With its proximity to the border, Dubrovnik is an ideal launching pad to discover the delights of Montenegro, and many tourists take advantage of numerous low-cost and charter flights into Dubrovnik to arrive in Kotor and Budva. With Cilipi Airport about 15km east of Dubrovnik and on the road to Montenegro, a hire car at the airport can mean you are at the border within half an hour. There are a few things to bear in mind when planning to enter Montenegro by car.
Annual Eco-tax
One of the new additions to the Montenegro scene are the semi-official looking and (less than) semi-officious looking 'eco-police', typically young student types who approach any oncoming car with foreign plates and peer intently at the windscreens. Several travellers have reported comical instances of misunderstanding, where the 'policeman' appears to be flogging raffle tickets and the travellers are surprised at the persistent nature of said raffle ticket seller. Welcome to one of the newer taxes in Montenegro - the eco-tax. An impressive array of letters and colour-coded stickers will set you back €10 for a regular vehicle, €80 for a commercial - the rate is the same for multiple entry for a year or a quick coffee in Kotor on a day trip.
Car insurance for Montenegro and transit through Bosnia
Entering Montenegro by car usually causes issues surrounding car insurance. While standard European cover includes Croatia, Montenegro is excluded. Unlike driving in Albania, Montenegro's other coastal neighbour, proof of insurance is required. At time of writing, insurance could only be purchased on the border at one of the three entrance points from Croatia and Bosnia (usefully the most popular and practical crossing, on the airport road). Drivers are required to show ownership papers and the cheapest option - seven days' cover - is available for €15 for cars, €130 for commercial vehicles. The border guard will retain passports until proof of insurance is produced.
Routes into Montenegro - the options
While the Croatia - Montenegro crossing would therefore seem to make the most logical route, summer traffic can be unpredictable, and waits of more than three hours are not unheard of in peak season. The queuing levels appear to be random but they can be real. An alternative is to use one of the two entry points close by, via neighbouring Bosnia. A small turning to the village of Ivanica between Dubrovnik and the airport will take you through a small Bosnian border crossing and there are then two border options once you arrive in the pretty town in Trebinje, depending on where you want to go in Montenegro; turn right for Herceg Novi for the coast, Niksic for the interior and Podgorica.
There is only one catch (this is the Balkans after all), well actually two. You will invariably have to buy a green card for Bosnia (€20 for seven days) as it is not covered by standard policies, and although proof of insurance entering Montenegro is required, it is helpfully not sold at either border. There are eco-raffle tickets for sale if you are feeling lucky though! If you have not pre-arranged insurance, all is not lost, however, and it is possible to arrange with the border guards to fax documents to Niksic, 40km away and have a taxi driver (invariably a cousin of the border guard) deliver the temporary insurance to you for somewhere in the region of €50. The setting is stunning and you will have ample time to learn more about eco-raffle tickets, discuss English football and muse on why Montenegrin border guards do 24-hour shifts.
As with most things in the Balkans, a little forward planning generally helps, but as with everything else in the Balkans, everything changes for no reason at short notice!
Paul Bradbury - Author of Hvar: An Insider's Guide to Croatia's Premier Island, and Lebanese Nuns Don't Ski
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