Montenegro has started the process of the questions of status of digital nomads and first concrete results are being expected during 2023. The Government of Montenegro had adopted the program of attracting digital nomads in the end of 2021.
The program implies ensuring of the legal framework for the legal stay and work of digital nomads, in privileged circumstances. They will be treated as a special category of foreigners, with special way of gaining that kind of status.
The plan outlines to allow to digital nomads to obtain a visa type D which would introduce them to possibility of obtaining permission for temporary stay for work. It assumes two years deadline with the right of extension.
The plan also outlines that digital nomads should undergo special treatment when paying income tax which they accomplished when working in Montenegro.
In July, this year through the Law about foreigners was the term digital nomads was introduced, that means the starter point for the further realization of the program. It is also considered that they are supposed to get the visa of type D (stay in the country longer than 90 days) before the entrance in the country. Exact procedures for bringing these decisions are still unknown. They should be done within 2023.
The plan outlines the online platform for electronic application and fulfilling of requests.
It is thought that Montenegro will accept the Croatian model of regulation status of digital nomads. Croatia has started officially with the procedure of DNV in January 2021, and thus has become the seventh state in the World whose legislation has provided to digital nomads job in their Country. For the period of only few months they accepted around 1000 applications of digital nomads from 25 countries.
A digital nomad is treated by the Croatian state as a person with the citizenship of the third country who is employed or does work using IKT for its personal matter or other company, and not registered in Croatia, who also does not do jobs or gives services to employers in Croatia. DNV defines the stay up to a year. By introducing digital nomads visa Croatia has made changes in the Law and Regulation about income tax. Each foreigner who proves that his job is a digital nomad is free of taxes and taxing reports for the activity for which he obtained digital nomads visa.
