Navigating the Albanian-Montenegro Border Crossing with a Hire Car

If you're planning to take a hire car from Albania into Montenegro, you're in for a surprisingly easy and straightforward border crossing. We didn’t find much information online before our trip, so we thought we’d share our experience for anyone else looking to drive across the border with a rental car.

The Border Crossing Process

When you approach the border, you’ll first drive past customs—do not stop here. This bit can throw you off if you’re expecting to pull over, but just keep driving straight ahead towards the first set of passport control booths. Here, you’ll hand over your passports and proceed through—super simple!

Before you get to the Montenegro passport control, you’ll have to sort out the border insurance for the car. Here’s where it gets a little tricky (but not much).

The Albanian Passport Control Just Ahead

Getting the Green Card

You’ll notice a small building on the left-hand side of the road with a green and white sign that reads "Border Insurance Green Card." If there’s space, you can pull over to the left, but we just stopped in the middle of the road as it was quiet at the time and others had stopped too. Once you’ve stopped, you’ll need to head inside that building with the car documents from the glove box.

Here’s the important bit: you’ll need to pay €15 in cash to get the Green Card, which is essentially an insurance document confirming that you can legally drive the hire car into Montenegro. It’s a simple process, and you’ll get a sheet of paper with the car details and an official stamp. This Green Card is vital—without it, you won’t be allowed to cross into Montenegro and there are many people doing it, if you are unsure, just ask someone.

The Final Step: Montenegro Passport Control

Once you’ve got your Green Card, continue on to Montenegro passport control. Hand over your passport, show the paperwork, and you’re good to go! We found this to be a pretty stress-free part of the journey, and it didn’t take long at all.

Top Tips for a Smooth Border Crossing

• Cash is Key: Make sure you have €15 in cash for the Green Card. We didn’t see an option to pay with card, so cash is your safest bet.

• Check the Time: If you're crossing on a busy day, be prepared for a bit of a wait, though we had no issues during our crossing.

• Have Your Documents Ready: Make sure you’ve got all the car documents from the hire company in the glove box, as they’ll need to see these for the Green Card.

• Can You Take The Car In: When hiring your car, make sure the rental company allows cross-border travel, as not all hire companies permit this. It’s important to confirm this in advance to avoid any issues at the border and make sure the car has the correct documents for the green card - check this before leaving the rental place.

  
  

Conclusion

The border crossing from Albania to Montenegro with a hire car is far simpler than we initially expected. Just a few steps, some paperwork, and a quick payment, and we were on our way to explore Montenegro’s stunning coast. Hopefully, this post clears up any confusion for those making the same trip—and trust us, it’s as easy as it sounds!

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