Owner guide
Guest registration and the tourist tax, from the owner's side
A guest thinks about this once, on arrival. An owner thinks about it at every check-in and check-out. Here is what the obligation is, who carries it out, and where it usually goes wrong.
Updated:
The deadline that shapes everything else
Every guest in Montenegro must be registered within 24 hours of entering the country. That single fact shapes the whole operation around arrivals — because registration does not wait for a convenient moment, or for guests to land at a reasonable hour.
- Deadline
- 24 hours from entering Montenegro
- What is needed
- ID card or passportFor every guest staying, children included.
- Confirmation of registration
- Issued in writingWorth the guest keeping until they leave the country.
In practice that means somebody has to hold the guests' documents and have access to the registration system on the day they arrive. When you host occasionally, that gets solved. When arrivals rotate every two or three days in July, it becomes work with a rhythm of its own.
What the tax costs and who is exempt
The tourist tax is charged per person, per night of stay, and is separate from the accommodation price. The amount is set by the municipality.
- Adults (18+)
- €1.00
- Young people (12–18)
- €0.50Half the full rate.
- Children under 12
- Free
- Property owners in Tivat
- ExemptWith proof of ownership; the exemption extends to immediate family.
The amount is set by the municipality and can change between seasons. The figures above were checked with the Tivat Tourist Board on the date shown; always confirm the current amount before quoting it to a guest.
Where it usually goes wrong
None of these mistakes is dramatic on its own. Together they create the feeling that hosting is not under control, and that feeling is what wears owners down fastest.
- Registration left until the end of the stay — The clock runs from the guest entering the country, not from checkout. Sorting the paperwork afterwards always takes longer than doing it on the day.
- Children left out — Every guest staying is registered, whatever their age. Charging the tax is a separate question from registering.
- Tax folded into the nightly rate — The tax is a separate line. When a guest first meets it on arrival it reads as an unannounced cost, and that is a common reason for a poor review that has nothing to do with the apartment.
- Last year's figure reused — The municipality can change it. A figure you remember is not the same as a figure you checked.
What ORTUS does here, and what stays with you
We take on coordinating guest registration as part of the operational scope, defined before work begins. In practice that means we hold the guests' documents and watch the deadlines, not you.
What we do not take on are your own obligations as a property owner towards the authorities. Those attach to you and to the property, and a management agreement does not move them. We keep the stay records that make them straightforward — which is not the same as replacing them.
This is not tax or legal advice. For your own obligations as a property owner in Montenegro, speak to an accountant or the relevant authority — we can give you records, not an interpretation of the rules.
Amounts and registration rules are taken from the Tivat Tourist Board and carry a check date. We explain the same subject to guests on the tourist tax page in the Tivat guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do I pay the tourist tax when staying in my own apartment?
According to the Tivat Tourist Board, property owners in Tivat are exempt with proof of ownership, and the exemption extends to immediate family.
Who registers guests when ORTUS manages the apartment?
We coordinate registration, within the scope written down before the cooperation starts. You do not collect documents or track deadlines.
Is the tax collected through Booking or Airbnb?
It depends on the channel and how the listing is configured. What matters is that the guest sees the tax announced before arrival, however it is collected — an unannounced cost at the door costs a rating.
What if a guest arrives late at night?
The 24-hour deadline runs from entry into the country, so a late arrival is not itself a problem when the process is set up. Under full management we handle arrivals, so it is resolved without involving you.