Elizabeth, why did you move to Montenegro? What attracted this country?
Probably, we didn't have any special expectations for a calm rhythm of life, and we don't have much need for a megalopolis with its high-rise buildings and frenzied pace. For the last 6 years in Russia, I have been living outside the city, so this kind of regularity is familiar to me. My husband is from the Moscow region, and he is also not a fan of the hustle and bustle of the city. Therefore, a calm rhythm, clean air, and beautiful nature are probably what bribed us.Besides, when we moved, it was pretty easy to legalize. You can still stay here without a visa for the first 30 days. Some, by the way, have been living like this for several years "they get visas" every month.
It's easy to get a residence permit in Montenegro through the purchase of any housing, right? Is this the basis on which you issued your status?
It's not exactly easy, but it's possible. The first "borovok" I had was a worker, we were still renting a house then. We have already received the second one as property owners. However, we had to wait almost a year for the "non-disclosure sheet" document on the ownership of the apartment, which allows us to obtain the most cherished residence permit.
How did you get there? At that time, direct flights between Russia and Montenegro were already closed, wasn't it?
We traveled by car on a long route, through Georgia, Bulgaria, Serbia. We have a dog and a cat, so flying is not the best option. In 2022, it was still allowed to travel through Bulgaria using Russian numbers.
Then, after cars with Russian license plates were restricted in Europe, we had to drive our car back to Russia the same way. It was possible to continue driving around Montenegro, and the insurance was inexpensive, only 250 euros per year, but it was inconvenient. My husband has a Moldovan passport, which gives him the right to visit Croatia, Albania, Greece without a visa, but not on transport registered in the Russian Federation. We had to get a car here.
Is it possible to do without a car in Montenegro? Or is it difficult?
You can, but you probably won't feel what Montenegro is. The country seems to be small, but there is so much beauty in it! We often travel by car, and in two and a half years we haven't seen everything yet.
Then it matters where you live. If the house is on a hill, and there are a lot of them here, I can hardly imagine how to climb every time, for example, with eggplants with water.
And it's more convenient to travel around the city on your own transport. Budva seems to be compact, only 2.5 km long along the Adriatic, but you can't walk.
In addition, the infrastructure you need is scattered across different cities. For example, to buy things for the summer or winter season, you need to go to Podgorica - there is no large shopping center in the resort town of Budva, only small shops. It takes about an hour to get there by car. You can also take a bus, but it takes longer, of course.
For delicious croissants, you go to Tivat to fill some more of your needs in the Bar. There is no city that would incorporate everything basic.
Elizabeth, why did you choose Budva? What neighborhood do you live in? Do you like him?
We preferred Budva, as well as Montenegro in general, since my friend and her husband already lived here. By the way, they left a year later, but we stayed that way.First, we settled in the small village of Seotse on the mountain, rented an apartment in the "landing", that is, on the ground floor. This was a mistake, by the way, because such housing is especially vulnerable to mold.
After we bought the apartment, we moved to Budva itself, on its eastern outskirts. Now we also live on a mountain in the Podkoshlyun area. Koshlun is the name of the mountain, meaning the area lies under the mountain. The view from here is gorgeous on the sea, no construction sites will block it.
It's only a 20-minute walk from our house to the city center, and 10 minutes to the beach. A large shop, a cafe are all nearby. The only difficulty is that a rather sharp serpentine leads to us. It seems that I was just driving through the city on a flat road, and then suddenly there were several steep ascents, at ninety degrees and even almost at one hundred and eighty. The race is difficult for those who are not used to it. My friend, for example, and my mom often leave the car downstairs and walk up to me. Although my husband and I don't even notice these turns anymore.
However, this location has a huge advantage - because of the high hill, none of the tourists come to us. During the season, Budva is very crowded, there are huge buses all around, traffic in the city is difficult, and parking the car is a problem. But our street is quiet, and there is always a place to park, even though it has not been bought from us.Another advantage that we have appreciated over time is that the street ends in a dead end. Our house is on the outskirts and there is no traffic in front of it. Unfortunately, the locals have a peculiar driving style, they drive, and it's dangerous to live by the road, especially with children and animals.
How did you choose an apartment? What points did you pay special attention to? What criteria were important?
Initially, we had no intentions of buying real estate, we planned to rent a house. The parents were looking for an apartment in order to rent, based on this, they chose the area. But it turned out that we really liked the apartment. It was brand new, although not in a new building.
My parents and I agreed to exchange: our apartment in Russia was left to them, and this one was registered to me.
Ekaterina, the manager of the Cherry Estate agency, helped us a lot in finding a suitable apartment. We have considered many options, no less than 15. At that time, in 2023, there was just an influx of immigrants, and good inexpensive studio apartments were dismantled very quickly.
The apartment, which was eventually bought, at first seemed to be just one of the favorites. Now, after we have lived in Montenegro for some time, we understand that the choice turned out to be the right one. Sometimes you say to yourself, "Thank God for rejecting other options!"somewhere there would definitely be problems with parking, somewhere with mold.
All apartments in Montenegro are rented with finishing from the developer. We were lucky that ours also had furniture and appliances - everything was brand new, in packaging films, purchased by the former owner, who did not live here.
Another selection criterion is perhaps the most important - the documents must be in perfect order. In Budva, many houses were built illegally or not quite legally. If you run into such real estate, you either won't get a list of secrecy at all, or you will, but with restrictions.
Elizabeth, you mentioned that the apartment was empty for a long time before you bought it. Was there a mold problem? It is often in apartments that have not been used for a long time that fungus forms.
Indeed, in half of the apartments that we examined, there were traces of mold, in some places already covered over. Be sure to look around with a flashlight! In this sense, housing in the "landing" is at special risk.
Our apartment, surprisingly, turned out to be completely dry, no traces of mold, despite the fact that the house is already a little over 10 years old.
However, we still had to deal with mold this fall. During the hurricane, two pieces of tiles were torn off the roof of the house, and rain fell inside. After that, a fungus formed in one of the corners of our apartment, which was affected by the fact that we live on the upper, 4th floor. The head of our house immediately called the foreman, who came the next day and fixed the roof, but we had already eliminated the mold on our own.
And how do you warm up in winter? Is it cool in the apartment now?
It's cool in the house in winter, so we use air conditioning, as well as an oil heater, which provides pleasant warmth. Moreover, it's been a year since we got a dehumidifier. This is the first thing in Montenegro, considering the humidity here! It happens that the device collects up to 12 liters of water per day.Tell us, how did the transaction for the purchase of an apartment in Budva take place?
The transaction takes place in the notary's office in the presence of an interpreter. The notary must review the documents and give his consent. Next, he reads out the contract in Montenegrin, and the translator reads it in the language of the foreign buyer or seller. Then the parties sign a contract.
According to the terms of the contract, we transferred 10,000 euros to the seller in cash, and the notary transferred the rest to him from his account, to which we had deposited the required amount in advance.
Since bank transfers fromRussia was already having difficulties back then, we brought the money in cash in several stages. Several family members each have 10,000 euros (that's how much you can take abroad at a time). At that time, we were not required to explain the origin of the funds, but now they may ask where you got the money from. This must be borne in mind. The confirmation will be, for example, a contract for the sale of property in any country.
After the settlements with the seller were fully completed, we received the keys. Then Ekaterina, the agency's manager, and I went to the post office and paid the 3% tax. It is mandatory when buying a home on the secondary market.
The notary sends the documents for the registration of the secrecy sheet without your participation, you just have to wait. It took us almost a year, and on average, people wait nine months for proof of ownership in Budva. The Budva Municipal Unitary Enterprise is known for its slowness! Everything is processed faster in the Bar.
Have you been living in Montenegro for more than two years? What are your impressions of the country now? What pros and cons do you notice?
Montenegro has changed a lot since we have been living here. There are many new restaurants, cafes, shops, cinemas, and even a choice. Previously, Budva used to fall asleep for the winter, but now almost none of this closes out of season. Now everything circulates all year round.There are many advantages. Montenegrins are kind and friendly. The language to learn is simple. In tourist places, you can explain yourself in English, but outside of them people will not understand you. I have a basic level of Montenegrin right now. I can talk to the courier, make an order at the restaurant. For now, this is enough for me, since I only communicate with visitors at work.
In general, proximity to Europe is a plus in itself. There are many direct flights, and you can find super-cheap tickets. For example, I recently came across round-trip tickets to Milan for only 50 euros.
One of the disadvantages is medicine. Unfortunately, everything is sad with her. There aren't enough well-trained doctors, so if there's a serious problem, they probably won't help you here. Nevertheless, among my friends there are those who gave birth, and those who had surgery in local clinics. A lot depends on the connections... For example, people even go to another part of the country to see a good specialist, a dentist.
Another point is that living in Montenegro is quite expensive. Prices are sometimes higher than in Germany. In a restaurant, a hot dish costs about 20 euros, and a salad costs about 10 euros. A dozen eggs, for example, costs 2.20-2.30 euros. Due to the high cost of food and housing, many foreigners leave Montenegro. If at the beginning of the migration those who earned about 70,000 rubles could exist here, after a few months they did not fit into this budget in any way.
Elizabeth, how did you manage to find a use for yourself abroad? Do you have any friends in Montenegro, a social circle?
My social circle is mainly related to my profession. I'm a dog handler, I train dogs, plus I take one or two to visit me for overexposure.
In fact, I only had to advertise a couple of times in a local chat, and I didn't need any more advertising. People find me through acquaintances, word of mouth works.
My husband is engaged in international transportation. He has a passport that allows him to travel to European countries without a visa.
In general, there are already a lot of Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians in Montenegro. It won't be difficult to find a conversation based on your interests. In the summer, you walk around Budva and hear mostly Russian-Ukrainian speech. Russian Russian-language schools, Russian kindergartens, various retirement clubs, and everything.
We are absolutely comfortable living here. It helps that Mom and her younger brother also moved here with us. They live next door, in a bar. My older brother is in Serbia, and we often visit each other.
Thank you Elizabeth Krisman for sharing her experiences with our readers!
Thank you for your help in preparing the material Cherry Estate real estate agency, Montenegro!
