Blood donation in Montenegro 2026: who can donate, how often, where to give blood and what rights donors have at work and with the Health Fund

Any healthy person aged 18 to 65 who weighs more than 50 kg and passes a short medical check can give blood in Montenegro. Men can donate every three months (four times a year) and women every four months (three times a year). Blood is collected on working days from 7:15 to 14:45 at nine permanent locations of the Blood Transfusion Institute of Montenegro and in a mobile unit, and the whole procedure takes about 45 minutes. An employed donor is entitled to time off work, the day of donation counts as temporary incapacity for work with 100% wage compensation, and anyone who has donated more than ten times is exempt from co-payments in the public health system.

This guide covers eligibility, preparation, the procedure, locations and donor rights.

Who can donate blood?

• A donor must not have a cold or a lung or heart disease.
• Lymph nodes in the neck and armpits, the liver and the spleen must not be enlarged.
• Blood pressure and haemoglobin are checked on the spot, so you do not need to know them in advance.
• The Institute's website has a short questionnaire to check in advance whether you qualify.

How often can you give blood?

• Example: a man who donated on 1 October 2026 can donate again on 1 January 2027, a woman on 1 February 2027.
• The body replaces plasma and its components within 24 hours and red blood cells within four to six weeks.
• You can start or stop donating at any point between 18 and 65, and donating does not create any dependence.

What happens when you donate?

1. You fill in an eligibility questionnaire, for your safety and the safety of the recipient.
2. A short medical check follows: blood pressure, haemoglobin and general condition.
3. If everything is fine, the blood is taken; the needle prick is brief and similar to a routine blood test.
4. Afterwards you rest and have a snack and a drink.

Before: no alcohol or fatty food the day before, six to eight hours of sleep the night before, a light breakfast and plenty of fluids in the morning. Bring an identity document with your personal ID number and photo, and a list of any medicines you take.

After: avoid heavy physical effort, drink plenty of fluids, avoid too much sun and heat, and smokers should not smoke for the next two hours. A bruise at the puncture site or a feeling of weakness is rare.

Every unit of blood is tested for blood group, irregular antibodies and the agents of hepatitis B and C, HIV and syphilis. The equipment is sterile and single use, so you cannot catch an infection by donating.

Where can you give blood?

• The permanent locations are open on working days from 7:15 to 14:45.
• In Podgorica donors have dedicated parking in front of the Institute building.
• The mobile unit also runs field drives, so check the Institute's news page for the schedule.

What rights does a blood donor have?

• The Labour Law refers to the law and the collective agreement, so the number of days off is set by the employer's or the sector's collective agreement.
• The 2022 General Collective Agreement provided one working day for voluntary blood donation, but it applied only until 30 April 2026, and no new one had been published by 29 September 2026.
• Agree with your HR department in advance how the donation day is documented; the law treats it as temporary incapacity for work.

How sick pay is calculated is explained in our guide to sick leave, and how to choose a doctor and book appointments in the guide to the family doctor and eZdravlje. Ambulance and hospital numbers are in the guide to emergency numbers, and prescription medicines in the guide to the drug list. If you need a blood test outside the Institute, Glatko has compared private laboratory prices.

Frequently asked questions

Who can donate blood in Montenegro? Any healthy person aged 18 to 65 weighing over 50 kg, with normal blood pressure, pulse and temperature and haemoglobin above 135 g/L for men or 125 g/L for women.

How often can you donate blood? Men every three months, at most four times a year, and women every four months, at most three times a year.

Where can I donate blood in Podgorica? At the Blood Transfusion Institute of Montenegro, Džona Džeksona bb on the Clinical Centre grounds, on working days from 7:15 to 14:45; the phone number is 020 240 715.

Do I get a day off work when I donate blood? Yes. The Labour Law gives the right to be absent from work to donate blood, and wage compensation for that day is 100%. The number of days is set by the collective agreement.

What do I get after ten donations? A voluntary donor who has given blood more than ten times is exempt from co-payments for health services.

How long does blood donation take? About 45 minutes, including the questionnaire, the medical check, the donation itself and the rest afterwards.

Sources

Eligibility, preparation and the procedure are set out in the donor guide of the Blood Transfusion Institute of Montenegro, locations and phone numbers on the page where can I give blood, and donation intervals and answers to common questions on the FAQ page. The right to time off is set by the Labour Law (Article 90), and wage compensation and the co-payment exemption by the Law on Compulsory Health Insurance (Articles 17, 36 and 40; amendments 48/24, 98/26 and 114/26 do not change the donor provisions). One working day of leave was provided by the General Collective Agreement, extended until 30 April 2026 by Official Gazette 45/2026. Information checked on 29 September 2026. Fijaka is a classifieds platform and is not affiliated with the Institute.