Cigarettes in Montenegro 2026: pack prices, excise, the smoking ban in cafés and indoors, e-cigarettes and fines

A pack of Marlboro Red in Montenegro has cost €4.20 since 19 January 2026, while after the price rise of 6 July 2026 Winston Classic Red costs €3.80 and Sobranie Black €4.80. Since 1 July 2026 the specific excise has been €64.74 per 1,000 cigarettes, about €1.29 per pack, and it rises every six months until mid-2028. Smoking is banned in all enclosed workplaces and public spaces, including cafés, restaurants, taxis and the hallways of apartment buildings, and the law treats using an e-cigarette as smoking too. An individual who smokes indoors faces a fine of €30 to €1,000, and a legal entity that allows it €500 to €20,000.

The rules come from the Law on Restricting the Use of Tobacco Products and the Excise Law. This guide explains pack prices, the excise calendar, where you may and may not smoke, the sales rules, the fines and the new pack marking requirement from 1 October 2026.

How much does a pack of cigarettes cost in Montenegro in 2026?

• In January 2026, 53 kinds of cigarettes from the importers Japan Tobacco International (JTI) and Philip Morris went up by at least 20 cents a pack.
• JTI raised the prices of its brands by another 20 to 30 cents from 6 July 2026, because on 1 July the specific excise went up from €58.85 to €64.74 per 1,000 cigarettes.
• The Philip Morris prices in the table are from the January price list, and a new rise is possible with every excise increase.

How does cigarette excise rise until 2028?

We calculated the amounts per pack of 20 cigarettes from the amounts per 1,000. On top of the specific excise, the price includes a proportional excise and VAT, so every excise increase is usually followed by a new rise in pack prices.

Where is smoking banned in Montenegro?

• Smoking is banned in every enclosed workplace, meaning every enclosed space where an employer carries on business, so cafés, bars and restaurants are included.
• The ban also applies on public transport, in taxis, in airport buildings, in enclosed waiting rooms at stations, in children's play areas and in gambling venues.
• Hallways, lifts and other common parts of apartment buildings, cable car cabins and public toilets are also public spaces where smoking is banned.
• The ban also covers the fenced yards of schools, kindergartens and health institutions.
• The law treats the use of e-cigarettes as smoking, so the same rules apply to them.

Can you smoke on a terrace, in a car or in a flat?

• A café terrace counts as an enclosed space if it has a roof and closed sides, or if openings make up less than half of the surface of its outer walls; smoking is banned on such a terrace.
• On an open terrace whose sides are mostly open, the law does not ban smoking.
• The law does not mention private cars, but it does list taxis and official vehicles, where smoking is banned.
• The law does not restrict smoking in your own flat, and a landlord can ban it in the lease.
• In a hotel you may smoke only in rooms and apartments the hotel has specifically marked as smoking rooms.
• A casino may allow smoking only if it has ventilation and isolated premises and pays a special fee.

An employer may set aside a separate smoking room of at least 10 m² that takes up no more than 20% of the premises, has ventilation and isolation, and where nobody works or eats. Such a room is not allowed in state bodies, healthcare, education, culture, sport, retail or the food trade.

What are the rules for selling cigarettes?

• Selling tobacco products to people under 18 is banned, and the seller may ask for ID when in doubt about the buyer's age.
• Selling single cigarettes or packs of fewer than 20 is banned.
• Sales from vending machines, in pharmacies, in schools, in health institutions and in sports facilities are banned.
• Buying tobacco products and e-cigarettes at a distance from abroad is also banned.

How high are the fines for smoking indoors?

What changes on 1 October 2026?

• From 1 October 2026 every pack of a tobacco product must carry a unique identifier that shows the place and time of manufacture, the manufacturer and the intended market.
• Every pack must also carry a tamper-proof security feature with visible and invisible elements.
• Selling packs without the identifier or the security feature is an offence for which a legal entity pays €500 to €20,000, and the goods can be confiscated.

How many cigarettes you may bring into and take out of Montenegro is explained in our guide to customs allowances for travellers, food prices in our guide to grocery prices, and a monthly budget in our guide to the cost of living. If someone smoked in a flat, the smell of smoke is removed before handing the flat back to the landlord with a deep clean, and you can find a cleaning company through the Glatko platform. How to search for a flat and what goes into a lease is explained in our guide to long-term rentals.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a pack of cigarettes cost in Montenegro? A pack of Marlboro Red costs €4.20 and Winston Classic Red €3.80, and the cheapest packs cost about €3.

Is smoking allowed in cafés in Montenegro? No, the law bans smoking in enclosed hospitality venues, and smoking is not banned on an open terrace.

Does the smoking ban apply to e-cigarettes? Yes, because the law treats the use of e-cigarettes as smoking.

What is the legal age to buy cigarettes in Montenegro? Cigarettes may only be sold to people aged 18 or over, and the seller may ask for ID.

Is smoking in a car banned? The law bans smoking in taxis, on public transport and in official vehicles, but it does not mention private cars.

What is the fine for smoking indoors? An individual pays €30 to €1,000, and a legal entity that allows smoking €500 to €20,000.

Sources

The smoking ban, the sales rules and the fines are set by the Law on Restricting the Use of Tobacco Products (Official Gazette 46/2019, Articles 4, 9 to 12, 15 to 19, 68 and 69), and the pack markings from 1 October 2026 by its December 2025 amendments (Official Gazette 160/2025). The excise calendar is set by the Law amending the Excise Law (Official Gazette 160/2025, Articles 80m and 80n). The January prices were published by RTCG, and the July prices by the Onogošt news portal. The information was checked on 26 September 2026. Fijaka is a classifieds platform; this article is not legal advice.