Border Crossing Permits
HOW TO CROSS THE GREEN BORDER
Permits are part of a special application system used by hikers and cyclists who wish to cross the “green borders” between Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro or North Macedonia. This is typically the case when traveling on the Peaks of the Balkans, Via Dinarica or High Scardus Trail. Regular borders at roads and airports do not require a permit – the MNE/RKS Cakor Pass, mostly frequented by cyclists, is an exception. The permits allow the border police to account for people who cross borders outside of offical border crossing points, making sure your entry and exit dates are properly recorded and you won’t have trouble at immigration at the end of your holidays.
The application requires your personal details, a scan of your passport or ID card (depending on the country) and, for the Montenegrin permit, also the payment of a fee to the border police. In Albania and Kosovo permission is granted electronically and free of charge. For the Montenegrin permit, you pay a fee (€6/application + €3/person) at a local bank or post office within Montenegro and afterwards, equipped with the payment slip, collect your permit at the border police station outside of Plav. For anyone wanting to avoid this inconvenience, we offer to take care of all your permits, including the processing of the Montenegrin fee:
Let us assist you
To apply for your permits on your behalf, we charge 5 EUR per person and crossing, (not including the Montenegrin fee), which we believe is a fair amount for sorting out the red tape that guarantees you a hassle free vacation time. In return, you get all permits delivered timely and conveniently to your email inbox.
We understand that border crossing permits are an inconvenience for travelers. That’s why we want to make the process as easy as possible for you. You can submit your application up to 8 weeks before your intended crossing. Applications take 4-5 business days on average to complete. Public holidays, visa requirements and a large number of simultaneous requests may cause processing delays, hence we recommend to apply no later than 2 weeks before your trip.
- Start the application here.
- Enter the details of all border crossings and travel documents.
- Upload your travel document(s).
- Complete card payment.
- Receive your permits by email, usually within one week.
Each crossing requires a permit at a fee of €5/person. Montenegro levies an additonal tax: €6/application + €3/person. This tax applies for each crossing from Montenegro to Albania or Kosovo.
Completing the full Peaks of the Balkans circuit requires three border crossings. Two travelers pay €42, out of which €12 are paid by Zbulo on your behalf to the Montenegrin border police. During the application, the form automatically calculates your total
Our fee is capped at 50 EUR for a group up to 20 persons and/or 6 permits. This does not include the fees levied by the Montenegro police.
Payment can be completed with PayPal and credit card.
Regular border points at airports and road crossings don’t require a permit. As the green border in the mountains lacks a permanent border control to record your entry/exit, permits are used to add digital entries in the border crossing system. Failing to obtain one can cause incidents with border patrols or issues at the airport / border crossing points when no legal entry into the country is detected.
Each “permanent” crossing requires a permit. To complete the entire Peaks of the Balkans Trail three permits are required.
If you only straddle the border without crossing it “permanently” (extended stay or overnight) no permit is required. This means the following routes do not require permits: Valbona to Cerem via the Persllopit Pass and Bor Pass, Cerem to Doberdol, Grbaja Valley.
The police requires a set date, no exceptions. Plan ahead and try to adhere to your dates. However, walkers who were delayed or early by one or two days, say due to adverse weather conditions, losing the trail, exhaustion and similar events, have never had problems and the police showed understanding.
Please note: This is not legal council, if you have further questions please contact the police directly. Neither Zbulo nor any of its associates can be held responsible for legal charges that might occur.
If you’re under 18 years old and don’t travel with a core family member, the police requires written consent of your legal guardian in English.
In a mutual agreement all three countries signed a memorandum of understanding, promising to process applications for free. Montenegro doesn’t adhere to this agreement and now asks for a fee. That’s not cool and we encourage you to write to the the Montenegrin Tourism Organisation to let them know [email protected]
Permits are delivered via email as PDF files, and you can print them at home, in any print shop, or carry them as a digital document on your smartphone. We don’t have a front office to receive visitors and cannot hand over permits in person.
No, the only way to apply is by completing the form on this website.
No, the border crossing permit is not a visa, and doesn’t replace one. Travellers who require a visa to enter the respective country shall apply for a visa first and upload the visa page alongside their passport.
While the Albanian police happily welcomes all visitors, the neighbors in Kosovo are stricter and conduct regular checks and patrols, especially in the Rugova Valley where the border with Montenegro is disputed. Montenegrin border guards and national park wardens can be seen on patrol in their Land Rover Defender / Lada Niva, especially in the area around Babino Polje and Vusanje. There is also a sizable police station in Plav. Keep in mind that fully equipped hikers aren’t low profile in the streets of this small town. We receive sporadic feedback from hikers without permits being asked to pay “bakshish” to avoid trouble. We recommend obtaining the permits for a worry-free holiday.
No, unfortunately this isn’t possible. The police processes permits from Monday to Friday and takes a few working days to confirm. It also takes us some time to facilitate between you and the authorities.
Apply ASAP and write us afterwards. We advise to apply in any case, even if that means starting out without permits. All your crossings will eventually be entered in the digital border police system, even while you’re on the go.