Crossing into Montenegro by land, neighbour by neighbour

Montenegro is small and hemmed in by neighbours, which is why so many trips arrive or leave by road. What matters is that it’s outside Schengen, so every crossing is a real border, with a stamp and, in summer, a queue. Here’s what the state tourism office lists for each country, how long each border is according to MONSTAT, and how I’d handle them.

Albania, four crossings in the south

The question I’m asked most is how to get from Albania to Montenegro, and the answer is that you have four road options, Božaj, Sukobin, Grnčar and Cijevna Zatrijebačka. The border is 189.69 km long and runs through some of the wildest country in the region, with Lake Skadar shared between the two states. For a trip that pairs the two countries in the south, it’s the border that makes most sense, and I go into that in Montenegro and Albania. There’s also a rail border station at Tuzi in the official list, but I haven’t found a passenger timetable for it on the Montenegrin railway’s site, so I wouldn’t plan around a train from Albania.

Croatia, the busiest short border

Croatia accounts for just 20.04 km of Montenegro’s frontier, yet it’s where most visitors cross, at Debeli brijeg or Kobila. Herceg Novi is the first town you reach. This is the crossing that needs most patience in July and August. The Foreign Office’s advice mentions heavy summer traffic at the crossings, closures with little warning, and extra time at checks into Schengen now the EU’s Entry/Exit System is running. If you’re flying home from Dubrovnik, build in a generous margin. The whole run is covered in Dubrovnik to Kotor.

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Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo

Bosnia and Herzegovina has the longest border, 257.62 km, and eight crossings, Sitnica, Ilino Brdo, Vraćenovići, Krstac, Nudo, Šćepan Polje, Metaljka and Šula. It’s the way in from Mostar or Sarajevo. For Serbia the road crossings are Ranče, Čemerno, Dobrakovo, Dračenovac and Vuča, and there’s the railway too, with checks at Bijelo Polje station. If you’re coming from Belgrade without a car, the overnight train is my pick, and you’ll find times and fares in Belgrade to Montenegro. Kosovo has a single road crossing, Kula.

gov.uk describes the roads as fair, worse in rural areas, especially in winter and after bad weather. On these inland crossings I’d budget more time than the map suggests.

Hiking over the border

This catches a lot of walkers out. Routes that cross the frontier away from an official crossing, in Prokletije, Hajla, Ljubišnja, Kamena Gora, Maglić or Orjen, need permission in advance. The procedure published by the National Tourism Organisation says you apply to the border police of the country you’re entering, individually or as a group, in person, by post or by fax, with the official request form and a copy of your passport. There are two fees per person, €2 for the application and €3 for the permit, which arrives by post or is handed over in person. It doesn’t say how far ahead to apply, so I’d allow several weeks. If you’re tackling the big cross-border trek, see Peaks of the Balkans.

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What British travellers need at any crossing

gov.uk sets two passport conditions, issue within the last ten years at the point of entry and at least three months’ validity remaining at the point of exit. Visa-free stays are capped at 90 days in a rolling 180, and as Montenegro sits outside Schengen they’re counted separately from any Schengen days. Ask for entry and exit stamps. Declare any cash from €10,000 upwards, and you can bring up to five pets on a pet passport. A police report won’t get you out of the country if your passport is lost or stolen, so you’d need an emergency travel document. Everything on paperwork is in Montenegro entry requirements.

Taking a hire car across

The border itself is rarely the problem, the rental contract is. Each company decides whether its cars can leave the country and what documents it gives you, so ask before booking, particularly if you’re picking up in Croatia or Albania. And it’s right-hand traffic over here. What to check before signing is in car hire in Montenegro.

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