In Montenegro a child's birth is registered within three days of birth, and when the baby is born in a maternity ward, the health institution itself normally sends the registration electronically. The parents agree on the child's personal name and report it to the official within the same three days, or for justified reasons within 30 days at the latest. The birth of a Montenegrin citizen abroad is also entered in the civil registers in Montenegro, based on an extract from a consulate or a foreign authority.
This guide explains who registers a birth, the deadlines, the child's name, registering a birth abroad and the fines.
Who registers a birth and by when?
| Where the child is born | Who registers the birth | Deadline |
| In a maternity ward or other health institution | the health institution, normally electronically | three days from birth |
| Outside a health institution | the father, or the mother if she is able, with a doctor's certificate of birth | three days from birth |
| Outside a health institution, and the parents are unable to | the person who delivered the baby or was present at the birth, or the person in whose home the child was born | three days from birth |
- If the deadline falls on a non-working day, the registration is filed on the next working day.
- The birth is entered in the birth register of the municipality where the child was born, and a birth in a vehicle in the municipality where the mother's journey ended.
- The birth register holds the child's first name, surname, sex, date, hour and place of birth and the parents' details, including citizenship and personal identification number.
- A birth reported more than 30 days after it happened is only entered after a procedure to establish the facts of the birth.
How is the child's name chosen?
- The parents choose the child's personal name by agreement, and if one parent is unknown, not alive or unable to exercise parental rights, the other parent chooses it.
- The child can take the surname of one or both parents.
- You report the personal name to the official within three days of birth, or for justified reasons within 30 days at the latest.
- If the child's first name and surname have more than three words, the registration states the first name or surname the child will use in legal dealings.
- If the registrar finds that the name was not chosen according to the law or could harm the child's interests, the registrar gives the parents 15 days to choose a new name.
What if the parents disagree on the name?
- Parents who cannot agree on the child's name turn to the competent guardianship authority.
- The guardianship authority helps the parents reach an agreement, taking into account the child's rights and interests.
- If there is still no agreement, a court decides on the name in non-contentious proceedings, at the request of one or both parents or the guardianship authority.
- The request to the court is accompanied by proof that the parents tried to agree with the help of the guardianship authority.
How is a child born abroad registered?
- The birth of a Montenegrin citizen in another country is entered in the civil registers in Montenegro.
- The basis is an extract from the register kept by a Montenegrin embassy or consulate, or, if the birth was not reported to the consulate, an extract from the competent foreign authority.
- The child is registered in the municipality of the parents' last joint residence, and if there is none, the parents choose the municipality.
- If registration is not possible that way either, the child is registered in the municipality where a parent was born, and failing that, in Podgorica.
- The birth of a foreign couple's child in Montenegro is also entered in the birth register, and the Ministry sends an extract to the competent authority of the other country within eight days.
What are the fines?
- A parent or other person who does not register on time the birth of a child born outside a health institution pays a fine of 100 to 500 euros.
- A parent who does not report the child's personal name on time pays a fine of 100 to 500 euros.
- A health institution that does not register a birth on time pays a fine of 500 to 5,000 euros, and the responsible person in it 200 to 1,000 euros.
How to order a birth register extract after registration is covered in our guide to the birth certificate extract, and the newborn payment and child benefit in our guide to child benefit. The ten working days for fathers are covered in our guide to paternity leave, and the first vaccines in our guide to child vaccination.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you have to register a birth in Montenegro? Three days from birth, and if the deadline falls on a non-working day, until the next working day.
Do parents have to register the birth themselves if the baby is born in a maternity ward? No, because the health institution registers a birth in a maternity ward, normally electronically.
By when must the baby's name be reported? The personal name is reported within three days of birth, or for justified reasons within 30 days at the latest.
Can a child take both parents' surnames? Yes, the child can take the surname of one or both parents, as the parents agree.
How do I register in Montenegro a child born abroad? With an extract from the register of a Montenegrin consulate or from the competent foreign authority, in the municipality of the parents' last joint residence.
What is the fine for registering a birth late? A parent who does not register the birth of a child born outside a health institution pays 100 to 500 euros.
Sources
Birth registration, deadlines, the place of registration, births abroad, late registration and fines are set by the Law on Civil Registers, Official Gazette 47/2008 as amended (Articles 6, 18 to 21, 28 to 31, 33, 43 and 44), and choosing the personal name, the 15-day deadline and the procedure when parents disagree by the Law on Personal Name, Official Gazette 47/2008 (Articles 6 to 8). The information was checked on 27 September 2026. Fijaka is a classifieds platform; this text is not legal advice.