Compare Euro Exchange Rates in Montenegro

Getting euros for your trip to Montenegro

Montenegro pays in euros without being a member of the EU or the euro area. Its central bank dates the euro as official money from 1 January 2002, after a spell on the Deutsche Mark that began in 1999.

The Central Bank of Montenegro stresses that using the euro is entirely different from membership of the euro area, and that it does not issue euros itself: the currency comes from the European Central Bank. It has struck commemorative coins for anniversaries, most recently for its own 20th in 2021, but everyday notes and coins are the standard euro ones.

Euros are easy to buy before you fly, and any you bring home will work in the euro area later. Pounds can also be changed in Montenegro at bank counters and exchange offices, the national tourist organisation says.

Best ways to pay in Montenegro

Fee-free debit cards

The best all-rounder for payments and withdrawals; check your provider's terms, as a Montenegrin machine may add its own fee.

Credit cards

Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, American Express and Diners all appear on the tourist organisation's list. Avoid using a credit card for cash.

Cash machines

Available in every town, the tourist organisation says. The FCDO suggests machines inside banks where you can.

Euro cash

Worth having for kiosks, beach bars and taxis, where a card may not be taken.

Using cards in Montenegro

According to the national tourist organisation, card payment is the norm in the great majority of restaurants, hotels and bars, as well as at petrol stations and grocery shops. The FCDO's advice is to keep your card in sight when you pay, as card details can be stolen without you noticing.

• Restaurants, hotels and bars
• Petrol stations and grocery shops
• Kiosks and market stalls: carry euros
• Taxis: agree the fare first and carry cash

Tips

• Pay in euros: If a terminal asks whether to charge you in pounds or euros, choose euros so your own bank sets the exchange rate.

ATMs in Montenegro

Montenegrin banks publish their fees for their own customers but not for visiting cards. NLB says withdrawals are free for NLB Group customers at its machines and that the owner of any other machine may charge, and Erste says the same for its own network. For a UK card, read the screen carefully before you confirm.

Cash machines to use

• Machines inside bank branches, as the FCDO advises
• Banks on the tourist organisation's list, such as CKB, NLB, Erste and Hipotekarna

Cash machines to think twice about

• Street machines that show any sign of tampering
• Any offer to convert the withdrawal into pounds

Use a machine inside a bank, decline conversion and take euros.

Changing money in Montenegro

According to the tourist organisation, banks and exchange offices will swap pounds and other currencies. Ask for the total in euros before you hand over notes, and compare it with what a card withdrawal would cost. Tivat Airport's own pages do not list a cash machine or exchange desk, so do not rely on one there.

Visitors have a day from arrival to register their stay, either at a police station or through the town's tourist organisation. Hotels normally handle it; in private accommodation it is your job, and the FCDO warns of fines, detention or a court appearance if you skip it.

The FCDO says sums of 10,000 euros or more in cash or travellers' cheques must be declared at the border; keep the stamped form until you depart, or the money may be confiscated.

Tipping in Montenegro

We could not confirm Montenegrin tipping customs from a reliable source, so no figures are given.

• Check whether service is already included