Fishing licence in Montenegro 2026: sea, Skadar Lake and rivers, licence prices, daily catch, spearfishing and fines

For sea fishing in Montenegro, since 23 June 2026 a day licence costs 5 euros, a multi-day licence for up to 30 days 30 euros and an annual licence 50 euros. A day licence for spearfishing costs 20 euros and one for big game fishing 30 euros, while children under 14 get a licence free of charge. On Skadar Lake the National Parks of Montenegro day licence costs 5 euros and the annual one 100 euros. A recreational angler at sea may catch up to 5 kg of fish and other marine organisms a day, may not sell the catch, and the law sets a fine of 900 to 2,000 euros for fishing without a licence.

Sea fishing is governed by the Law on Marine Fisheries of 2025 and the Rulebook on sport and recreational fishing at sea of June 2026, and fishing on lakes and rivers by the Law on Freshwater Fisheries of March 2026 and the Order on fishing bans, closed seasons and minimum fish sizes. This guide explains the types of licence and their prices, permitted gear, the daily catch, spearfishing, the rules on Skadar Lake and rivers, and the fines.

How much does a sea fishing licence cost?

• Children under 14 get a licence free of charge.
• Licences are issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and sold by sport fishing clubs and the National Association for Sport Fishing at Sea that the Ministry authorises. Authorised diving clubs may also sell the day spearfishing licence.
• The licence is electronic, carries a QR and PIN code and is valid without a signature or stamp, and only the person named on it may use it.
• On 25 September 2026 the website of the Association for Sport Fishing at Sea of Montenegro still showed the old price list with permanent and occasional licences, while the current amounts are set by the June 2026 rulebook.

What rules apply to sea fishing?

• Daily catch: up to 5 kg of fish and other marine organisms, plus one fish that takes you over those 5 kg. The limit does not apply at approved competitions.
• Marking the catch: as soon as a fish is out of the water, you cut off the lower part of its tail fin at an angle of 15 degrees, and you cut a cephalopod's head deeply between the eyes. Fish you release alive are not marked.
• Marking the gear: your gear must show the licence number or QR code, and a fish trap is marked with an orange or red buoy.
• Catch records: kept electronically, through the Ministry's information system.
• Sale: the catch from recreational fishing may not be sold or put on the market.
• Prohibited: nets, longlines, drones and remote-controlled devices, and electric reels stronger than 800 W.

What applies to spearfishing?

• Only adults may fish with a speargun, and only on a breath hold: diving equipment together with a speargun is prohibited.
• A speargun may not be kept together with diving equipment on a boat, on the shore or in a car, and you may carry it in a car only if you have a licence with the speargun entered on it.
• Spearfishing is allowed only from sunrise to sunset, with a mandatory signal buoy tied to your body with a line.
• Catching and collecting marine organisms by hand is prohibited when spearfishing.
• For big game fishing from a boat, the boat must have an automatic identification system (AIS), and the landing of the catch must be announced to the Fisheries Monitoring Centre and the club at least one hour in advance.

How does fishing work on Skadar Lake and rivers?

On lakes and rivers licences are issued as day, monthly, annual, reserve and night carp licences. They are issued by the user of the fishing water, and in the national parks by the public enterprise National Parks of Montenegro, which sets the prices with the Ministry's consent.

• Night fishing is banned on all fresh waters: in spring from 20:00 to 05:00, in summer from 21:00 to 04:00, in autumn from 19:00 to 06:00 and in winter from 17:00 to 06:00. The exception is night carp fishing with a special licence.
• Closed seasons on Skadar Lake: carp and other cyprinids from 15 March to 15 May, all trout species from 1 November to 1 April, and bleak from 15 March to 31 October. Fish caught during a closed season go back into the water alive.
• Minimum sizes: carp 40 cm, the Skadar lake trout (blatnjača) 50 cm, rainbow trout 20 cm, measured from the tip of the head to the end of the extended tail fin.
• On Biograd Lake only catch and release is allowed, and on the Tara in Durmitor National Park fishing is banned from 1 October to 1 May.
• Spearfishing and recreational eel fishing are prohibited on fresh waters, and fish you keep have their tail fin cut.

What are the fines?

If you fish from your own boat, the requirements for handling it are explained in our article on the boat licence, and buying and registering one in our article on buying a used boat. If you have just moved here, residence registration and the other steps are covered in our article on the first 90 days in Montenegro. You can also book boat servicing or preparation for the season through the Glatko platform.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a sea fishing licence cost in Montenegro? A day licence costs 5 euros, a multi-day licence for up to 30 days 30 euros and an annual licence 50 euros. A day licence for spearfishing costs 20 euros and one for big game fishing 30 euros.

Where do you buy a sea fishing licence? From the sport fishing clubs and the National Association authorised by the Ministry, and the day spearfishing licence also from authorised diving clubs.

How much fish may I catch at sea? Up to 5 kg of fish and other marine organisms a day, plus one fish that takes you over those 5 kg.

Do you need a licence to fish from the shore? Yes. All recreational sea fishing, from the shore or from a boat, requires a licence, and children under 14 pay no fee for it.

How much does fishing on Skadar Lake cost? The National Parks licence costs 5 euros for a day, 20 euros for seven days and 100 euros for a year, and the annual licence costs 50 euros for pensioners and students.

What is the fine for fishing without a licence? At sea 900 to 2,000 euros, and on lakes and rivers 500 to 2,000 euros, doubled in protected areas such as national parks.

Sources

Sea fishing is governed by the Law on Marine Fisheries (Official Gazette of Montenegro 69/2025, Articles 25 to 31 and 107 to 110) and the Rulebook on sport and recreational fishing at sea (Official Gazette of Montenegro 83/2026, Articles 2, 3, 10 and 11). Freshwater fishing is governed by the Law on Freshwater Fisheries (Official Gazette of Montenegro 33/2026, Articles 19, 44 to 48 and 76) and the Order on fishing bans, closed seasons and minimum fish sizes (Official Gazette of Montenegro 75/2026, amended by 133/2026). Licence prices in the national parks are set by the Decision on fees for the use of national park assets (Article 10), and general rules are published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management. The old price list is shown on the website of the Association for Sport Fishing at Sea of Montenegro. The information was checked on 25 September 2026. Fijaka is a classifieds platform; check local restrictions and prices with the users of the fishing waters before you fish.