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For years, purchasing property in Montenegro involved navigating a market with varying levels of professional oversight. On August 31, 2026, the Montenegrin real estate sector experienced a fundamental regulatory shift.
The state conducted its first-ever official licensing examination for real estate mediators, activating the strict requirements of the newly implemented Law on Intermediation in the Traffic and Leasing of Real Estate (Zakon o posredovanju u prometu i zakupu nepokretnosti).
This legislation effectively ends the era of unregulated property sales, ensuring that only certified professionals can legally operate within the country.
1. The Certification Process and What It Covers
The new state-mandated exam is rigorous and designed to test the comprehensive legal and financial knowledge required to safely guide buyers through high-value transactions.
The examination process includes both comprehensive written and oral testing across several critical domains:
- Property Law & Contracts: Mastery of ownership rights, cadastre registration, and the drafting of binding preliminary contracts (Predugovori).
- Taxation & Financial Compliance: Deep understanding of VAT applications, real estate transfer taxes, and cross-border financial regulations for foreign investors.
- Urban Planning Regulations: Knowledge of building permits, legalization processes, and spatial planning documentation.
- Professional Ethics: Strict adherence to client protection protocols and anti-money laundering (AML) directives.
By enforcing these standards, the Montenegrin government is actively clearing the market of gray-zone operators and independent, unverified intermediaries.
2. Lako Invest Among the Market Pioneers
The inaugural examination was highly exclusive, with only 32 professionals participating across the entire country. These individuals are the pioneers of Montenegro’s newly regulated real estate landscape.
We are proud to announce that Olga Lakomchenko, founder and lead agent of Lako Invest, was among this first group of candidates and successfully passed both the written and oral components of the exam.
Securing this certification immediately upon the law’s activation reflects our agency’s proactive approach to legal compliance. At Lako Invest, maintaining a deep understanding of Montenegrin commercial law and real estate regulations is the baseline of our daily operations in Bar and across the coast.
3. What This Means for Our Clients
For international investors and families relocating to Montenegro, the new licensing law provides a crucial layer of financial and legal security.
Working with a licensed agency guarantees that your property acquisition is managed by professionals who are legally accountable to the state. It ensures that every property presented to you has undergone strict due diligence regarding title deeds, building permits, and tax liabilities before a contract is ever signed.
At Lako Invest, we welcome these strict regulatory changes. They align perfectly with our core philosophy: providing transparent, safe, and highly structured investment advisory.
