams. In controlled airspace you need clearance.

You must also insure your drone in Montenegro. What is required is third party liability insurance covering either the territory of Montenegro or that of the EU. It is best to carry the proof with you at all times.

Flight restrictions around Tivat and Podgorica

Take particular care in the control zones of Tivat and Podgorica airports. Flying there requires clearance from the responsible air traffic control unit, the Airspace Management Cell (AMC) Montenegro. This applies to EU travellers as well, even though they are otherwise exempt from registration. You apply using a dedicated form from the Civil Aviation Agency, which you send by email to [email protected].

The Tivat control zone matters especially for travellers, because it covers a large part of the Bay of Kotor. The very views that make people bring a drone in the first place are therefore inside the zone that needs approval.

Marking and minimum age

Your drone has to display the operator number you are registered under.

The minimum age for remote pilots is 16. The Civil Aviation Agency makes it clear that this applies to travellers from EU states in exactly the same way as to local pilots.

Penalties and privacy

Breaches of the drone rules are punished under the Montenegrin Law on Air Transport with fines between 500 and 2,000 euros. The consequences of a missing import permit are separate from that and apply at the border already.

Pay attention to other people’s privacy as well. The Montenegrin criminal code penalises unauthorised recordings and their publication, and that applies to drone footage just as it does to any other camera.

Rules for commercial flights

In the open category, your intent no longer determines the rules. Whether you are taking photos privately or working on assignment makes no difference there. What counts is the risk of your flight.

As soon as your plans go beyond the limits of the open category, for example above 120 meters, beyond visual line of sight or closer to people, the flight falls into the specific category. You then need a risk assessment and an operational authorisation from the Civil Aviation Agency. Get in touch with the CAA early in that case, ideally at [email protected].

Have you been to Montenegro with your drone? Leave us a comment and tell us about your experience with the import permit or the border check!

We have researched the drone rules for Montenegro listed here to the best of our knowledge. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that the information is correct. If you want to be on the safe side, contact the Montenegrin Civil Aviation Agency. Alternatively, you can ask the Montenegrin embassy in your home country for further information on the regulations. Please leave us a comment if you hear any news and/or have gained your own experience with your drone in Montenegro!