On 1 July 2020 the parliament of Montenegro voted in favour of legalising and recognizing same-sex civil partnerships, taking the country one step closer to EU accession and positioning its recently launched Citizenship By Investment Program as the best program in the world for gay couples.

Find out more about the approved legislative changes below, for contact us now for more information on the Montenegro Citizenship by Investment Program and how to apply.

What’s changed in 2020?

While the proposed changes were rejected during a 2019 vote, the legislative changes were approved by a narrow margin this time round, making Montenegro the first country in Europe, outside of the European Union and Western Europe, to legally recognize the rights of lesbian and gay couples.

Montenegro’s Prime Minister, Dusko Markovic, tweet that the move was a “great step in the right direction for Montenegro’s society, its democratic maturity and integration processes”.

Montenegro, with a population of over 620,000 people, becomes the 32nd United Nations member country to recognize some version of civil partnerships between people of the same sex.

Given the widespread and legislated homophobia in the Eastern Caribbean, it is expected that the move will see the Montenegro CBI program gaining market share as the go-to European destination for high net worth gay and lesbian couples seeking second citizenship by investment.

The move, which further enhances Montenegro’s overall human rights performance, will also serve it well in terms of seeking EU accession in the coming few years.

From a CBI investment point of view, this will mean that gay couples who are either married or in formal civil unions will be able to lodge a second citizenship for the second partner as a dependent member, rather than having to apply as two individuals, which would increase the overall costs involved substantially if the application were to be made for economic citizenship in countries like St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Vanuatu, Dominica or St Lucia.

This is a developing story.

Please contact us now for the latest information on the Montenegro CBI Program in 2020.