An electronic signature in Montenegro is no longer an administrative formality, but a tool without which serious business operations are becoming increasingly difficult to imagine. If you communicate with government institutions, file tax returns, or manage a company, sooner or later you will reach a point where, without it, you lose time at counters and on paperwork that has already been digitalized. An electronic signature is also necessary if you are engaged in sales activities, as it is a mandatory requirement for online fiscalization.
What Is a Qualified Electronic Signature and Why It Matters
From a legal standpoint, only a qualified electronic signature issued by a certified trust service provider has full legal validity. It carries the same legal value as a handwritten signature on paper. This means that a document signed in this manner is valid before the Tax Administration, the Central Registry of Business Entities (CRPS), courts, banks, and other institutions.
It is important to understand that this is not a scanned image of your signature or a simple click inside a PDF file. It is a digital certificate cryptographically linked to your identity. When you sign a document, the system confirms that you personally signed it and that the content has not been altered after signing.
Where to Obtain Electronic Signature and How Much It Costs in Montenegro
In practice, most users in Montenegro obtain their certificate through official registration bodies authorized to issue qualified certificates, mostly at Montenegrin Post Office.
The process requires a personal visit with a valid ID card or passport. Your identity is verified in person, as the law requires reliable identification before a certificate can be issued. After your application is processed, you receive a qualified certificate, most commonly stored on a USB token, along with a PIN code.
The price depends on the validity period and the type of user. For individuals, a one-year certificate typically costs around €40 to €50. For legal entities or certificates with a longer validity period (usually three years), the cost generally ranges between €80 and €120. Submitting the application takes about twenty minutes, while the certificate is usually issued within a few working days.
What to Pay Attention To
The technology itself is reliable, but the way it is used often is not. In many companies, the director formally holds the electronic signature, while the USB token sits in the accounting department and is used by multiple people. This blurs the line of responsibility. An electronic signature is legally tied to a specific individual, and any misuse is formally attributed to the certificate holder until proven otherwise.
For that reason, the PIN should never be shared, the token should be treated as a personal document, and the certificate should be installed only on a secure and updated computer. In practice, your electronic signature functions as your digital ID within the state’s business system. The more seriously you treat it, the simpler and safer your business operations will be.
