LIVING IN MONTENEGRO

Daily life and people

Montenegrins are dedicated to their colourful and rich traditions, morals, customs and history. Their social and cultural identity has historically been centred around clans and family groups, with a strong relationship exisiting between the average Montenegrin and their family. While they once dominated Montenegrin lifestyle, clan autonomy was ended with the creation of the Republic of Yugoslavia. However, clan influence has not been eradicated from Montenegrin society, with accusations of nepotism levelled at some government appointments. The warlike nature of the clans has permeated into Montenegrin characteristics, with the constant need to repel many invaders instilling the characteristics of strength and bravery (cojstvo) in its people.

As a nation, Montenegrins are communicative and hospitable people, and very welcoming. Unfortunately, you have to be aware that some Montenegrins may try to manipulate foreigners for financial gain. However, this certainly does not mean that all Montenegrins are dishonest.

Visas and residency

UK residents with a valid passport can visit Montenegro for 90 days without having to apply for a visa. Should you want to stay for longer than 90 days then you must apply for a temporary residency permit from the Ministry of the Interior. All visitors entering the country for a holiday must be registered with the police or the local tourist office, unless you’re staying in a hotel. You are only able to register for a work permit and residency from within Montenegro itself.

The following countries do not need a visa to enter Montenegro: Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Monaco, Lichtenstein, The Vatican States, Andorra, San Marino, Israel, Cyprus, Malta, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Croatia, USA, Canada, Singapore, Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Citizens of other countries will be required to secure a visa. For more information, visit www.mfa.gov.yu.

Utilities

All utility companies are state run, apart from telecommunications. The utilities situation in Montenegro is not the best, with a lack of investment meaning there are regular power cuts and water shortages. EPCG are the main power company in Montenegro, and household bills have risen by around 20% in recent years, with a current average per month of €22.

The telecommunications service is, by contrast, modern and reliable. Telecom Montenegro is the main operator, with mobile phone services provided by ProMonte (www.promonte.com) and T-Mobile (www.t-mobile-cg.com).

Internet services are provided by Internet Crna Gora (www.t-comcg. com), owned by Telecom Montenegro, which offers ADSL and dial-up connections, but the service is not reliable – most connections are dial-up and broadband is uncommon. Currently, only 7.9% of the country has access to the internet.

Water is supplied by Vodovod Water Company (www.vodovod.com). Once well developed, services today have deteriorated, with regular shortgages, especially along coastal areas.

In order to connect your property, you’ll be required to take your registration papers to each utility company in order to get the bills and account changed to your name. Direct debits are currently not set up in Montenegro so you’ll have to organise monthly payment for all utility bills.

Banking and currency

Montenegro uses the euro, which replaced the Deutschmark back in 2002. Notes come in standard euro denominations of €5, €10, €20, €50, and coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cents, and €1 and €2.

It is recommended that you set up a bank account if you are going to buy a Montenegrin property. Banks are open from Monday to Friday, 9am to 7pm and 8am to 3pm on Saturdays. When you open a bank account, be aware that many banks charge for withdrawals and bank transfers at a rate of between 0.5% and 1.5%. Some international transfers can take as long as 10 days to process and, while there are no restrictions on the amount of euros you can take into the country, there are restrictions on what you can take out, with proof of origin required. All international transfers into Montenegro have to go through an intermediary institution first.

Taxes

You will be classed as a tax resident if you have a permanent home in Montenegro or if you spend more than 183 days per calendar year in the country. If you are only living temporarily in Montenegro then you are regarded as a non-resident for tax purposes and are only taxed on your Montenegrin-sourced income, such as rental.

The UK does have a double-taxation treaty in place with Montenegro so you won’t be taxed twice. Income taxes are levied at a progressive rate up to a maximum of 24%, and capital gains are also treated as income tax. If you have owned a property for longer than three years then you are exempt from paying capital gains. Inheritance tax and gift tax are levied at between 1 and 30%, while residents are liable for tax at 25% on rental income generated in Montenegro. Annual property taxes are charged at between 0.08% and 0.8%, which is calculated based on the market value of the property on 1st January each year. Corporate tax is charged at a progressive rate of between 15% and 20%.

Insurance

There are a handful of insurance companies in Montenegro which deal with English speaking residents. These include:

• DDOR Novi Sad, www.ddor.co.yu, which offers car, home, life, health and travel insurance;
• Dunav Insurance Company, www.dunav.com, which offers personal, property and car insurance.

Healthcare

There are an increasing number of private clinics in Montenegro that offer a good standard of health care, with many doctors speaking English. There is now a reciprocal healthcare agreement in place to allow UK residents to receive free emergency health care too. For all other treatment, you must ensure you have health insurance. The British Embassy in Podgorica (+381 (81) 205 460) can advise you of the best clinics for foreigners.

Retirement

Montenegro is an affordable and attractive destination for those seeking to retire and UK residents are fully entitled to retire to the country. Your UK state pension will be payable to you in Montenegro at the same rate as if you were still living in the UK.

Education

The Montenegrin education system is split into pre-school, elementary, secondary – this offers a choice between three strands of secondary education, from broad to specialist – and higher. Few attend pre-school, but elementary education is state run, free and compulsory for all children between the ages of seven and 15. Visit the Ministry of Science and Education at www.vlada.cg.yu for more details.

Most schools teach in Serbian, and so foreigners are recommended to enrol their children in one of the several private schools. The main school is the QSI International School of Montenegro (http://mtg.qsi.org).

Driving

If you want to drive in Montenegro, you can do so using your British driving licence, although it would be helpful to get an international licence if you intend to stay long term.

European Green Card vehicle insurance is valid in Montenegro, but make sure you carry your vehicle registration/ownership documents and proof of insurance with you. There are more than 5,000km of roads in the country, the two main ones being the Adriatic motorway which runs from Igalo to Ulcinj and the motorway running from Pertovac to Bijelo Polje via Podgorica and Kolasin. Montenegrins are not the best drivers and the roads can be difficult to negotiate outside of built up areas, with poor signposting in places. EU money should help to improve the infrastructure, though.

Vehicles drive on the right hand side of the road, seatbelts are compulsory and you can drive with 0.03% alcohol in your bloodstream. Speed limits are:

• motorways: 120km/h (75mph)
• main highways: 80km/h (50mph)
• built-up areas: 50km/h (31mph).

Limits can vary, but are signposted where appropriate.

You can get unleaded, super (98 octane), diesel and euro diesel petrol in Montenegro.

Getting around

Generally speaking, the best way to get around is by car, but even though Montenegro is a small country, travel can still be time consuming. There are no internal flights, but you can get around by train. Bar, Podgorica, Kolasin, Mojkovac and Bijelo Polje are all on the main railway line running from Montenegro into Serbia. For scheduling and timetables, visit the Railways of Montenegro website, at www.zeljeznica.cg.yu/eng.

Buses are infrequent, with the best services being in the capital. That said, travelling by taxi is probably the best way to get around Podgorica.

Learning the language

Montenegrins speak a dialect of Serbian, known colloquially as Maternji Jezik (mother language). With its roots in ancient Slavic, there are very few similarities between Montenegrin, Croatian, Bosnian and Serbian, even though they share the same roots. The main difference between the Serbian and Montenegrin is that the Montenegrin dialect has two extra letters. Writing is generally done in Latin script, but Cyrillic is also widely used; Albanian is also spoken in some areas.

As for learning the language, a lot of people along the coast do speak English, but as there is no large international community in Montenegro, it is worth getting a grasp of the language. Serbian is not easy to learn and it’s made more complicated by the various dialects spoken within Montenegro, but the locals will appreciate any efforts you make and it will benefit your integration into the community.

Shopping

The larger towns and cities have supermarkets, although many shopping excursions will involve visiting more than one shop. There are a number of bakeries and grocers in smaller towns and there is an abundance of fresh produce on sale, such as organic juices. You will struggle to find any UK or imported produce, though.

Shopping hours are generally 8am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, and 8am to 3pm on Saturdays. You will find some 24/7 convenience and food shops, while in tourist centres during the summer season, many shops stay open until midnight.

Post

Postal services are reasonably good, but letters do take an average of a week to reach their destinations, whether internal or overseas.

Corruption, crime and the police

Generally safer than the UK, crime is limited in the country and tourists will feel safe wandering around after dark. A much bigger problem is corruption, which is rife in the government and is highlighted by the presence of many Russian money launderers and mafia in the country.

Corruption monitor Transparency International has yet to rate Montenegro as a separate country, but the combined state of Serbia and Montenegro received a score of 2.8 out of ten, placing it below Malawi and Mozambique, in a position of 97th out of 159 countries. The country is working towards sorting its problems out in an effort to join the EU, but there is a long way to go before the country is cleaned up. Foreign home buyers are more likely to suffer at the hands of corrupt individuals, rather than the government, but as long as you ensure you carry out the correct background checks and do your research, you should be able to negotiate the system successfully.