What paperwork and fees apply when you charter in Montenegro?

The Bay of Kotor, Budva and the coast down to Bar are a day's sail south of Dubrovnik. Plenty of crews start chartering in Croatia and nip across for a few days; others charter in Montenegro itself. Either way, Montenegro is outside the EU and the Schengen area, and its sea border is checked just like an airport. If your boat comes from a Croatian base, ask the base first whether it allows the trip at all and what papers it gives you for it. Many charter agreements draw the cruising area at the Croatian border.

Montenegro's Law on Yachts requires a foreign yacht to make for a port open to international traffic by the shortest route. There the crew goes through border control, the yacht receives its vignette and the harbour master certifies the list of crew and passengers. The vignette shows, among other things, that the yacht has reported its arrival, is registered and seaworthy, that the skipper is qualified under the rules of the flag state and that the yacht carries third party liability insurance. It is valid for up to a year and must be displayed. Fees change, so ask the harbour master or the base for current figures.

One rule catches crews out: underway, nobody may be aboard who is not on the certified list. If friends want to join for a day or the crew changes mid trip, sort it out with the harbour master first. You clear out again before leaving the country. Keep passports, your RYA certificate or ICC, your VHF licence and the boat's papers to hand, and allow time at the port of entry. Damage you cause to other people with a chartered yacht is your own liability, which is exactly what skipper liability insurance is for.

Worth remembering

Ask the base first, then clear in at a port of entry.