ARTICLE · 20 OCTOBER 2026

GDPR Comes To Montenegro: Is Your Business Ready?

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Montenegro has adopted a new Personal Data Protection Law that brings its data protection framework much closer to the EU's GDPR, introducing significantly higher fines, extraterritorial reach, and stricter compliance requirements. The law enters into force in September 2026 but applies from March 2027, giving businesses a six-month transition period to prepare for major changes in areas such as international data transfers, breach notification, and accountability measures.

MontenegroPrivacy

Goran Radoševic

Milica Poljak

Anja Gataric

Montenegro has adopted a new Personal Data Protection Law (the “New Law”), bringing a long-awaited overhaul of its data protection framework. The New Law entered into force on 19 September 2026 but will apply from 19 March 2027, following a six-month transition period.

The reform is notable not only because it replaces a framework largely dating back to 2008, but also because it brings Montenegrin data protection rules much closer to the EU’s GDPR, on which it is modelled. For businesses, this means a major shift towards a more developed compliance framework, coupled with materially higher enforcement exposure and important changes in areas such as extraterritorial reach, personal data breaches, international transfers and accountability.

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