The procedures for entering the Port of Kotor and Marina Kotor

Port of Kotor and Marina Kotor 

The captain of the ship or yacht which plans to sail into the port of Kotor first of all has to check whether there is an available berth in Kotor port or marina.

The captain of the ship that comes in the port of Kotor is obliged to report the arrival 24 hours in advance and to confirm the arrival of the ship again 12 hours before. If the vessel is late for some reason, one hour delay is tolerated.

Port of Kotor and Marina Kotor 

For vessels which have over 1000 GT when entering the port or leaving from ports and marinas of Montenegro, pilotage is compulsory.

The exception is that the pilotage is not necessary for the captains who sailed more than five times with the same ship into the Port of Kotor, and have the approval of Port Authority Kotor or some of its outposts.

After entering the territorial waters of Montenegro, Captain is obligation to report to the nearest Harbour Master (Kotor, Bar) or the Harbor Master's Office (Zelenika, Tivat, Budva, Ulcinj). While signing up, some of the tasks to be performed are: border control, issuing vignette, providing the list of all crew members and passengers.

Border checks can be carried out at sea or after docking the vessel. These checks will establish whether all members of the crew and passengers fulfil the conditions for entry into/exit from Montenegro (possession of valid travel documents, visas and residence permits).

Prior to arrival at the Port of Kotor, the commander of the ship can e-mail or fax copies of documents required for the issuance of vignettes and crew and passenger lists. All of these tasks can be performed through an authorized person - Port Agent.

During the berthing operations of the yachts of over 1000 GRT in the Port of Kotor or marina Kotor, the Port Agent services are compulsory.

Vignette – In order for the Harbour Office or its branches to be able to issue a vignette (proof of eligibility for the navigation of a foreign ship or yacht in the territorial waters of Montenegro) the following proof must be submitted: 

• A request for obtaining a vignette, 
• The certificate of registration of the vessel, 
• Certificate of the ability of the person operating the boat or yacht (Master’s / Skipper’s Certificate, GMDSS certificates, the certificates of the rest of the crew) 
• The insurance policy against liability for damage caused to third parties, for the minimum of € 800,000.00. 
• Proof of ownership or a notarized power of attorney to manage the yacht, 
• Proof of payment of fees for the use of navigational safety and administrative fee. 

Exemption: The yacht, which is due to be presented at a nautical fair or participate in a sport competition does not have to possess a vignette in the period of 48 hours prior and 48 hours after the event or competition, provided that the organizer of the competition or fair reports its arrival to the Harbour Office or its branch. The vignette is not needed for a foreign yacht placed for safekeeping or repair in a port or other approved location.

Crew List and Passengers List - The master or skipper of a foreign yacht is obliged to deliver the list of crew and passengers to the relevant authorities. The list shall be submitted during customs clearance. In the list you must enter the name, date of birth, nationality, number and type of travel document and, if necessary, the number of visas of the passengers and crew. If you have a change of crew and passengers, these procedures will be executed before the vessel leaves the port, and shall be certified by the Harbour Office or its branch.

The ship or yacht cannot leave the port area before the payments of all accrued charges for your stay in port are settled.

In order to save valuable time and avoid unnecessary queuing, port agents can carry out all necessary formalities with representatives of port authorities, police and customs of Montenegro.

Port and Yacht Agents in Port Kotor:

Yacht Agent Montenegro

BCM

KotorMar