Magnus 🐻❄️ at the Montenegro Border
🇲🇪 The customs officer at the Montenegro border is named Stevan. Stevan has a moustache and a stamp in his right hand. He is also looking at my paperwork like it owes him money.
I am, for the record, the paperwork. Or rather, I have it. A tri-fold EU pet passport, an AHC stapled to a printout of a tapeworm treatment from a clinic in Kotor, and Jay's printed booking confirmation for a guesthouse run by a former military veterinarian named Dragica.
Stevan reads the AHC. Stevan looks at me. I sit. I do not editorialize. This is the cardinal rule of border crossings, learned the hard way in Pristina.
A wasp lands on the booth window. Outside, someone is grilling Mangalitsa. Inside, the air smells of paper and printer toner. Stevan finally stamps the page. We are in.
(He says nothing to me. This is correct. We are professionals.)
The human notes
Border crossing: Croatia to Montenegro, dog edition.
What you need: EU pet passport with current rabies (over 21 days, under 1 year), no tapeworm required for ME entry (yes for the return through Slovenia), microchip readable, AHC if traveling from a non-EU origin.
Best border post: Karasovići to Debeli Brijeg if you are coming from Dubrovnik. Quieter than the coastal alternative. 90 minutes if the line behaves.
Dog-friendly stop after: The terrace at Konoba Bonaca in Herceg Novi. Water bowl on arrival. The owner has two Tornjaks named Vuk and Lola who will judge your dog quietly.
What we got wrong: Bringing the cooler bag. Mangalitsa does not need to travel.
Magnus rating
4
out of 5 paws
Over to you
What border crossing have you done with a dog, and what did they ask for that nobody warned you about?
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