Montenegro - Mini 2 permits required?

[Avistu]

Hi all,

In mid-September I will be travelling to Montenegro on holidays and I was planning to take my Mini 2 along. I wonder if anyone has any recent experience on travelling and flying in Montenegro?

The latest thread about this I could find here is 3 years old, pre-EU updated drone laws.

Online search results point to the need to request 30 days in advance an Import Permit to the Ministry of Economy, with Montenegrin-language documents "notarized" and also to submit forms to local Aviation Authorities in advance of each flight with details of date, location, UAV and personnel involved etc.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[Skydreamer]

Drone Laws in Montenegro [Updated June 28, 2023]

According to CAA, drones are allowed in Montenegro, subject to CAA regulations. Read on for details.

drone-laws.com

there is few links on that page,there os a link where you can download form ,its in serbian / english,and emal it to CAA……
ps. once you register your name will be on this list too

https://www.caa.me/sites/default/files/spisak_operatora_sistema_bespilotnih_vazduhoplova.pdf

 

[KamikazePilot]

Hi all,

In mid-September I will be travelling to Montenegro on holidays and I was planning to take my Mini 2 along. I wonder if anyone has any recent experience on travelling and flying in Montenegro?

The latest thread about this I could find here is 3 years old, pre-EU updated drone laws.

Online search results point to the need to request 30 days in advance an Import Permit to the Ministry of Economy, with Montenegrin-language documents "notarized" and also to submit forms to local Aviation Authorities in advance of each flight with details of date, location, UAV and personnel involved etc.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Did you end up figuring out the answer to this for Montenegro? I am headed to Montenegro on Friday and hoping to bring my mini 4 pro. It seems that I don't need to do anything special if it weighs under 500g (which it does) but getting very inconsistent/unclear answers across the internet. I am hoping i don't need to register or anything else.

 

[txtdrone]

Did you end up figuring out the answer to this for Montenegro? I am headed to Montenegro on Friday and hoping to bring my mini 4 pro. It seems that I don't need to do anything special if it weighs under 500g (which it does) but getting very inconsistent/unclear answers across the internet. I am hoping i don't need to register or anything else.

You need permission from the Ministry of Aviation and the Ministry of Economy. Otherwise, the drone will be taken away at the airport and given 20 days to receive these documents and forced to clear it through customs (20-30% of the cost). I had a bad experience and miraculously managed to prepare the documents. If you don’t have time to get these 2 documents before leaving, don’t risk it, because you’re unlikely to have time to resolve the issue in 20 days and lose your drone forever.

 

[Avistu]

Apologies for not being able to reply earlier, @KamikazePilot , but I had to go on a work trip just after returning from Montenegro. Unfortunately @Skydreamer was only partially correct, and as @txtdrone mentioned and I have noted in my initial post, there is another permit required.

This is what I did (spoiler alert, I couldn't take my drone to Montenegro),

- Contacted the Civil Aviation Authority explaining my UE certification, model of aircraft and asking for clarification on documents to take my drone, and fly it.

- Next working day I got a reply with links to the documents I had to fill in order to fly a drone in Montenegro, instructions on the Tivat and Podgorica restricted areas, contact email to coordinate with them and an example of an already filled document in Montenegrin and with English translations. The reply also confirmed the need to get an import permit from the Ministry of Economy and email addresses were kindly provided.

- I filled the documents and returned them to CAA which in a few days replied confirming that I had been added to the "Spisak operatora sistema bespilotnih vazduhoplova" (the drone authorised operators in Montenegro, and I checked that the name was indeed there).

- I contacted the Ministry of Economy, got the documents required, filled them and returned promptly,

- Nine working days later, the day I was flying on the evening, I still didn´t have any news from the Ministry, so I decided not to risk a fine and confiscation so I did not take my drone.

So, taking your drone to Montenegro is feasible and simpler than I feared, but prepare to send the documentation really in advance of your trip. The CAA is helpful and reply quickly, but the burocracy in the Ministry of Economy is even more slow than you would expect.

Of course, you could try to sneak your drone through customs but I would advise against it. And, remember, Montenegro is in Europe but not in the EU.