Montenegro's Ministry of Health will allow entry of cruise ships and lift the ban which has been in force since March 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The ban will most likely be lifted by the end of this week, for cruise ships with medical facilities for PCR testing on passengers and crew on a daily basis.

"The lifting of the ban on cruise ships entering nautical ports - marinas and trading ports open to international traffic - Bar, Budva, Kotor and the Port of Kumbor-Portonovi and Tivat (Gat I and Gat II) is the subject of analysis and consideration, concluding that this ban should be lifted on April 10, 2021, for cruise ships that have an authorized laboratory to perform microbiological testing for the presence of (SARS-CoV-2)"the Ministry of Health said.

In preparation for the upcoming summer tourist season, authorities said that the goal is to make it easier for tourists to enter and stay in Montenegro, but also to preserve a stable epidemiological situation in the country.

In the past month, several inquiries have been made by the major cruise companies such as Carnival Corp, Royal Caribbean Group and MSC Cruises, showing interest, when and under which conditions cruise ships will be allowed to dock in Montenegro. Especially for the port of Kotor which before the Covid-19 pandemic was the third most visited cruise destination in the Adriatic.