Useful information
Montenegro used to be a part of the Union Republic of Yugoslavia. Formation of the State Community of Serbia and Montenegro, a political alliance providing considerable autonomy of both countries, was proclaimed on February 4, 2003. On June 3, 2006, Montenegro terminated its union with Serbia. The countries are separated from each other with an intra-republican border.As the country aspires to enter the European Union, a lot of laws have already been amended to meet the legislation of the EU. The economy and tourism are promptly developing, while foreign investments are being annually doubled and the real estate market is growing and rising in price.
The capital, the administrative and economic centre of Montenegro is Podgorica. According to the Constitution, the historical and cultural centre is Cetinje. The population amounts to about 650,000 people, the majority of whom are Montenegrins (40.6%) and Serbs (30%); national minorities are represented by Bosnians (13.7%), Albanians (7.1%), Croats (1.1%) and gipsies (0.4%). The official religion is Orthodoxy (69.6%). The national minorities practise Islam (21%) and Catholicism (4.2%).
The official language is Serbian. A lot of local residents speak quite good Russian. Elderly Montenegrins speak an original Montenegro language, while attendants at the coast know English, German or Italian. The national minorities mostly speak the Bosnian, the Croatian and the Albanian languages.
The monetary unit is Euro. Credit cards, including EU card, American Express, Visa, Diners Club and MasterCard, are accepted in the majority of hotels, shops, petrol stations, restaurants and cafes of the tourist zone, while in other districts of Montenegro, use of international credit cards and traveller's cheques is rather difficult.
The National Bank of Montenegro is open from 10.30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Commercial banks work from 8.00 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays and from 8.00 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. It is only several exchange offices that work at the week-ends. The price level is quite low, but about 25% higher in the coastal tourist districts than in the country in general.
Boundary and customs procedures for the citizens of the Russian Federation are as simple as possible. Montenegro has two international airports, in Tivat and Podgorica. In case of direct entrance, no visa is necessary; in case of transit through Serbia (the airport of Dubrovnik is 22 km from Montenegro), it is necessary to get a transit Serbian visa.
Domestic railway communication (Subotica - Novi-Sad - Belgrade - Bar) is well-developed, and the Adriatic highway connects all the towns of the Adriatic coast. In addition, there is ferry communication with Italy through the port of Bar-Bari.
The country has 5 large operators of cellular communication, including MoNet (Montenegro, GSM - 900, Code 67) and Proмonte (Montenegro, GSM - 900/1,800, Code 69), providing full coverage of the country.
The international code of Montenegro is 382
Emergency telephone numbers
Police - 92
Fire service - 93
First aid - 94
Information bureau - 988
Dates of holidays:
January, 1 - New Year
January, 7 - Christmas
April-May - Easter
May 1 - Labour Day
May 9 - Victory Day
May 21 - Independence Day
July 4 - Partisan's Day
July 13 - State System's Day
November 29-30 - Republic's Days
Time is two hours behind that of Moscow.