Montenegro

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on entry to Montenegro based on HIV status.

According to UNAIDS and the US Department of State, Montenegro does not have any HIV-related restrictions on entry.

According to the information provided by the Public Relations Service of the Government of Montenegro, among the general requirements to obtain an entry visa is proof of health insurance. No other document refers to the health of applicant.

The visa application form published by the Government of Montenegro does not contain questions or fields in relation to any health condition or status.

According to Article 27 of the Law on Foreign Nationals, visas can be denied if required for reasons including public health. However, there is no suggestion that this would include HIV status.

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on entry to Montenegro based on HIV status.

According to UNAIDS and the US Department of State, Montenegro does not have any HIV-related restrictions on short-term stay.

According to the list of requirements for a temporary residence permit listed on the website of the Public Relations Service of the Government of Montenegro, a temporary residence permit, including for work purposes, may be granted as long as there are no reasons to deny it on public health grounds. This is supported by Article 43 of the Law on Foreign Nationals. There is no suggestion that HIV would qualify as a grounds for refusal.

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on long-term stay in Montenegro based on HIV status.

According to UNAIDS and the US Department of State, Montenegro does not have any HIV-related restrictions on long-term stay.

The following summarises available information on access to healthcare for people living with HIV in Montenegro. There is no evidence that non-nationals are restricted from accessing treatment in the same way as nationals.

IOM reports that migrant workers have equal access to government-funded health services as citizens. The Constitution of Montenegro (2007) states that ‘[e]veryone has the right to health care’ and does not distinguish between citizens and migrants. Furthermore, according to the Law on International and Temporary Protection of Foreigners (2016, last amended in 2019), “[a] foreigner seeking international protection shall be entitled to … healthcare”, including emergency medical care and treatment of illness.

The healthcare and health insurance systems in Montenegro are governed by the Law on Health Care (2005, last amended in 2019) (to ensure the provision of mandatory health insurance) and the Law on Health Insurance (2016, last amended 2019). According to the Law on Health Insurance, migrant workers have access to primary, secondary and tertiary health services through the Republic Health Insurance Fund.

Primary health care covers 80 to 85 per cent of health-care needs. Secondary and tertiary health care is provided through specialist outpatient clinics and hospital wards.

According to the Law on Foreign Nationals, on the rights of foreign national with residence granted for humanitarian reasons, Article 53 states that foreign nationals who have been issued a temporary residence permit for humanitarian reasons shall have the right to accommodation, healthcare, education, work, and financial assistance, in accordance with the Law.

• UNAIDS
• US Department of State
• Public Relations Service of the Government of Montenegro
• Government of Montenegro
• Law on Foreign Nationals
• International Organization for Migration