Lawyer fees in Montenegro 2026: what a lawyer charges for a claim, hearing, criminal defence, divorce, advice and contract under the bar tariff, hourly rate and VAT

Since 1 January 2026 lawyers in Montenegro charge under the new tariff of the Bar Association of Montenegro: a claim or a hearing in a dispute worth up to €1,000 costs €100, in a dispute worth €5,001 to €10,000 €175, and a divorce, maintenance or child custody case €250 per step. Criminal defence costs €200 to €1,000 per hearing, depending on the sentence the offence carries, and an hourly rate, if you agree one, cannot be lower than €125. All amounts exclude VAT.

Below are the fees by the value of the dispute, for proceedings whose value cannot be assessed and for criminal defence, the rules for advice, contracts, the hourly rate and surcharges, example bills and when a foreigner needs a power of attorney.

What people search for

On 25 September 2026 Google completed advokatska tarifa (lawyer tariff) with crne gore (of Montenegro), crne gore 2026, cg 2026 and crne gore 2025, and in English lawyer montenegro with immigration lawyer montenegro and real estate lawyer montenegro. According to Google Keyword Planner, advokatska tarifa and advokat (lawyer) were each searched in Montenegro, in Serbian, between 100 and 1,000 times a month from September 2025 to August 2026, and advokat podgorica between 10 and 100 times.

What the new tariff is

The tariff was published in the Official Gazette 132/2025 on 12 November 2025, amended in issue 153/2025 on 23 December 2025, has applied since 1 January 2026 and replaced the tariff from 2017. We downloaded the consolidated text from the Bar Association's website on 26 September 2026 and checked the amounts against the tariff's tables. We explain how we choose and label price sources on our page on how we measure prices.

The tariff sets a fee for every step: a filing, a hearing, an appeal. A lawyer and client may agree less, but not less than 50% of the tariff, or more, but not more than five times the amount. The amounts include a 25% lump sum for ancillary work, and a VAT-registered lawyer adds the tax at the VAT rate of 21%.

As a rule the fee is paid after the step is done, but a lawyer may ask for an advance, and at the client's request must draw up a written statement of fees together with the text of the tariff. If no invoice is issued, the fee in civil proceedings falls due when the case ends or when the power of attorney is terminated or revoked.

Disputes by value

For a dispute worth more than a million euros the fee rises by €100 for every started €100,000, but one step cannot cost more than €3,500. For employment claims of up to €100 the whole case cannot cost more than €500.

Proceedings whose value cannot be assessed

Criminal defence

For defending an accused the tariff sets the fee by the sentence the offence carries: €200 for up to three years, €300 for three to five years, €400 for five to ten, €500 for over ten years and €1,000 for long-term imprisonment. A hearing that is not held earns half the amount, an appeal double, from €400 to €2,000, and for each further criminal offence the fee rises by 50%. A lawyer for the injured party or a private prosecutor earns the same fee, and drafting a criminal complaint or a private prosecution is paid like a defence.

Advice, contracts, hourly rate and surcharges

• Legal advice: oral advice costs half, and written advice the full fee for the relevant proceedings.
• Contracts and other documents: a fee like for a filing, depending on the type of document and its value.
• Hourly rate: an agreed hourly rate cannot be lower than €125 for every started hour, and if a step lasts longer than an hour, 25% of the fee is added for every further hour.
• Nights, weekends and holidays: the fee rises by 100%, and at night on a weekend or holiday by 200%.
• Work away from the office: more than 10 km away €20 per hour of absence, at most eight hours a day, and for a trip of at least 30 km a daily allowance of €35 and 30% of the price of a litre of petrol per kilometre for the lawyer's own car.

For every additional person the lawyer represents the fee rises by 50%, but at most up to five times the amount.

Example bills

A claim for a debt of €3,000 with two hearings held costs €150 for the claim and €150 for each hearing, €450 in total, or €544.50 with VAT. A divorce with a petition and one hearing costs €500, and €605 with VAT. Oral advice in a property dispute costs half of €300, so €150 excluding VAT. For comparison, we explain notary fees for sales and certifications in our guide to the notary tariff, and prices for other services are in our price guide.

When a foreigner needs a lawyer and a power of attorney

A foreigner buying or selling property from abroad often does it through a representative, and Fijaka in its guide to a power of attorney from abroad explains how the power of attorney is certified and apostilled. What a lawyer does for foreigners, from residence to buying property, is described by RoNa Legal in its guide to lawyers in Montenegro. Under the tariff, a lawyer may also charge a foreign client under the tariff of the client's country.

Glatko and legal services

Glatko does not arrange lawyers: the platform covers tradespeople, cleaning, moving and other services for the home and family. If you offer one of these services, registering as a professional on Glatko is free and commission-free.

What we did not measure

We do not know how often lawyers agree fees below or above the tariff in practice, and we did not measure law firms' flat-fee offers. Court fees, expert witness and translation costs are paid separately. This is an overview of the tariff, not legal advice for your case.