It has been an exceedingly-long minute because you learn a headline line this, however the second has come. After 12 years, the European Union is gearing as much as enlarge as soon as extra, and this time, it is the paradisaical Montenegro being invited to hitch the membership:
A small nation on the shores of the Adriatic, packed filled with Previous World wonders and postcard-ready seashores, Montenegro has raced forward of different EU candidates like Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Serbia, and now appears to be like set to ascend to the Union in a few years.
Up to now, the nation has managed its personal borders, avoiding putting pointless pink tape on worldwide journey: they’ve to date refused to hop on the bandwagon and slap an eVisa requirement on People, nor have them give their fingerprints.
On high of that, Montenegro’s visa coverage is notoriously extra lax than the EU’s. Quickly sufficient, this might all change, impacting all vacationers:
Montenegro Might Be An EU Member By 2027
That is no baseless declare or unfounded rumor. It is coming straight from the horse’s mouth.
In line with the European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, Montenegro is a ‘main candidate’ for accession to the European Union. In her personal phrases, the accession course of ought to be accomplished someday between late 2026 and late 2027.
That is solely two years on the newest.
Certainly, Montenegro is the EU’s lowkey favourite with regards to enlargement, because of its extraordinary engagement in advacing the method in comparison with most of its neighbors:
To be able to enter the EU, a rustic should ‘open’ and ‘shut’ a complete of 33 ‘chapters’. Consider these as a guidelines of guidelines and requirements pertaining to issues just like the rule of legislation, the strengthening of democratic establishments, anti-corruption reforms, fishery, and lots of extra.
A chapter is barely ‘closed’ as soon as the candidate nation has met all its necessities. The EU will ratify an accession treaty solely after all 33 chapters have been closed.
We can’t get into element right here as this half is unlikely to be of curiosity to you as a traveler, however what you ought to know is that Montenegro has already opened all 33 chapters, and closed a complete of seven as of August 2025.
This will likely not appear to be loads, however let’s check out the chart under and the way Montenegro fares in comparison with its counterparts:
A Look At Montenegro’s Spectacular Progress
*Serbia is subjected to fulfill thirty fourth set of necessities throughout its accession treaty, referring to the normalization of relations with Kosovo
Elaborating on her earlier assertion, Kos indicated she might see ‘two to a few’ accession negotiations accomplished by the top of her mandate in 2029, with Montenegro being the apparent frontrunner.
She urged warning, nevertheless, as a prerequisite for ratifying an accession is that each one EU member states conform to it, even in any case chapters have been closed.
In that regard, Montenegro appears to have widespread assist within the European Union, which might assist its case. Nonetheless, it is a prolonged course of, and it may drag on for years, if not a long time.
It is Getting There… Slowly However Certainly
The painfully-slow tempo of negotiations has been criticized by North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski himself, who added he hopes different nations in search of to hitch the Union ‘is not going to have the identical expertise’ as his nation.
North Macedonia has been an official candidate for EU membership since 2005, whereas it is solely managed to start out negotiation talks in 2022, and at this level, no chapters have been opened or closed.
In terms of Turkey, they utilized as early as 1987.
In Montenegro’s case, candidate standing was granted solely in 2010, a lot later, making their faster-paced progress all-the-more encouraging.
That being mentioned, all of it relies on how Montenegro performs in negotiations within the coming 12 months. Extra optimistic projections level to full EU membership by late 2027, whereas less-optimistic ones favor the 2030–2032 deadline as extra reasonable.
How Precisely Will Montenegro’s EU Membership Affect Vacationers?
An accession to the European Union will deliver vital adjustments for Montenegro and Montenegrins.
Because the twenty eighth EU member state, Montenegro will get pleasure from unfettered entry to the European Single Market, and its residents will be capable of journey, research, and reside freely, with out making use of for visas, throughout a lot of the European continent.
That is nice information for them. However what about vacationers?
That is the place it will get tough:
Montenegro Will Begin Fingerprinting People
On October 12, 2025, the EU is ready to introduce its Entry-Exit System (EES), a brand new laptop system that can assist border brokers hold document of vacationers coming into and leaving the member states. It should exchange guide passport stamps, and tighten border checks total.
Sounds truthful sufficient, till you learn in between the traces, and discover out it’s going to truly contain giving your fingerprints and different biometric information. Be ready for longer wait traces at passport management beginning this fall.
The factor is, as Montenegro is not part of the EU, it isn’t required to function underneath the EES: flying to Montenegro, People are issued a easy stamp, and might usually simply breeze by way of the border with minimal questioning.
Ought to Montenegro be a part of the EU, it could be legally required to undertake the EES, which suggests it could additionally begin fingerprinting international arrivals.
People Will Want A Digital Entry Allow To Enter Montenegro
Equally to the EES, the ETIAS is an EU-wide initiative. Formally named an Digital Journey Authorization, it is basically a $23 journey allow you will need to apply prior to flying to Europe.
Although not but in place, the ETIAS system is scheduled to go stay in 2026, and it’ll fully change how People (and different present visa-exempt vacationers like Canadians and Brits) journey to the Previous Continent.
Until you may have an ETIAS in your identify, you’ll not be allowed to board a flight to any EU member states, and must you attempt to cross a land border from a non-EU nation into the European Union, you may be refused admission.
Evidently, ETIAS don’t apply in Montenegro, however you realize, as soon as it is a full EU member, will probably be a special story.
Oh Sure. That Schengen Factor
In the event you’re unfamiliar with Europe’s difficult journey guidelines, maybe you have not been launched to the Schengen Space.
It is a border-free zone that covers a lot of the continent, the place customary passport checks normally don’t apply, and crossing from one nation to a different feels as clean as going from California to Arizona.
Once more, sounds nice on paper, however do you know that, as an American vacationer, you’re solely allowed to remain within the Schengen Space for 90 days out of any 180-day interval?
‘Certain, no matter, 3 months is sufficient time‘… hum, we might beg to vary?
Most nations worldwide permit vacationers to remain between 90 to 180 days as guests earlier than they have to depart. Within the Schengen Space, the 90-day rule applies to 29 nations abruptly:
The Concern With Schengen’s Restrictive 90-Day Rule
In the event you’ve spent 30 days touring round Italy, you then have ‘solely’ 60 extra days to make use of up in 28 different European nations (it could possibly be France, Italy, Spain, Croatia) inside the subsequent 6 months.
When put that approach, it sounds a lot extra limiting, proper?
Fortunately for People, Montenegro shouldn’t be in Schengen on the minute, and they’re granted a 90-day keep independently of any time spent in different European nations.
Quick ahead a couple of years, and Montenegro is a full EU and Schengen member, and you’ll have to watch your clock right here, too, pal.
It is necessary to notice that Schengen membership is not computerized upon EU accession, so it could possibly be fairly some years down the road till Montenegro enforces the 90/180 rule, so that you’re good to go for now.
It Will Have A Stricter Visa Coverage
This final bit will not notably have an effect on People, nevertheless it might negatively influence lots of of hundreds of thousands of different vacationers worldwide.
Proper now, Montenegro has the liberty to outline its personal visa coverage, and it is notoriously extra beneficiant than that of the European Union:
Most notably, Russian and Turkish residents can enter Montenegro with out getting visas, in contrast to within the EU, the place they’re topic to a gruelling visa utility course of.
As an EU member state, Montenegro shall be legally required to absolutely align its visa coverage with the remainder of the Union. This implies it is extremely seemingly quite a few international residents who can presently journey there with their passports solely, shall be made to get a visa.
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