Plane Moscow - Rome. We got married yesterday. This is ours Honeymoon and the first joint flight to Europe. We have been waiting for this moment for a very long time. Summer, freedom, pizza, wine and just the two of us. No fuss, preparations, worries, and even this work. Goodbye groundhog day!
We walk along the narrow streets, go on excursions to castles, visit numerous squares and monuments, admire the architecture, buy souvenirs, dine in a cafe, eat pizza in the evenings by the fountain while drinking wine. We are as happy as ever. There is no desire to return to their homeland. But…
It's been a fabulous week. Again life, work, vanity, traffic jams and widespread everyday dullness. There is nowhere such dullness as in Moscow. It was then that the idea was born in us to dump the country. There were many reasons. This is the lack of confidence in the future (more precisely, the certainty that it will be like today), and the daily incessant rudeness from the people around you who are unfamiliar (as they say - the stupidity and brutality of the people), and the lack of proper medicine and education (how to give birth to children we did not understand), and the inaction of the state. institutions, and the dominance of migrants, traffic jams, fools and roads, zero service in everything, and most importantly - this is the government and all these games in politics. It is impossible to watch TV, there is constant insanity and battles of left and right on the Internet. Tired of all this. Oil was added to the fire every day. All this depressed us and pushed us to action. We were furious and just hated all the people around. It was impossible to take it easy. There was no point in changing something in such a country or waiting for better times. Life is one, and I did not want to spend it on such a present. In any case, we understood that it could not be worse for sure. There was only the main question ... where?
After the new year 2013, we went on another long-awaited vacation. While everyone is suffering from -20, we will soak up the sun on the beautiful island of Phuket. In fact, it was intelligence. We went to Thailand in order to find out what kind of country it is - so distant and mysterious. Moreover, you can easily migrate to it without unnecessary troubles with documents.
But I won't bore you with the details of the holiday. As a result, we abandoned this idea, because it is very dirty there, rats and cockroaches run at night, a huge number of selected Russian tourists. A 3rd world country is not our option. Plus, it is very far and expensive for sudden flights in cases of "what if".
So February, cold and Moscow again. After this trip, we were once again convinced that we need to migrate to Europe. And civilization in all manifestations, and the mentality of people is the same and so necessary for us, and relatives seem to be at hand.
All free time was spent on the Internet. We were looking for how and where to go. Yes, so that the sea was, and you can get there by car. Italy remained a dream. Probably somewhere deep in her soul and now she remains. But not the point. All life is yet to come. I must say right away that moving to Italy is expensive. Expensive and very difficult in terms of obtaining a work visa. Especially if you don't know the language.
Unexpectedly, the wife found one article about how the family moved to Montenegro. It was like the sound of "BINGO" in slot machines. We began to eagerly study all the information about this wonderful country. We began to dream about how we would go, how we would live at sea, what we would do. We even downloaded audio lessons of the Serbian language. We considered all possible options, weighed all the pros and cons. I even had to change jobs in search of a better salary.
The money was saved for six months. We saved literally everything. They spared neither themselves nor their strength. And now, six months later, we quit our jobs. You have no idea what happiness it is. You are a simple office plankton and here you are free.
No one knew about our plans until the last. This was our little secret. They were afraid to jinx it and miss the dream. Parents took this news with difficulty, of course, but it was too late to dissuade us. The mechanism is running.
Preparation
The route was laid as follows: Moscow - Bryansk - Kyiv - Zhytomyr - Chernivtsi - Suceava - Virgo (Hunedoara) - Belgrade - Belo Pole - Tivat. Total almost 3000 km. We decided not to rush and stretched the trip for 5 days. To travel through the territory of Romania in advance at the embassy received tourist visa for 2 week.
I must say that we migrated with our pet. This is our dog. Therefore, it is so easy to break loose and go. It was necessary to prepare documents for him, but this is a completely different song.
Firstly, our state, apparently, is making every effort so that you would never disclose the mystery of collecting documents. We reviewed a bunch of forums and eventually glued the whole action plan together. To begin with, we microchipped our dog. This is the most important and the first thing to start with.
The second point is to make an annual rabies vaccination at least a month in advance. Then, two weeks before the trip, you need to come to the state district veterinary clinic and take tests for worms. And then, call and find out the results of the tests. If everything is fine, then the day before the trip we again go to the district veterinarian, where we receive a certificate in form No. 1. At the same time, the veterinarian will put stamps on the treatment of ticks in your dog's passport, and so on. And that's not it. Now we need to exchange this certificate for an international one. We did this at Sheremetyevo Airport, Terminal B. Since we laid the route through Romania, and it is part of the EU, we also need a certificate for the EU countries. They did it in the vet's office at the airport. Well, that's about all. Our faithful dog is ready to travel. I note that we were lucky with the dog. We taught him to ride in a car. And he didn't cause much trouble. I slept peacefully in the back seat, sometimes asking for a walk.
And so all the documents are collected, the car is loaded to the fullest. Our dog sits faithfully on bags with bed linen in the back seat, the navigator is set. Let's hit the road.
On the roads of Russia and Ukraine
As soon as we entered Kaluga region a miracle happened, the clouds and smog dissipated, a blue sky appeared, and we saw the sun. It was as if everything around was rejoicing with us. But ahead of the first 300 km. and the first stop is Bryansk, where my parents live. We wanted to say goodbye to them, so to speak, and at the same time sort out the suitcase, because we don’t need some of the things with us, and the car sank a lot, and the “wonderful” Kiev route could ruin the first days of the trip.
The road along the Kyiv highway is exactly 50 percent good. And all these 50 percent lie before the turn to Kaluga. Further quiet horror. At the entrance to Bryansk region everywhere road repairs, traffic lights and one-way traffic on potholes. It takes quite a bit of time. Somehow they came to my parents. In the evening, we even managed to get rid of one bag of things. Already good.
2nd day. We left at 10 am. They hoped to quickly cross the border, but it was not to be. Troebortnoye - Bachevsk - we stand 3 hours before the checkpoint on Russian border. What is most surprising, no one cares about our dog. In general, they did not ask for a passport for her and a certificate. It even became embarrassing. After all, so much effort was invested in the collection of documents.
They passed the Ukrainian border quickly, because the border guard offered to give him a bribe (quote: “So that it’s not expensive for you and it doesn’t hurt us”) for drawing up some kind of declaration. We put in the passport 1000r. (if only to get off as soon as possible, we lost so much time) and five minutes later we were already moving towards the independent capital - Kyiv.
The road was awesome. Sun was shining. At some point, they thought that this is Europe. The euphoria ended quickly when we turned onto the turn towards Kyiv, and potholes began. The whole nightmare was framed by pitch darkness and the absence of lanterns. So you can’t say that the entrance to the capital. Not Moscow for sure. And then a valiant DAI officer slowed us down, looked at the documents, apparently, did not find anything to complain about and let us go. They were surprised that he did not ask for money, the numbers are Moscow, but you can always think of a reason. In Kyiv, we booked a hotel for one night, when we got to it, it was almost 10 pm. Thank you city traffic jams. The room was chic, even with a jacuzzi and only 455 hryvnia per night. We fell asleep exhausted - tomorrow we get up early.
3rd day. In the morning we realized that we needed to exchange rubles for hryvnias and fill up the tank. While waiting for the opening of banks and the setting of exchange rates, we lost a couple of hours and left Kyiv only at 11. We were immediately slowed down by the traffic police inspector, well, we think, again ... surprisingly, he just asked to wipe the numbers and wished us a happy journey. Let's go further...
The road to Zhytomyr is laid out chic. If the cars had wings, they would take off, but the rest ... I don’t know what to call it, because this is not a road at all ... damn it, honestly. A special “thank you” to our Navitel navigator, I would tear their hands off for such navigation. A couple of times he took us to some villages without roads, we thought we would stay there. After winding for an hour and a half in the Khmelnitsky area, we again went to something like a highway. I still can't understand what kind of European Union they want to get into with a complete lack of communication between cities. And again, pitch darkness and impassability. There are no lanterns, I want to sleep, I have no strength anymore, we look out for holes on the road. Oncoming trucks are blinding, in general, we are tired of driving around Ukraine. At a speed of 60-70 km/h we got to the Ukraine-Romania border. It's almost eight o'clock in the evening and the shift change is about to begin. Ukrainian customs officers were the first to notice our dog and asked us to put a stamp with permission to export the animal in the veterinary room. All this took about 10 minutes, and to the jokes of the border guards about expensive gas for Ukraine, we drove up to Romania.
For Romania and Serbia
We crossed the border into Romania without any problems. But it is already dark and we need to quickly go to the hotel in Suceava. First of all, we were delighted with the roads and lighting in places - civilization heard us! I was especially pleased with the culture on the road - they see you in the distance and turn off the high beam. It should be noted that after nine in the evening the city seemed to have died out. Nobody on the streets. Here and Count Dracula comes to mind and all the horror stories about vampires. Slowly we reached Suceava, out of habit looking closely at the road - are there any holes? No, and thank God. The navigator somehow brought us to the hotel, settled in the room - you can relax.
4th day. After a trip around Ukraine, we realized that, most likely, we would not have time to get to Belgrade before dark, and we didn’t really want to go in the dark, so we booked rooms in Hunedoara and White Pole (Montenegro), and wrote to all the other hotels that we were staying for two days. Now we can take our time and look around.
The morning began with another currency exchange. The Romanian leu is something. I have never held such beautiful and pleasant to the touch money. In general, Romania evoked pleasant emotions in us. I don't even know how to describe. They have everything so beautifully built, painted, well maintained, and it is clear that people are trying for themselves. For the first time, we drove through a railway crossing without noticing it, for a Russian person, the rails are flush with the asphalt - nonsense. Even patches merge with the old road and are not felt. God bless all of these luxury roads- this is a fairy tale after the Russian-Ukrainian potholes.
I also advise everyone to forget the stereotypes about gypsies, dirt and poverty - yes, there are carts with horses, but gypsies as such have not been seen. On Romanian roads, the markings are with special notches, and when we drove into a solid wheel, there was noise in the cabin. Here you have Europe, abroad.
It started getting dark earlier. In one of the cities on the highway there was an accident, and traffic was blocked, so the traffic jam stretched for 3 hours. Then a thick fog descended on the road, so that even the markings were not visible two meters away. Fog lights didn't help. You can't see oncoming cars either. I had to drive 10-15 km / h until we passed a foggy area. Thus, at almost ten in the evening we arrived in Hunedoara, and then a miracle happened. We were waiting for a huge, luxurious room of the 19th century. High ceilings, a round room, massive entrance doors - just like in a castle. Nice end to the day.
Day 5 met us with morning mist. We were moving to the border with Serbia. Belgrade ahead. On the way we again enjoyed the beauty of Romania. Plowed gardens, trimmed bushes and trees, windmills and old houses. And somehow imperceptibly the navigator led us to the border. Here we were first asked where we were going and why so many things. They explained that we were going to Montenegro for the winter, and these were all personal things. Serbia also greeted us very cheerfully and naturally.
In the first city we changed the euro to local currency and refueled. We soon arrived in Belgrade. As it turned out, we booked a room in some kind of football-fan hotel, which could not be said from the photo on booking.com. The room was cold, dirty, empty beer bottles were lying under the sink, the light was jammed in the bathroom, it was smoky and there was one barely burning lamp in the whole room, in a word, some kind of hangout from American films. I didn’t have the strength to go look for something else, we caught good wi-fi and, by the way, we paid 25 euros plus tax for the room. We did not like this Belgrade as we saw it at all - an aversion to the whole country immediately appeared, but the next day it disappeared when we saw another, mountainous Serbia.
6th day. We woke up at 6 in the morning and gave a shit away from this hotel and from this city. A couple of hours later we were winding through the mountains with wide-open mouths from beauty: the mountain river Lim, the huge Zlatar lake with clear water, sandwiched between rocky mountains, in the middle of this beauty small towns, mining plants, quarries.
Montenegro
In this admiring state, we approached Montenegro. The passage of both borders was faster than ordering a breakfast in a McAvto. We didn't even get out of the car. Having received the coveted stamps in our passports with the MNE sign, we rushed to the hotel, which is located near the border in White Field.
I will say a few words about gasoline. For 1400 r. we filled in a full tank (42-45l.) 95+ gasoline. This is enough for 500 km. In Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, we filled the 95th for €60 (€1.35 - liter) full tank and this is enough for more than 600 km. Such is the difference: gasoline is almost 2 times more expensive, but you will only travel 20 percent more. Before leaving, I read reviews that gasoline is expensive, but it lasts twice as long for a run - that's all fairy tales.
A room for €50 was waiting for us at the hotel - they shushed us, after Belgrade we need to relieve stress. After walking around the town and eating a huge pizza, we switched off in the room until the morning.
7th day. This is the scent of freedom. The freshness of the mountains and invigorating coffee give strength to the last forced march. Ahead of the sea and the unknown. We drove as usual without haste. And you don't really drive in the mountains. It takes practice and experience. So we got to the capital of Montenegro - Podgorica. A city on a plain surrounded by mountains. The city is big, vain like all capitals. Behind him again mountains, mountains and mountains. We climbed to the very top and drove through the cloud. Unreal sensations, like nothing of the kind, but the fog around you is not fog at all, but a cloud.
And here it is the long-awaited sea, shining and shimmering in the sun. The road continues along the coast.
We drive up to our hotel in Tivat. To begin with, we can hardly find it by the coordinates of the navigator, since there is simply no address. Well, welcome.
Here we planned to stay for a week and start looking for a lawyer for paperwork and permanent residence. Good-natured hosts show us the apartments and offer us to drink brandy. And everything would be fine, but the room was small, cold and wi-fi caught on the street on the first floor, and we were on the 3rd. The hostess assures that in 15 minutes she will “twist” something and everything will work for us, 2 hours pass - the result is zero, she says that her son will come and also “twist” something. And so the night passed...
8th day. In the morning we understand that we won’t live like this for a week, it’s not clear how to solve migration issues without the Internet. It is necessary to bring down, since they did not pay for all the accommodation. We quickly phoned a lawyer who was in Herceg Novi. We agreed to meet. You can’t delay, we have 30 days to complete the documents, otherwise you will have to leave the country and call in again to extend your stay for another 30 days. Putting things together and leaving the money for the night on the table, we hit the road. The road is again along the sea, through the entire Boka - Kotor Bay.
An hour later we arrived in Herceg Novi. We signed an agreement for the registration of a company and for the preparation of documents for obtaining a bravka (a work visa for a year) for me and my wife. We paid €950 for everything.
Parking in Herceg Novi is paid. In the center, an hour costs 60 euro cents. To pay, we bought a parking slip (you can also pay via SMS, but you need a local SIM card), filled it out and put it under the windshield. Upon returning an hour later, a parking attendant was waiting for us, who said that the sheet was filled out incorrectly and charged us a fine of € 5, but they remembered it for life.
We are lucky with hotels every other time, so the room was wonderful for all the same 25 euros per day. By the way, the lawyer introduced us to a realtor who promised to find housing, and in the evening we went to see the first version of the apartment. We liked it, it was a 3-room apartment with a full kitchen and a huge balcony overlooking the sea, but without the Internet. Looking ahead, I’ll say that now we live here, but at that moment we were not ready to move in right away, because the hotel was paid for a week in advance.
Living on the spot
The next day we met with a lawyer and went to a notary to certify documents for a future company. After that, we walked a lot around the city, looked around, studied the area. So a week passed, after which we moved to a 3-room apartment and the adventure began.
The whole day after settling in, we scrubbed the apartment, unloaded things, put everything in its place, even washed the refrigerator - we settled in. The first night there was a strong storm, pouring rain, we listened to the house and could not sleep well. In the morning, a leak was found under the balcony door in the bedroom. It turned out that she did not fit snugly to the frame. In Montenegro, there is no central heating and they warmed themselves with a heater all night. We also did not know that the water heater in the apartment should always be turned on and in the morning we had to wait 3 hours for the boiler to heat the water. Plus, the drain in the kitchen was clogged. All this unsettled us, and we went to our realtor, asking him to find us more options.
We were counting on the amount of €250 without paying for electricity and water. Plus we have a dog. For this money, we picked up 3 more options. We did not like any of them, and by joint efforts it was decided to eliminate the shortcomings in our apartment, install internet and pay 250 euros per month, plus €20 internet, and utilities (electricity and water).
Meanwhile, difficulties arose with the registration of the company, the department in Podgorica changed, and with it the rules for processing documents, and the people who accept these documents. The deadlines dragged on, and thirty days were coming to an end. There is nothing left to do but to leave for Bosnia and Herzegovina for one day.
They decided not to take the dog, since the trip took a maximum of 6 hours. From Herceg Novi to Trebinje is about an hour's drive, including crossing the border. Here in the mountains we saw snow for the first time. The tops of the mountains prepared for the New Year. We decided to ride a little further and go to Lake Bilechko. A lake around the mountains with crystal clear water, plus calmness and not a single soul within a radius of one kilometer. We haven't experienced this in a long time. Here you can think about the eternal, meditate or just eat a pomegranate that grows on the way to the lake. Indescribable beauty, indescribable silence.
We returned to Trebinje. We walked around the city. Very cozy town, even found a couple of places for decent shopping. We went to the local supermarket and bought treats for the dog and a bottle of Bosnian wine. So to say foreign hotels. It's time to return.
Along the way, we stopped a couple of times to take pictures. Very beautiful views. We drove back to Montenegro without any problems, without even getting out of the car. Now we definitely need to be in time with the paperwork. In stock again thirty days.
The next morning we met with a legal assistant and went to file documents with the police. Everything went well, I was photographed, electronic fingerprints of my index fingers were taken and the signature was scanned. Then we went to the electronics store, we decided to buy a fan heater, because the heater consumes a lot of electricity and spent €28. There are a lot of fishermen on the piers in Herceg Novi, they went to a fishing store to find out how much a good fishing rod and tackle cost, as it turned out, around €50. Probably, it is worth going further by prices and destroy the rosy idea of \u200b\u200bcheap living in Montenegro. Do not forget that at the time of November - December 2013, the euro in Russia costs about 45 rubles.
So, products in supermarkets:
- Chicken carcass 1.5 kg - €4.5;
- Macaroni - 0.70;
- A dozen eggs - 1.20;
- Ketchup - 1
- 200g. ground coffee - €1.40;
- Washing powder - €4-5 (3kg.);
- Shampoo Gliss Kur - €2.65;
- Milk - €0.70;
- Yoghurts - up to €0.50;
- Bananas 1kg - €1;
- Pomegranate 1kg - €1.70;
- Salt 0.5kg - €0.30;
- Rice - €1;
- Big pack of chips - €1.49;
- Deodorant Rexona for men - €2.85;
- Vegetables in a vegetable shop in kg.:
- Tomatoes - €1;
- Potato - €0.70;
- Tangerines - €0.70;
- Salad - €1;
- Bread in the bakery - from €0.40 to €0.80.
Of course, prices vary from store to store and city to city. But the general picture is that we spend almost as much as in Moscow. At the same time, we are not frequenters of cafes, we often cook food at home. They write that there is a lot of cheap wine in Montenegro. This is true, but with one big BUT ... The fact is that it is cheap, because it is a swill - a young wine diluted with alcohol, from which the head hurts and which is sold in liter bottles with a beer cork. Such wine costs almost from €1 to €2-3 per bottle. Good wine costs from €8-10 for a standard 0.75l bottle. So there is no difference with Moscow.
Yesterday we paid our first electricity bill. Let me remind you that the apartment has a refrigerator, air conditioning, a boiler, an electric stove with an oven, a heater (works at night), a fan heater, light bulbs (fortunately, we changed everything to energy-saving ones for 3 euros each), as well as a wi-fi router, two laptops and telephones charged once a day. The total bill was 65 euros for the first month. According to rumors, water will cost around 10 euros. Let me tell you about the internet. For 22 euros per month we have an 8 megabit channel with a return of 1 megabit. Skype, youtube and torrents are enough.
After 8 days I received a boravak, immediately filed documents for my wife's boravak. On the same day, we opened a bank account for the company and met with an accountant. As they said, 130 euros will be spent on taxes per month and 70 euros on the salary of an accountant.
Another week has passed. We have been in Montenegro for almost 2 months. Finally got a borawak for the wife and decided to celebrate this event. For us, the best holiday is shopping, but not in terms of clothes, we love to buy all sorts of little things for the house. let's go to shopping centers, which are located between three cities: Budva, Kotor and Tivat. To our surprise, civilization has already reached here, New Year's discounts and an excellent assortment of goods for the home pleased us. In the evening we already decorated the Christmas tree. Finally, we feel at home and comfort has been created.
Now we intend to continue to equip housing, it would not hurt to learn the language, although it looks like Russian, but still very often we can’t make out anything from what the locals tell us. I really don’t want to work yet, we haven’t rested from the past bustle. In any case, now we can really sum up: all the tales about cheap life in Montenegro remain just tales. In the future, we will still have to work either for our own company, or to earn freelance. But that is another story.
Soon New Year. And while there is no desire to think about future problems. Here you want to live in the present, enjoy today, the weather and the sun make themselves felt. Even now in December it is +14, we get up with the dawn, make coffee in a Turk, go out onto the balcony and understand that this beauty was worth all these experiences and problems for almost a whole year of life.
That's all for now. And remember that the main thing in moving is the mood, you need to live with these thoughts and believe that everything will work out. Good luck to all!
Having returned from Montenegro on August 1, I still could not bring myself to take up the report. Probably because the impressions from this trip did not add up to a coherent picture, crumbling on the go and losing their clear outlines. And even now, almost a month later, I cannot accurately articulate my feelings from this trip and from the country itself. But still I'll try. I will not prevaricate - I expected much more - both from nature, and from the sea with beaches, and from sights. During the two weeks spent in Budva, I didn’t make any bright discoveries for myself, nothing really hooked me, there weren’t any strong shocks, so to gasp, either. Rather, Montenegro made a moderately pleasant impression on me, nothing more. Just a nice, small country with a homely and cozy atmosphere. Trying always and in everything to find the first positive moments, I'll start with the positive.
First of all, I liked that the country is very calm and absolutely safe. Everywhere you can freely walk and drive, everywhere there is a relaxed, homely atmosphere. Of course, I look at many things with completely different eyes and in this context I compared calm Montenegro with the realities of life in South America and recalled the dangers that await tourists in countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina. Here, such moments were completely excluded, which I immediately appreciated. Cozy at home and absolutely safe! Great advantage!
Very nice, friendly people, but not annoying, with dignity, they have everything in moderation. The older generation almost all speak Russian, the young people speak English. Thus, there are no communication problems. We lived at Villa Sentar, whose owners Marina and Michaud turned out to be very nice, pleasant people. They constantly invited us to the table, tried to help in everything, created a homely atmosphere.
And what Montenegrins are beautiful people, just a feast for the eyes! Especially the youth. All as a selection - tall, slender, bright, purebred! More than once I admired the local girls and boys, while receiving great aesthetic pleasure.
Montenegrin prices are also pleased. And for housing, and for food, and for transport, and for excursions. Very, very acceptable. We rented a small studio with a kitchenette and a bathroom for 42 euros for two. This is in the high season, in September the prices fall by half. You can dine for two modestly for 10 euros, more varied - for 15. There are also relatively expensive restaurants on the waterfront - Jadran, Don Koda Nikole, Tropico. The most expensive dishes are seafood, meat at reasonable prices. Popular meat dishes are chevapchichi, pleskavitsa, sacha meat. For my taste, Montenegrin cuisine abuses salt, many dishes are frankly salted. I even liked the local fast food in the form of hamburgers, shawarma, pancakes and waffles. All this is sold everywhere in abundance. For 2-3 euros you can have a delicious meal. Of the local delicacies, I liked prosciutto, as well as without it, and Negush, spicy cheese.
Now about the excursion program. Tour prices are also very reasonable. On average, from 17 to 35 euros per person. Children are given a discount, a little more than 50%. We bought all excursions on the promenade from Vladimir, travel agency Gardashevich. Initially, there were more plans, but on the spot I decided not to torment the child and not take a lot of time away from the sea. Therefore, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cetinje and Mount Lovcen, Bar and other little things were ruthlessly thrown back. As a result, we went on only four excursions - along the Bay of Kotor, to the canyons, to the Ostrog Monastery and to Dubrovnik. We went to St. Stephen on our own (it’s better to go in the morning and look both from above the road and from the water, completely different views)
In the stories about what you can and should see in Montenegro, most of the unpleasant moments are left out, which for impressionable citizens is a reason to imagine the perfect picture. Of course, things look different. I have been living in Montenegro for more than 2.5 years, so today I will tell you something that those who have just arrived and those who are just about to move do not notice. To be honest about real Montenegro, unexpected nuances and “minuses” inherent only to this country will emerge. I will dedicate a story to them, based on my experience and observations.
1 part. Where I explain why this information is needed and try to clarify the course of my thoughts.
I always try to treat blog readers with respect. Therefore, before publication, I look through all the comments personally. Sponsored links and questionable comments from those who are trying to promote something or offend someone, I do not publish. Just like the articles in the blog are written by me personally and have never been paid by anyone. But one of the last attempts to place a link in the comments led me to the idea of creating this post.
So, the company offers assistance in moving to Montenegro, citing a success story from one of those who moved in the first person. A person shares his impressions and worldview, and also tells how easy it is to apply for help in moving to one company.
They will meet you, warm you up and leave you to live legally, opening a state of emergency or LLC for you. The thing is good and kind, only if you tell everything as it is, and allow a person to make a decision based on real facts, and not a description of someone's 1 week of rest from their former homeland.
This topic is very popular and there are many questions related to it. They ask me: “Is it possible to open a business in Montenegro?”. I answer: "It is possible." Because you can. And I assume that a person understands the full responsibility of the fact that he will have a company in a foreign country. For some reason, in the Russian Federation, many are afraid of business because tax raids and police searches can happen for no reason, that bandits can come or the laws are stupid, taxes are high, etc. Because bribes and kickbacks will be an expense, and you will have to switch to gray schemes, which makes other raids and fines legal…
Montenegro Lustica
If at home you can still agree in your own language, then without knowing the laws of another country, without knowing how things are in general, and trusting everything to intermediaries, is it not more scary for you to open a business?
“Is it possible to find a job in Montenegro?”. "Can". Because it really is possible. And many work, and even seasonally, and illegally. People take risks, this is the right of every person. And I assume that people understand that things can not go smoothly, but with problems.
In terms of mentality, the former USSR sheep are still closer to northern and western Europeans or even Americans. Unfortunately, beautiful diferambs about Slavic brothers and the common Orthodox faith make sense only when drinking a bottle of wine or a decanter of vines at a common table. And in everyday life, when working together, in personal life somehow everything common, Slavic is forgotten, you notice the abyss between our mentalities. Montenegrins can rather be compared with mountaineers from Ossetia, Chechnya or Georgians, rather than with Europeans. It’s not that they don’t eat someone else’s food, but they are afraid to try it, other nations hate or treat with disdain, live in strange stereotypes and with the idea that Russians owe them (money / supply tourists in the right quantities / daily sex without obligations / buy from them at home etc). But if you do not intersect with them, then you may not feel all this. Many more do not see the difference between "stay in Montenegro from 2 weeks to 3 months" and live in Montenegro. So what can be revealed to the gaze of a local resident?
2 part. From which you will learn how I understand the difference between a short visit and permanent residence in Montenegro, and you will also be able to assess your readiness to move in some parameters.
The sun and the sea automatically make life fabulous, a measured way of life blinds your eyes and in the first months it seems like a salvation from the hustle and bustle of Moscow, for example. “Yes, this is how one should live,” the inhabitant thinks, and lubricates his skis, glancing in the direction of migration.
And, indeed, people do live. They move and live by the sea. Everything is cheap, the food is natural. Ecology again. Children have a place to grow up and enjoy life. People are so open. Everything is close, no stress. They also say that it is easy to open a business and live independently and legally. There are even companies that will prepare everything for you.
Have you ever thought, by the way, why is it so easy for a foreigner to come and get a residence permit? This is still a question for reflection, more on this later.
In general, it seems that Montenegro has flaws, but there are more of them at home and some flaws are not significant.
Time passes. As a matter of fact, they were in 3D cinema in Podgorica, at the sea every weekend, they already went to all the places, they appeared in their favorite pizzeria, meat “from under the sacha” became an integral part of life, they settled down. Anyone thought what would happen next?
Then begins a permanent life in Montenegro.
Everything is close, everything is small, something interesting happens infrequently. Cirque du Soleil and Sting bypass Montenegro, and even Stas Mikhailov comes only to insert Swiss dentures cheaper. Local stars and local music for everyone. Personally, I don't like much. You don't want to go to a whole concert of Haris Dzhinovich even for only 10 euros. There is a good Serbian group Van Gogh, but they don't perform often. This is not such a big problem, but it is worth considering before moving. After all, you may not find out about the Salvador Dali exhibition in Bar, you just need to follow the news. And even if you find out about it, then everything will be Montenegrin. I was at this exhibition, nice, but, in my opinion, pathetic. In Montenegro, everything is a bit slow and backward, people are not pretentious, so the level of many things is not up to par. Are you ready for this? 
Local residents in their mass are simple people, from the fact that the level of education is lame, and not pretentious, from the fact that there are usually few free funds. They don't need expensive services. And good specialists sell their services at a high price. Getting a manicure or haircut is not expensive, but don't expect high craftsmanship or quality. Everything will be done simply and accurately for you, you need to look for something more interesting. If your expensive equipment is broken, then do not expect that it will simply be possible to fix it. Just because only a few can afford expensive equipment, and the service has seen it 1-2 times or not seen at all.
History from life. Once they tried to fix it in the iPhone, the service accepted it, opened it, closed it and gave it back with a note that they could not do anything. Already in Russia, the service said that if the device had not been opened, having broken something, in the Montenegrin service, it would have been possible to replace 1 part and extend the life of the phone. These are the little things in life, it could happen anywhere, but in Montenegro the probability of this is much higher.
By the way, the Apple Store in Podgorica first switched to a “several hours a day” mode of operation, and is now closing. No one needs so many Apple products if the same store doesn't have cases and headphones for the same iPhone. All this is also solvable, but not as easy and fast as we are used to at home.
The myth that there are so many Russians in Montenegro that you are almost at home is tenacious. There are many, but not as many as local population, which sets the general tone. Do not forget also that Montenegrin citizens can easily visit Schengen without visas, which allows them to go to Italy and buy everything they need, which, for example, citizens of Ukraine and the Russian Federation cannot do so easily. The easiest way is to go to Belgrade, where you can buy tea, European chocolate, and find a greater variety in clothing brands. This is an 8 hour journey by car, on average. Or a night on the train, where there may be gypsies and other good ghosts.
You need to understand that in Montenegro what you are used to at home can be difficult to access. Sometimes not available in the country at all, or too costly, or too long to execute. If you have a car with an automatic transmission, then breaking it, you can wait for a new one from 1 to 3-4 months.
Think about the fact that the diet will change, that huge portions of fatty foods are one thing for the metabolism of a Montenegrin, but for people who are used to eating in order to cope with the cold, quite another. What at first is perceived as a tasty novelty, later can cause illness and excess weight, if you do not follow the diet. Lifestyle changes, and with it, eating habits. Adapt to the local color.
Montenegro winter
Finding out which medicines are used in Montenegro instead of those you are used to can also be a matter of more than one day.
Montenegro is in a different climate and different time zone. This means that weather sensitivity may increase, exacerbations of chronic diseases will take place differently, pressure and so on. You also need to be prepared for this.
Personally, for the first time in my life, I learned what a headache is in Montenegro. Before, I just didn't understand what a headache was. When the weather changes in spring, I sometimes feel it, although this has never happened to me in Russia.
I advise you to have a good lawyer's phone number in stock. These are found here, although their services are not cheap. The police themselves do not know the laws, and the locals do not know their rights. Therefore, a lawyer on guard of your interests should be directly available.
By the way, some differences from Russian legislation. In Montenegro, you cannot shoot the police on duty without special permission, i.e. you may not collect evidence in your defense by taking photos or videos. The traffic police may demand your passport and if they don't like something, they can call the "black" police, who already have the right to open your car, take you out of there and arrest you. Nobody cares about your property.
I met nice and nice police officers who told me how much money was stolen from my neighbors, although I did not even ask about it. But the structure of the state in Montenegro is still such that the authorities need to have a corrupt corrupt police force, this must also be borne in mind. If it is possible to make you pay a fine or a bribe, they will do it. 
Quiet life.
After living in the same city for six months, people conclude that it is extremely safe to live in Montenegro, that there are no crimes. The country is small, everyone knows each other.
If you follow the news, you know that about a year or two ago in Kotor, the owner of the most popular Maximus club was killed in a restaurant during the day. And in Podgorica, a man was killed in the area of the Old Airfield, next to the house where I used to live.
My friend from Niksic says that there are rapes and robberies. Niksic is generally a place through which drug trafficking ran back in those days when German marks were in use in Montenegro.
There are so many gypsies here, and the borders with Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia are open ... There are border posts where they won’t even check who you are and where you are from. I already wrote about a group of burglars in a new post about Podgorica. And there are enough drug dealers in ChG. Do not believe that everything is rosy. Nothing terrible, they don't shoot kittens on the streets, but they can't do without crime.
Your business in Montenegro.
A real or fictitious business still needs to be run. Someone has to do this. If your goal is to move, and the business is secondary, do not forget that this is still serious.
When you are offered to do everything for you, where at the end of all procedures you just sign a pile of papers that you don’t even fully understand, doesn’t it seem too simple to you? If they can quickly arrange a business for you and without you, then in the same way someone can arrange problems for you, because you don’t know what checks can be. What, who and how much to pay. Today you paid for someone's services, paid someone's bribes, and six months later the boss was replaced somewhere. He does not know that you are "his".
The seasonality of many types of business has not been canceled either. And without the money of tourists, the beauty of life by the sea can fade.
You can read about the aluminum plant in Podgorica. Who was right, who was wrong, and who got everything in the end.
Civil servants do not know the laws, and since citizens do not know their rights, guess who is always right? Even after living in Montenegro for several years, there is no certainty that you will become so familiar that you will know how to solve the problem correctly. How many years will there be an office that helped you move? Will she try to “milk” you by constantly offering business support, re-registration, or will she leave you after you have received a residence permit? Can you help if needed?
You can open an LLC or a state of emergency, you have collected documents, given them to someone, signed something. Of course, no one thinks about how to close it. This, it turns out, is also not easy. Leaving "business" and leaving is an option, but at the same time the company will hang on you, and issuing visas to other countries can be complicated. Taxes will drip. After all, the Czech Republic can become a member of the EU. How will your status change if Montenegro joins the EU in 5-7 years? For some reason, the fight against corruption in the country and the checks by the EU look to many as something good, as a guarantee that everything is fine in Montenegro and getting better. At the same time, it is not clear how you and your state of emergency will feel in the event of real "landings" of corrupt officials and changes in legislation.
Do Russians Feed Montenegro?
Legends about Russian saviors are already beginning to dissipate in the wind. If you have seen the reports of the Ministry of Tourism, which I somehow happened to see on the net, then you know that Russian tourists do not make up the largest share of vacationers in Montenegro. If we also take into account that the Russian tourist likes to go “savage”, to rent what is cheaper, not to spend money in restaurants, not to rent sunbeds, then the income from Russians in the country is not so great. Germans, Italians, French come to Montenegro in their cars, for them it is close and not expensive. They can come at least every year or 2-3 times a year. And their number is growing.
The British in general have long chosen Montenegro since the times when citizenship could be obtained simply. They live, for example, in the Lustica area.
Tourism ministry reports show data from hotels and from registered owners of tourist apartments and rooms. Those. reports on those who register their guests, and, accordingly, by law must pay tax. It turns out that Europeans stay in hotels more often, leaving larger sums in the country. And the attitude towards Russians among the local population is changing.
By the way, the Russian embassy is changing its attitude to your problems with changing your status to permanent residence. Not a rejection, of course, but a slight chill can be felt in case of difficulties.
Residence permit in Montenegro.
Everything is cheap.
They write that everything is very cheap. Clothing, such as children's toys. These are, of course, subjective assessments. Compared to Russia, everything is, of course, cheap. And even expensive electricity is not so affordable. For the local population, this is not the case at all.
If you do not take into account the obvious things like the location of the country next to European producing countries, then there is something else. Why is everything cheap? Well, for example, because the tax design exists, because the salaries are gray, the employee is carried out as an assistant to the guard without qualifications with a minimum salary and deductions for him are minimal. While still on probation, a saleswoman in a clothing store does not receive a salary at all. After the trial period - 300 euros. IN big cities more.
Of course, this is not interesting for those who have their own business in Montenegro and it will be forever, and the children will inherit the business and never face it.
But, nevertheless, when moving where to live “for good”, think about this.
For migrants, legislative acts are tightened every year, and try to keep track of what papers to collect for the next residence permit (boravok). Although in 2015 at least something pleasant happened for us - the possibility of obtaining a residence permit when buying real estate, and without a price threshold. But again, there are pitfalls, for example, here a few are given permanent residence, and almost no one is given citizenship.
If you read that members of the government in Montenegro are disinterested and drive cheap cars, live like everyone else and don’t put other people’s money in their pockets, don’t believe it either. And votes in elections are bought and received here taking advantage of people's fear of falling out of favor with those in power.
Perhaps this information is enough to cast doubt on everything that they may try to convince you of. Make informed decisions and do not forget that there are no ideal countries. In Montenegro, you can have a great time, a season or even a couple of years, but I would advise permanently living in this country only for children under 7 years old and inquisitive pensioners.
After the collapse of Yugoslavia and gaining independence from Serbia, Montenegro has become one of the largest and most popular resorts in the world. ancient architecture, beautiful nature, affordable prices and a favorable investment climate attract potential property buyers from all over Europe. Today we will tell you whether it is worth investing your cash in real estate in Montenegro in the current economic situation and how to make this investment the most profitable.
Where is the resort real estate in Montenegro located?
As you know, the area of Montenegro is small, and therefore resort areas here are placed quite compactly. All of them are on the coast. Adriatic Sea. Most popular resorts located in the Budva Riviera and the Bay of Kotor.
Less popular - in the Bar Riviera. The cost per square meter usually depends on the proximity to the sea and the location of the property.
Average buy new apartment or a house in Montenegro is possible by paying from 1000 to 4000 euros per square. Cheaper housing is better to buy in the secondary market.
Relatively inexpensive real estate is located in a region called the Bar Riviera.
It is difficult to find luxury buildings here, but you can easily buy cheap apartments and small private houses. Low cost housing due to insufficiently developed infrastructure. However, if you have a car, this calm and secluded region is what the economical investor needs.
For those who are looking for luxury villas and spacious apartments, it is still better to opt for the Budva Riviera. Such resort towns like Budva, Becici, Sveti Stefan and Petrovac have a huge variety of properties for every taste. The cost per square meter is very high here and can sometimes reach 5,000 euros. This also applies to the picturesque town of Kotor, located on the coast of the Bay of Kotor.
The most promising options for investing in real estate in Montenegro?
The most promising options for investing in real estate in Montenegro is the secondary housing market, as well as square meters in new buildings purchased at the initial stage of construction.
The second option has several advantages. Firstly, developers often offer investors payment by installments for up to two years, and secondly, prices per square meter at the initial stage of construction are approximately 20% lower than market prices
. Usually, after the construction of the house, the housing is transferred to the ownership of the buyer with a full finish of the premises and all necessary equipment¬ quality plumbing and installed air conditioning systems.
The most expensive and cheapest real estate in Montenegro - taxes and maintenance costs
Before buying property in Montenegro, it is very important for every investor to understand which regions provide expensive housing and which ones are cheaper. In the table below, we will consider the pricing policy of the country's main resorts.
| The most expensive real estate | The cheapest properties |
| 1. House with three bedrooms in Kotor. The cost is 400,000 euros. | 1. Apartments in the city of Bar. total area- 65 sq. m. The cost is 80,000 euros. |
| 2. Cottage on the coast of the Budva Riviera with an area of 50 sq. m. The cost is 300,000 euros. | 2. Estate in the Bar Riviera. The average cost is 400,000 euros. |
| 3. luxury villa in the resort of Sveti Stefan. Area - 90 sq. m. The cost is 760,000 euros. | 3. House in the town of Sutomora. Area - 160 sq. m. The cost is 170,000 euros. |
| 4. Two-room apartment in Becici with an area of 70 sq.m. The cost is 210,000 euros. | 4. House on ski resort Kolasin with an area of 100 sq. m. The cost is 110,000 euros. |
As for the taxation system in Montenegro, I would immediately like to note that the rates here are much lower than in others. European countries. The main taxes are:
- Real estate tax in case of purchase - 3% of the cost of housing.
- The tax on real estate that is rented out is 9%.
- The annual tax on the property is 0.1 of the cadastral value.
- Inheritance property tax - 3%.
In addition, the investor needs to remember about the costs of maintaining the acquired square meters. Typically, payments are 20 euros per square for the maintenance of an ordinary house or apartment, and about 30 euros for owning luxury real estate. Utility costs vary from 100 to 300 euros depending on the type of property purchased and its location. In addition, an obligatory payment is the insurance service, the amount of which is 50-70 euros annually.
Real estate tax in Montenegro when buying and renting
As you know, any property in Montenegro is subject to a special tax. Its amount upon purchase is 3% of the value of the acquired object. In addition, every year the investor is obliged to pay the state 0.1% of the cadastral value of housing.
This year, the country's parliament submitted for consideration the issue of increasing the tax rate on real estate from 0.1% to 0.25%. This is due to the need for state bodies to replenish the revenues of municipalities.
Legal procedure for buying / renting real estate
Buying and renting real estate in Montenegro is a very responsible matter, which means that it should be approached sensibly. The main feature of all real estate transactions is the mandatory involvement of a notary in the process. In addition, each investor should be aware of the following nuances of the legal procedure for buying / renting a home:
- To purchase property in Montenegro, a potential buyer does not have to create a commercial company.
- Land for the construction of a construction site can be acquired not only by legal entities, but also by individuals.
- The transaction of purchase and sale of housing takes a maximum of 3 days.
- According to the legislation of Montenegro, you can buy real estate only from the direct owner.
- It is possible to conclude a contract of sale or lease not only through the personal presence of the parties, but also with the help of a power of attorney translated into Montenegrin.
- Each investor is required to register with the Community. Submission of documents costs 13 euros.
- Before signing the final version of the contract, it is possible to sign a preliminary agreement. In this case, the buyer is obliged to pay the seller a deposit in the amount of 10% of the value of the acquired property.
- The transaction is considered completed only after the final settlement with the seller.
Prospects for the development of the real estate market in Montenegro
According to experts' forecasts, the demand for real estate in Montenegro this year will be accompanied by stable growth, and low-cost properties will become especially popular. This is due primarily to the adoption of a law that allows owners of Montenegrin real estate to quickly obtain a residence permit.
Some experts predict a slight decrease in activity among Russian and Ukrainian investors due to the devaluation of the national currency.
As for the entry of Montenegro into the NATO bloc, this moment is unlikely to significantly affect consumer demand among Russians. So, for example, Bulgaria and Spain, which are popular, have been members of the Alliance for more than a year, and this does not particularly bother the Russian buyer. In any case, real estate in Montenegro remains one of the most proven ways to properly invest your financial savings, despite the global economic crisis.
