Driving in MontenegroTolls, border crossings, rules and parking

Montenegro has no vignette. Tolls are paid at only two places, both run by Monteput:

• Sozina tunnel (Podgorica – Bar, through Mount Sozina): motorbike €1, car €2.50, a van taller than 1.9 m or a car with a trailer or a motorhome up to 3.5 t €5, heavier vehicles €10–18.
• Smokovac – Mateševo motorway (the section of the Bar – Boljare motorway from Podgorica towards Kolašin): car €3.50 for the whole section (€1.50 to Pelev Brijeg, €2 to Veruša), motorbike €1.50, a van taller than 1.9 m €6.

You pay in cash or by card at the toll booth; local drivers also use an electronic tag (ENP). The motorway limit is 100 km/h, and vehicles slower than 50 km/h are not allowed on it. All other roads are free.

• Speed: 50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h outside towns, 100 km/h on roads reserved for motor vehicles; the law allows 130 km/h on motorways, but the existing section is signposted at 100 km/h. Since the 2026 amendments, speed can also be measured as an average over a section.
• Lights: dipped headlights or daytime running lights must be on in daytime, all year round.
• Alcohol: the limit is 0.3 g/kg (per mille); professional drivers must be at 0. For 0.3–0.5 per mille the fine is €70–200, and above that penalties rise up to prison.
• Phone: hands-free only while driving; fine €60–150.
• Speeding: 20–30 km/h over in towns (40–50 outside) €70–200; 30–50 km/h over in towns (50–70 outside) €100–450.
• Winter equipment: by law every vehicle must carry winter equipment from 15 November to 30 March, and must use it whenever there is snow or ice on the road; the interior ministry's order also makes winter tyres compulsory on listed, mostly northern and mountain roads whatever the weather (in 2025/26 from 15 November to 1 April). Use winter tyres (M+S) and carry chains on mountain roads; studded tyres are banned.
• In the car: a reflective vest and a warning triangle are compulsory; children under 12 may not sit in the front seat.

Carry your driving licence and the vehicle registration document. For cars from the EU the number plate counts as proof of insurance, but still carry the green card, as it makes everything easier after an accident; if you drive someone else's car, bring the owner's authorisation. For a rental car and crossing borders, see car rental: the agency must issue a green card and written permission.

The main border crossings:

• Croatia: Debeli Brijeg – Karasovići (from Dubrovnik, the busiest) and the smaller Kobila – Vitaljina (passengers only).
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sitnica – Zupci (towards Trebinje, passengers only), Ilino Brdo – Klobuk (Nikšić – Trebinje), Vraćenovići – Deleuša, Šćepan Polje – Hum (Piva canyon, towards Foča and Sarajevo), Metaljka (Pljevlja – Čajniče).
• Serbia: Dobrakovo – Gostun (Bijelo Polje – Prijepolje), Dračenovac – Špiljani (Rožaje – Novi Pazar), Ranče – Jabuka (Pljevlja – Prijepolje).
• Kosovo: Kula – Kulina (Rožaje – Peć).
• Albania: Božaj – Hani i Hotit (Podgorica – Shkodër) and Sukobin – Murićani (Ulcinj – Shkodër).

The border with Croatia is an external Schengen border: since October 2025, and at every crossing since April 2026, travellers from outside the EU are registered in the EES when entering and leaving Croatia (photo and fingerprints at the first crossing). At Debeli Brijeg expect 30–90 minutes in summer and usually 10–20 minutes off season; queues are shortest early in the morning and late in the afternoon.

Fuel prices are set by the government every week and apply from Tuesday at every station. From 6 October 2026 a litre of Eurosuper 95 costs €1.77, Eurosuper 98 €1.81 and Eurodiesel €1.96. Stations are frequent on the coast and the main roads and most take cards; in the north, between smaller towns, fill up before a mountain stretch.

The old road from Kotor up to Njeguši and Lovćen climbs in hairpins along the cliffs above the bay: it is narrow, with tight bends and buses squeezing past, so drive slowly and give way to traffic coming up. If you would rather not drive it, you can reach Lovćen by the cable car from Kotor. The Durmitor Ring is a 76 km loop over the Sedlo pass (1,907 m), open mainly from May to October; it is not recommended for motorhomes longer than 7 m. The road from Plužine to Šćepan Polje is cut into the cliffs of the Piva canyon, with a string of narrow tunnels through the rock. To Kolašin the motorway is faster than the Morača canyon road. More routes are in our guide to scenic drives. AMSCG publishes road conditions (amscg.org), and roadside assistance is on 19807.

• Kotor: the Riva car park by the Old Town costs €4.80 an hour in summer and €2.40 in winter; Benovo, a little further away, €1.90 an hour in summer and €1.10 in winter (2025 prices, check at the barrier). Cars cannot enter the Old Town.
• Perast: the centre is pedestrian; you park in one of the two car parks at the entrances to the village, in summer with a day ticket (about €8 according to a local guide).
• Budva: red, blue and yellow zones; pay by SMS or by card in the Parking Servis Budva app (since June 2026), which shows the price before you pay. In summer the car parks near the beaches and the Old Town fill up fast.
• Tivat: red zone in summer (1 May – 30 September) €1 an hour or €10 a day, yellow zone €0.80 an hour; in winter €0.80 and €0.70 an hour. SMS to 14590 (red) or 14701 (yellow).
• Herceg Novi: off season 2026/27, purple zone €1.50 an hour, red €1 an hour (€8 a day), blue €0.80 an hour (€6 a day).
• Žabljak: parking at the Black Lake is paid separately from the national park ticket.

SMS parking works from Montenegrin numbers; in Herceg Novi it explicitly does not work from roaming. Without a local SIM, buy a ticket at a kiosk or use a car park with a barrier. Illegally parked cars are towed.