Athletes' National Pension in Montenegro 2026: Lifetime Monthly Benefit of Half to Two Average Wages, Who Gets It After Age 35, How to Apply and What the Constitutional Court Decided

What the public calls the national pension for athletes is, in the Law on Sport, a lifetime monthly benefit: an athlete with a top national team result receives it after turning 35. It amounts to between half and two average monthly net wages in Montenegro for the previous year; since the average net wage in 2025 was 1,012 euros, the highest benefit in 2026 is about 2,024 euros a month. You apply to the Ministry of Sport and Youth, with no fee, and the Ministry decides within 30 days. In 2026 the Constitutional Court struck down the provision that allowed benefits granted before the 2018 law to be re-checked and ended.

This guide explains who is entitled, how much the benefit is, how to apply and what the Constitutional Court ruling changed.

Who is entitled to the lifetime benefit?

• Top athlete status goes to a Montenegrin national team member who finished first, second or third at the Olympic or Paralympic Games or at the only official senior world or European championship in a discipline on the programme of those Games.
• The status also goes to an athlete of the year who became a world or European champion or medallist at a senior world or European championship, and to a Montenegrin citizen who became a world boxing champion in the recognised organisations or a finalist of the Davis Cup, Fed Cup or a Grand Slam tournament.
• The benefit is due after the athlete turns 35.
• A condition is that after 3 June 2006 you did not play for another country's national team and that you do not receive a benefit on the same ground in another country.
• You must hold Montenegrin citizenship, must not have a final conviction for the offences the law lists and must not have been sanctioned for breaking World Anti-Doping Agency rules.

How much is the benefit?

• Since 2023 two average wages also go to an athlete of the year who became a world or European champion or medallist at a senior world or European championship.
• The base is the average monthly net wage of the year before payment, and the amount is adjusted at the start of each year.
• The benefit is paid on one ground only, for the best sporting result.
• The benefit is due from the date of the decision, not from the date the medal was won.

How do you apply?

• First you request a decision on top athlete status, with a confirmation of the result from the national or international federation, a certificate of Montenegrin citizenship and your contact details.
• Then you submit a request for the lifetime monthly benefit to the Ministry of Sport and Youth.
• With the request you attach a certified statement that you have not played for another country's national team since 3 June 2006, a certified statement that you do not receive a benefit on this ground in another country, a certificate of Montenegrin citizenship and a confirmation from the Montenegrin Olympic Committee that you were not sanctioned under anti-doping rules.
• The Ministry checks ex officio whether you have a final conviction, and for incomplete documents it sets a deadline of 3 to 8 days to complete them.
• No administrative fee applies, and the Ministry decides within 30 days.
• You can challenge the decision with a lawsuit before the Administrative Court within 20 days of receiving it.

What did the Constitutional Court decide in 2026?

• At its session of 26 February 2026 the Constitutional Court struck down Article 139 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Law on Sport, and the decision was published on 17 April 2026 in the Official Gazette of Montenegro, No. 52/26.
• Those provisions required the Ministry to check whether athletes whose lifetime benefit payments began before the 2018 law met the new conditions and, if not, to end their entitlement.
• The same decision also struck down Article 35 paragraph 2 and Article 47 paragraph 4 of the Law on Sport, which concern sports club teams and founders of sports organisations.
• The regular check remains: every second year the Ministry checks whether the athlete still meets the conditions on a benefit in another country, Montenegrin citizenship and no conviction, and if not, the entitlement ends.

What the average wage is and how it moves is explained in our guide to the minimum and average wage, and how to get a citizenship certificate in our guide to the birth extract and citizenship certificate. Where to certify the statements is covered in our guide to certifying signatures, and the regular old-age pension in our guide to the pension in Montenegro.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the national pension for athletes in 2026? Between half and two average net wages of 2025, and the highest is about 2,024 euros a month.

At what age does an athlete get the lifetime benefit? After turning 35, if the athlete has top national team result status.

How much does an Olympic medallist get? Two average net wages for gold, and one and a half for silver or bronze, which is about 2,024 or 1,518 euros in 2026.

Is there a fee for the request? No fee applies, and the Ministry of Sport and Youth decides within 30 days.

Can the benefit be received on several grounds? No, it is paid on one ground only, for the best sporting result.

What does the Constitutional Court ruling mean for athletes who already receive the benefit? The provision that allowed the Ministry to re-check and end benefits granted before the 2018 law was struck down.

Sources

The conditions, the amount of half to two average wages, the procedure and the regular check are set by the Law on Sport (Official Gazette of Montenegro, No. 44/18 and 123/21, Articles 29, 72 and 73), and the amount per result by the Decree on criteria for the lifetime monthly benefit (Official Gazette of Montenegro, No. 57/18, 12/22, 123/23 and 112/25, Article 2). The repeal of Article 139 was published in the Constitutional Court decision, the documents, fee and deadlines are described by eUprava, and the average net wage for 2025 was published by MONSTAT. The information was checked on 28 September 2026. Fijaka is a classifieds platform; this text is not legal advice.