Since 23 April 2026 bus passengers in Montenegro have new rights under amendments to the Act on Road Transport Contracts, and since 17 January 2026 ship passengers under the new Act on the Contract for the Carriage of Passengers by Sea. If a bus on a route of at least 250 km leaves more than 120 minutes late or is cancelled, the carrier offers you another ride at no extra cost or a full refund, and if it does not, it also owes you compensation of 50% of the fare. When a ship leaves more than 90 minutes late or is cancelled, you choose between a refund within seven days and rerouting, and for a late arrival you get 25% or 50% of the fare. You complain to a bus carrier within three months and to a ship carrier within two months.
This guide explains when bus passenger rights apply, what you get when a bus or ship is late or cancelled, how much compensation you get for a late ship, what applies to persons with disabilities and how to complain.
When do bus passenger rights apply?
- Full rights for cancellations, delays and interrupted journeys apply on routes of at least 250 km where you board or get off in Montenegro.
- On shorter routes a smaller set of rules applies: the right to travel information, protection of persons with disabilities, compensation for wheelchairs, the ban on discrimination by nationality and the right to complain.
- A contract clause that releases the carrier from its obligations to passengers or limits them is void.
- The carrier and the bus station provide travel information before and during the journey, and on routes of 250 km they inform passengers of a cancelled or delayed departure no later than 30 minutes after the scheduled departure.
- Terms and fares may not depend on the passenger's nationality.
What do you get when a bus is late or cancelled?
- If a departure from the bus station is cancelled or more than 120 minutes late, or the carrier expects this, it offers you another ride to your destination at no extra cost or a full refund and free transport back to the first departure point.
- When you are denied boarding because of overbooking, the carrier offers you another ride to your destination at no extra cost.
- The refund is paid within 14 days of your request, in money unless you agree otherwise, and covers the part of the journey not made, and also the part made if the journey no longer serves its purpose.
- If the carrier offers neither another ride nor a refund, it owes you compensation of 50% of the fare on top of a full refund, within 30 days.
- On a journey longer than three hours, if a departure is cancelled or more than 90 minutes late, the carrier provides free meals or refreshments, and when an overnight stay is needed, a hotel or other accommodation and help with transport to it.
- If the bus breaks down, the carrier provides onward travel in another vehicle or transport to a place where you can wait for another ride.
- If the journey is interrupted through no fault of yours, you choose between transport to your destination, a return to the departure point with a refund, or abandoning the trip with a refund for the unused part.
What do you get when a ship is late or cancelled?
- The law covers departures from Montenegrin ports, arrivals on Montenegrin ships and cruises starting in Montenegro.
- It does not cover ships with a crew of three or fewer, crossings shorter than 500 metres one way or excursions and sightseeing trips that are not cruises.
- The carrier or terminal operator announces a cancellation or delay over the public address system no later than 30 minutes after the scheduled departure.
- When a cancellation or a departure delay of more than 90 minutes is expected, you get free meals or refreshments, if available.
- If an overnight stay is needed, the carrier provides accommodation on board or ashore and transport to it, and it can cap accommodation costs ashore at 80 euros per night, for three nights at most.
- The carrier has no duty to provide accommodation when it proves the cause was weather endangering the safety of navigation.
- For a cancellation or a departure delay of more than 90 minutes, you choose between a refund of the fare, with free return to the departure port, and rerouting to your destination at no extra cost, and the refund is paid within seven days.
How much compensation do you get for a late ship arrival?
| Scheduled journey time | 25% of the fare | 50% of the fare |
| up to four hours | from a one-hour delay | from a two-hour delay |
| four to eight hours | from a two-hour delay | from a four-hour delay |
| eight to 24 hours | from a three-hour delay | from a six-hour delay |
| more than 24 hours | from a six-hour delay | from a 12-hour delay |
- Compensation is paid within 30 days of your request, without deductions for transaction costs.
- The carrier can decide that tickets cheaper than a threshold of up to six euros get no compensation.
- There is no compensation if you knew about the delay before buying the ticket, if you caused it yourself, or if the carrier proves weather endangering the safety of navigation or extraordinary circumstances that could not be avoided.
What applies to persons with disabilities?
- A bus carrier may not refuse a booking, a ticket or carriage to a person with a disability or reduced mobility or charge extra for it, except where safety or the design of the vehicle or station requires it, and then it offers an alternative service and, on request, written reasons within five working days.
- Assistance at the bus station and on the bus is free if you notify the carrier or station in advance and come to the designated point at the time the carrier sets, which cannot be earlier than 60 minutes before departure.
- When the carrier would not let you travel alone for safety reasons, you can take a companion of your choice, who travels free of charge.
- For lost or damaged wheelchairs and mobility equipment, the bus carrier or station pays the full cost of replacement or repair.
- A ship carrier may not refuse a booking or boarding to a person with a disability or charge extra either.
How do you complain?
- You complain to a bus carrier within three months of the day the journey took place or should have taken place.
- The bus carrier decides and sends you its decision within 15 days of receiving the complaint, and if it does not or you are not satisfied, you complain to the ministry responsible for transport.
- You complain to a ship carrier or terminal operator within two months, they decide within 30 days and send the decision within 60 days.
- If the ship carrier rejects the complaint, you can claim damages in court.
What are the fines and liability limits?
| What | Amount |
| fine for a bus carrier, legal entity | 900 to 2,500 euros |
| fine for the responsible person at a bus carrier | 300 to 1,000 euros |
| fine for a ship carrier, legal entity | 1,500 to 20,000 euros |
| bus carrier's liability for death or injury of a passenger | up to 75,000 euros, from 2028 up to 220,000 euros |
| bus carrier's liability for checked luggage | up to 150 euros per item or 600 euros per passenger, from 2028 up to 1,200 euros |
| bus carrier's liability for hand luggage | up to 300 euros per passenger |
- Bus transport is supervised by the road transport inspector.
Bus routes and fares are explained in our guide to buses in Montenegro, and the boat and bus to Dubrovnik in our guide to getting from Kotor to Dubrovnik. Rights for late trains are covered in our guide to train delays, and flight rights in our guide to cancelled or delayed flights.
Frequently asked questions
What am I entitled to if my bus is more than two hours late? On a route of at least 250 km where you board or get off in Montenegro, the carrier offers another ride at no extra cost or a full refund within 14 days, and if it does not, it also owes you compensation of 50% of the fare.
Does the carrier pay for a hotel if the bus is late? Yes, on a journey longer than three hours, when the departure is more than 90 minutes late or cancelled and an overnight stay is needed, the carrier provides accommodation and help with transport to it.
How much compensation do I get if a ship is late? At least 25% of the fare when the arrival delay is at least one hour on a journey of up to four hours, or longer on longer journeys, and 50% when the delay is twice as long.
Which ships are not covered? Ships with a crew of three or fewer, crossings shorter than 500 metres one way and excursions and sightseeing trips that are not cruises.
What is the deadline for a complaint? Three months with a bus carrier, and two months with a ship carrier or terminal operator.
Where do I turn if the carrier rejects my complaint? For buses, to the ministry responsible for transport, and for ships, you claim damages in court.
Sources
Bus passenger rights, assistance for persons with disabilities, complaints, fines and liability limits are set by the amendments to the Act on Road Transport Contracts (Official Gazette 51/2026, Articles 2 to 13, 15, 21 and 22), and ship passenger rights by the Act on the Contract for the Carriage of Passengers by Sea (Official Gazette 2/2026, Articles 2, 46 to 50, 55 and 59). The information was checked on 27 September 2026. Fijaka is a classifieds platform; this text is not legal advice.