In March 2022, the Government of Montenegro activated a Temporary Protection (TP) regime for all persons fleeing Ukraine. This applies to:
- The citizens of Ukraine,
- Stateless persons with the last residence in Ukraine,
- Persons granted international protection in Ukraine, if they cannot return to their country of origin, and
- Citizens of Ukraine who legally resided in Montenegro before the start of war, if they are unable to extend their residence in Montenegro, for any reason
The current TP regime is valid until 11 March 2025 and the Ministry of the Interior of Montenegro already started procedure to extend it for another year, until March 2026.
Important contact information
The Ministry of the Interior of Montenegro
Services: In charge of the asylum system as a whole, processes requests for asylum, temporary protection and other forms of foreigners’ stay in Montenegro
Website: Ministry of the Interior (www.gov.me)
Address: Podgorica – Directorate for Integration, Serdara Jola Piletica bb (Limenka)
Mail: [email protected]
Branch offices of the Ministry of the Interior:
Ulcinj – 28. December bb
Bar – Branka Calovica bb
Budva – TQ Plaza bb
Tivat – Njegoseva bb
Kotor – Njegoseva bb
Herceg Novi – Mica Vavica bb
The Embassy of Ukraine in Montenegro
Services: Information about your stay in Montenegro and available assistance and services. This information is made available through the crisis centres established by the Ukrainian Embassy in the municipalities of Podgorica, Bar, Budva and Herceg Novi.
Website: Homepage | Ambasada Ukrajine u Crnoj Gori (mfa.gov.ua)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ukrainian.embassy.me ; www.facebook.com/RomanKondratiuk
Address: Podgorica, Serdara Jola Piletica 15
Telephone:+382 20 320 400
What should I do when I arrive in Montenegro ?
Once you arrive to Montenegro, you should apply for temporary protection in the branch office of the Ministry of the Interior (MoI) in the municipality of your residence in Montenegro.
The usual working hours of the MoI branch offices are between 08h00 and 15h00.
The TP application is individual, which means that every family member must come to the Ministry’s branch office to be registered. You are expected to bring with you all identity documents, to facilitate the application process.
Once your temporary protection is approved, the MoI will issue a certificate of temporary protection granted to you. With that certificate you can reside in Montenegro and exercise rights attached to the temporary protection status.
What are my rights under temporary protection?
In addition to the right to residence, a person with temporary protection status, has access to several rights foreseen by the law, out of which the most important are:
1. Freedom of movement;
2. Accommodation, in the collective type of accommodation, provided by the state;
3. Health care;
4. Primary and secondary education;
5. Work;
6. Family reunification; and
7. The right to apply for asylum.
Criteria for access and scope of these rights are defined, in more details, with different laws and administrative procedures in Montenegro.
Should you have any challenges in exercising these rights, please contact the Directorate for Integration of the Ministry of the Interior, in charge of coordinating the response to Ukrainian refugees (at [email protected]) and/or UNHCR Montenegro (UNHCR’s contact provided in a separate section of this website).
Information on the asylum application procedure can be found in the separate section of this website (Asylum in Montenegro).
What shall I do if I do not have valid identity documents?
If you do not have Ukrainian identity documents, or they have expired, please contact the Embassy of Ukraine in Podgorica before approaching the Ministry of the Interior to apply for temporary protection.
What if I got the temporary protection identification document and decided to return to Ukraine or move to another country?
If you decide to go to other countries, it is recommended that you inform the Ministry of the Interior regarding your travel to other countries, reasons for travelling, and the length of stay before you depart.
Ukraine is Home is a platform produced through collaboration between Ukraine’s Ministry for Restoration and UNHCR to enable Ukrainians who are considering returning to Ukraine to make well-informed decisions regarding whether to remain or return and to help people access support to repair damaged or destroyed homes or to access compensation from the Government.
If you decide to move to other countries, you may consider visiting the UNHCR HELP pages of those countries or contacting the embassies of those countries to get more information on the requirements for residence.