Traffic Law Montenegro

Montenegro has the same traffic laws as the rest of Europe.There are no significant differences with Russia. However there are a few local subtleties that you should know if you plan to drive in Montenegro.

An international driving license is not required.
According to Article 176 of Montenegro traffic safety law, effective since January 2013, citizens of Russia and other CIS countries may operate transportation vehicles in Montenegro with their own national license. All types of licenses are recognised that are valid in the issuing country.

The same right is supported by the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 1968. All countries that signed the Convention (including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Montenegro, countries of former Yugoslavia etc.) agree to recognise driving licenses issued by any other participating countries.

Acceptable blood alcohol level — 0.3 per mille.
This level means you can only have a small beer if you are planning on driving. Any alcohol intake that borders or surpasses a single drink will result in an unacceptable blood alcohol level. Note that Montenegro police enforces this rule very rigidly. For example, 100 grams of rakia or vodka (more than 0.5 per mille) will lose you your license along with a fine of up to €2000 or even result in a jail sentence of 2 months. This is reasonable, as the roads in Montenegro are not often not easy and require constant attention.

Daylight running lights should always be on. This rule is in effect in many European countries. Some car manufacturers even supply cars that automatically turn DRL lamps on during driving. This option is called ‘Scandinavian lights’, because Scandinavian countries were the first to introduce this rule.

It helps you see oncoming vehicles well in advance. Montenegro roads are narrow and hard to navigate or predict, so this rule literally saves lives, especially when overtaking, every moment is critical.

The fine for DRL lights being turned off (as any other fault that concerns lights and lamps) can be €80.


Cars at roundabouts have priority over cars that enter the circle.
If you are entering a roundabout, give way to those who already entered. Recently, the same rule was implemented in Russia. It is quite reasonable given the capacity of the circle is limited. That is why it is more important exiting it than entering it.

While you should follow this traffic rule in Montenegro yourself, be considerate and watch if other drivers behaviour too. Many Russian tourists still are not used to the new rules and have had accidents at roundabouts in Montenegro, that is why you should be especially careful when entering a roundabout.

Traffic lights with additional sections. An additional section is a side traffic light with a green arrow. According to Montenegro traffic safety law main traffic light sections regulate all directions at the intersection. The only exception is the when the additional section is on. When it is on, it permits movement in the direction indicated by the arrow.

For example, you are at a perpendicular intersection. You see a traffic light with an additional arrow. The main green light turns on. At this time you can move in all unrestricted directions. Then, the main red and the additional green lights (right arrow) turn on. At this time, you can only turn right.

Pedestrian crossing regulations. In most countries, green light at a pedestrian crossing turns on only when there is no traffic through the crossing. Hence why the pedestrians walk when it is green without having to pay too much attention. In Montenegro, the traffic lights work in such a way that the green light for pedestrians turns on when there still are cars on the crossing. Pedestrians can now enter the crossing and they have priority, so cars can continue to move only when there are no pedestrians at the crossing.

For example, you are at a crossing and see a green right arrow. You start moving. At the same moment, pedestrians also see their green light and enter the crossing that you are about to pass. This means that you should stop almost immediately after starting the maneuver and wait for all the pedestrians to exit the crossing, only then should you continue moving.

This rule seems a bit irrational or even unsafe, because drivers moving on green are usually sure that there will be no obstacles. And in Montenegro, it is not simply an obstacle, it is a pedestrian! Most probably, the rule was introduced to speed up movement at traffic lights. In Montenegro, the crossings are small, there is no high-speed traffic, so even this illogical assumption does not really affect anything. That is why at every crossing you should simply lower your speed and note the colour of the pedestrian traffic lights.

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    Good day!
    You can rent a scooter with engine not more than 50cc. But to tell the truth, scooter is not the best choice for Montenegro. The roads are narrow with lots of steep climbs. It’s similar like roads in Tenerife.

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    Good afternoon,
    I might be travelling to Montenegro for work. I have Spanish driving licence. I wanted to rent a motorbike or scooter in Montenegro. Wanted to ask if you could tell me whats the maximum CC (horsepower) for motorbike to rent with the Driving Licence permit B.
    Thank you