Expat insurance and health insurance in Montenegro

Montenegro's healthcare system relies on a single public fund, the Fond za zdravstveno osiguranje Crne Gore (FZOCG), under the Ministry of Health and organised around around twenty local agencies spread across the territory. Benefits in kind go to employees, self-employed people, farmers, pensioners, the unemployed and social assistance recipients, as well as their dependants (spouse, children up to 26 if studying, other permanently disabled dependants). The registered patient contributes to costs at around 20% with a GP and 40% with a specialist, with exemptions for children under 18, pregnant women, people aged 67 and over, people with disabilities, and for emergency medical or dental care.

As of 1 January 2025, funding for sickness-maternity insurance relies on a contribution of 8.50% of gross salary payable by the employee and 2.30% payable by the employer, collected by the Montenegrin tax administration (Poreska uprava Crne Gore) alongside income tax. France Diplomatie notes that Montenegro's healthcare system "doesn't guarantee the same level of assistance as in the EU": the public offering remains of average and uneven quality depending on the region, the private sector only covers certain specialties, medical staff rarely speak English, and medicine availability is limited to a list of authorised molecules, sold only at private pharmacies, health centres or the Institute of Public Health. The embassy recommends having an assistance and medical repatriation contract covering all medical costs, and favouring a return to France for any treatment beyond first aid.

• Stay under 90 days: no visa required for a French citizen; a valid national ID card is enough for a stay under 30 days, a valid passport becoming necessary beyond that. ID cards issued between 2004 and 2013 remain valid for a further five years, but a passport remains recommended to avoid any dispute at the border.
• Mandatory registration: any foreign national staying with a private host must have their stay registered with the tourism organisation or the foreigners' inspector at the relevant police station, within 24 hours of arrival, under penalty of a fine of at least €60; hotels generally handle this for their guests.
• Stay over 90 days: a visa application becomes necessary, with a travel document whose validity exceeds that of the requested visa by three months; contact the French embassy in Podgorica before departure for exact procedures.
• Local registration: mandatory for any employee or self-employed person working in Montenegro, with the FZOCG.
• Without local registration or cover under the bilateral agreement: care is billed at full rate by the facility, public or private, at a rate that varies by facility and isn't published uniformly.
• Student: no EHIC, as Montenegro isn't an EU member despite its status as the most advanced candidate (obtained 17 December 2010, negotiations opened in 2012); a student insurance plan or comprehensive travel insurance remains necessary, as the France-Yugoslavia agreement opens no local cover for an ordinary French student.
• Seconded employee : stays on the French scheme on presentation of the secondment certificate (form SE 21-01); the maximum duration of this arrangement isn't stated publicly on the CLEISS pages consulted, to be checked directly with that body before departure.
• Retiree: cover by the FZOCG remains possible, on individual request (forms SE 21-34/35/36), if the retiree has no rights under Montenegrin law; an accompanying spouse isn't covered by this process and must take out their own insurance before departure.

No individual fine is mentioned in the sources consulted for failure to register with the FZOCG, but the employer remains required to register their employee; for the expat themselves, the risk is above all financial, with no help from the French embassy for uncovered care.

As Montenegro isn't an EU member (the most advanced candidate since 17 December 2010, negotiations opened in 2012 but actual accession still uncertain to this day), coordination with France doesn't run through EU regulations 883/2004 and 987/2009. It relies on an old text: the general France-Yugoslavia social security agreement of 5 January 1950, supplemented by an administrative arrangement of 23 January 1967, made applicable to Montenegro by an agreement of 26 March 2003 on the succession of bilateral treaties, signed between the French government and the council of ministers of the then State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, and entering into force on 26 March 2003. It coordinates all social security branches except unemployment insurance.

• Temporary stay: for a French tourist without dual nationality, the agreement opens no local cover; only a retroactive reimbursement of unplanned care, optional and not guaranteed, remains conceivable on return to France, on presentation of paid invoices. An exception exists for a Montenegrin national living in France, returning home on paid leave: form SE 21-04 A (certificate of entitlement to benefits in kind), requested before departure, covers care during the stay, excluding planned care and repatriation.
• Secondment: secondment certificate (form SE 21-01), stays on the French scheme with no FZOCG contribution; medical costs incurred locally can be submitted for reimbursement via form S 3125c. The sources consulted don't state a maximum duration figure for this arrangement.
• Long-term move (expatriation): direct FZOCG registration as soon as a professional activity begins; form SE 21-02 (certificate of French insurance periods), requested before departure, allows Montenegrin authorities to take into account periods already contributed in France when opening rights. An expatriation is alternatively possible via registration with the Caisse des Français de l'étranger. If the family stays in France, they can continue to benefit from health insurance via form SE 21-08, to be submitted to the primary health insurance fund of their place of residence; form SE 21-23 allows, where applicable, claiming family allowance rights.
• Retiree: a holder of a French pension with no rights of their own in Montenegro can request cover by the FZOCG of their place of residence, which first checks the absence of local rights before forwarding the file (form SE 21-34) to the French pension fund, which replies with form SE 21-35 (approval) or SE 21-36 (refusal). An accompanying spouse isn't covered by this process and hospitalisation in France of over a month requires prior medical approval.

1. Before departure: notify French agencies of your departure (CPAM, CAF, France Travail, pension funds).
2. For any stay, including temporary: take out travel insurance or an assistance contract covering the entirety of medical costs and medical repatriation, as the France-Yugoslavia agreement opens no local cover for an ordinary French tourist.
3. Seconded employee: request the secondment certificate (form SE 21-01) from your French fund before departure.
4. Long-term move: request form SE 21-02 (certificate of insurance periods) from your French fund before departure, or consider registering with the Caisse des Français de l'étranger.
5. Family staying in France during an expatriation: request form SE 21-08 from the FZOCG to maintain health cover in France.
6. Retiree: contact CLEISS or your pension fund before departure to start, if needed, the local cover request (form SE 21-34).
7. For a stay over 90 days: contact the French embassy in Podgorica before departure for the applicable procedures and to start the visa application.
8. On arrival: register your stay with the tourism organisation or the police within 24 hours if staying with a private host.
9. Employee hired locally: check with your employer on FZOCG registration.
10. Self-employed: register and contribute directly with the FZOCG.
11. Register with the roll of French nationals living abroad (French embassy in Podgorica).