Since August 11, when the new provisions in the Law on Aliens came into force, the aim of which was to facilitate the stay and promote the arrival of digital nomads in Montenegro, until the end of October, not a single request for a permit for their stay was submitted.
This was officially told to the News by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP), when asked about the effects of the changes in the law, i.e. whether there was an increase in the number of digital nomads compared to the previous period.
– From the date of entry into force of the Law on Amendments to the Law on Foreigners until November 1, no request for the issuance of a residence permit for a digital nomad, i.e. a foreigner who is employed in Montenegro or performs work electronically for a foreign company or his own business, has been submitted. a company that is not registered in Montenegro – stated from the MUP.
They added that the procedure for adopting the Rulebook on the detailed conditions and method of issuing a permit for the temporary residence of a digital nomad is underway.
The Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism (MERT) did not specifically answer what, in their opinion, are the effects of the adoption of the aforementioned amendments to the law.
The proposal to amend that law was proposed to the Assembly by a group of deputies: Miloš Konatar (URA), Nikola Rakočević (DPS), Dragan Vukić (SNP), Kenana Strujić Harbić (Bosniak Party) and Adnan Striković (SDP).
In the explanation of the proposed law, they stated that this creates the need for the opportunity for foreigners who perform business electronically for foreign companies that are not registered in Montenegro or who are entrepreneurs to regulate their legal status in Montenegro, and that the regulation of their stay is a necessary condition for attracting digital nomads to Montenegro.
The amendments to the law foresee the regulation of the procedure for issuing visas for digital nomads, in such a way that a visa for a long stay (visa D) is issued to a digital nomad who intends to stay in Montenegro for longer than 90 days, but not longer than 180 days in a period of one year .
In addition, it is stipulated that a temporary residence permit can be issued to a digital nomad who meets the requirements of this law, and as proof of the justification of the request, attach a work contract or other document confirming that they are digital nomads.
The Assembly adopted the changes to the law unanimously on July 28, with the votes of 71 deputies.
When submitting the bill, Konatar wrote on Twitter that the changes will facilitate the stay and promote the arrival of freelancers and digital nomads in Montenegro.
Will present an offer for nomads and “energy tourists”
At the tourism committee of the Chamber of Commerce (PKCG), it was recently assessed that the Montenegrin tourism industry will come up with an offer in order to attract more and more so-called tourists in the coming months. “energy tourists” and digital nomads from Central and Western Europe.
At the meeting, it was agreed to form a working group that will formulate Montenegro’s offer for that type of tourism.
When asked what this offer will look like and how far it has come with its preparation, MERT told “Vijesti” that as part of the campaign called “Long stay Montenegro”, Montenegro will attend the World Tourism Fair in London, which began on November 7 present a special offer.
– The offer includes a longer stay of at least one month, with full board and use of all services approved by hotels or private accommodation providers who have expressed interest in participating in this campaign. To date, about 10 hotels have prepared their offer for “long stay” – MERT announced.
They emphasized that with this offer, Montenegro wants to attract the markets of Great Britain, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Austria, Poland, i.e. countries with which the airline has been established even during the winter months.
They explain that the term “energy tourists” refers to employees from Western European countries who are not strictly tied to office work, but their employers have given them the opportunity to spend the upcoming winter in another country, where the prices of energy and food are cheaper.
– Certain tourist destinations from the region have already reacted and made favorable offers for these tourists – announced from the department managed by Goran Đurović, local media writes.
