The Real Estate Administration, which is responsible, pursuant to the Law on Legalization, for registering illegal buildings, received 2.000 requests for registration of these buildings in the cadastral records as of October, and the largest number was recorded in the capital and in the municipalities of Bar, Ulcinj, Kotor, Žabljak, Budva, Danilovgrad, Herceg Novi, Nikšić and Rožaje.
The director told "Vijesti" this Marko Bulatović emphasizing that the role of the Administration is extremely important and responsible, because as the authority responsible for registering illegal structures, they represent the first and most important step.
"In addition to the expected requests for legalization, I must emphasize that the Administration processes around 100.000 regular requests annually, which speaks volumes about the scope of our work. Despite this, we will do our best to respond to both regular and requests related to legalization in a timely manner. Currently, around 59.000 illegal buildings are registered in the cadastral records, but this number does not reflect the actual situation on the ground. We expect that the implementation of the new Law will contribute to a significantly higher number of requests because citizens are given the opportunity to regulate their status and register their buildings within the stipulated deadline. This legal solution brings multiple benefits to both citizens and the state, and finally brings order to the area of illegal construction, and gives owners the opportunity to permanently resolve the issue of legalization. The procedure is now simpler and I take this opportunity to call on all citizens and legal entities to respect the six-month deadline and submit requests for registration in the cadastre," said Bulatović.
Demanding process
This Law entered into force on August 14th, and the deadline for submitting applications to the Administration expires on February 14th.
Speaking about the response of citizens to date for the legalization of illegal structures, Bulatović said that he would not say that this is a small response, but on the contrary, that it is a process that requires a certain amount of time and preparation of documentation, primarily the preparation of a geodetic study, which represents the first and mandatory step in the legalization process.
"I assume that the owners of illegal structures are currently working on obtaining documentation, which explains why the number of submitted requests is not yet at the level we expect. It should be borne in mind that there are about 100 licensed geodetic organizations in the country, most of which have a small number of employed geodetic experts. According to the information we receive, the demand is high, and it is clear that the process of preparing the documentation is ongoing. It is also known that citizens most often complete all obligations before the deadline. This has also been shown in the procedures for issuing ID cards, so we expect a similar situation. I am convinced that the number of requests will increase significantly in the coming months, and especially towards the end of the deadline, when we expect greater crowds in our regional units. My message to citizens is not to wait until the last moment," Bulatović emphasized.
When asked whether the lack of satellite and aerial photogrammetric images has made the work of the Real Estate Administration more difficult so far and how they expect the work to proceed now, Bulatović pointed out that the work has not been difficult because the Administration has been receiving requests for registration of facilities every day since the Law came into force. Although they are aware that this is a large-scale task, they will do their best to successfully complete it.
"Bulatović said that it is important for citizens to understand that satellite imagery is the basis for registering buildings, that is, that according to the Law on the Legalization of Illegal Buildings, buildings cannot be registered if they are not recorded on that imagery.
"I emphasize again that it is most important for citizens to meet the deadline for submitting requests for registration of facilities by February 14, 2026, because otherwise they will not be able to legalize their facilities, regardless of the fact that they are on the satellite image. Therefore, the process is ongoing and there is no reason for concern if citizens meet the prescribed deadlines. Our goal was to provide all technical and personnel prerequisites so that the processing of requests can be done quickly and efficiently," said Bulatović.
Amendments to the Law on Real Estate Cadastre
He also explained that it was necessary to amend the Law on State Survey and Real Estate Cadastre and align it with the Law on Legalization of Illegal Buildings, and that the draft law has been prepared and is currently in further procedure, and they expect its adoption as soon as possible.
"The need for these changes arose from the current law, according to which owners of illegal buildings could register with a notarized statement and a geodetic study. However, the new legal solution on the legalization of illegal buildings specifies that only those buildings that are recorded on a satellite image from July 2025 can be registered. This change was the reason for the amendments to the Law on State Survey and Real Estate Cadastre. This means that citizens continue to submit the same documentation for registration, but now the legal requirement for registration that the Administration must respect is that the building is recorded on a satellite image. Therefore, the Administration will not register buildings that are not recorded on a satellite image. When it comes to amending the rulebook, these are mainly technical changes to the content of the geodetic study, which will rely on new legal solutions. These changes will ensure that the process of legalization and registration of buildings is in line with the legal framework," Bulatović explained.
According to him, the Administration is the first and last step in the legalization process and in the initial phase it will register illegally built buildings, issue real estate certificates and certificates, thus creating a legal basis for further proceedings, i.e. the foundation and key basis for all further steps in the legalization process.
"In the final phase, based on the decisions on legalization, the Administration will delete the encumbrance from the cadastral records that the facility is illegal, which will contribute to the successful completion of this procedure. For a better understanding of the scope of work carried out by the Administration, it is necessary to point out that for real estate that was not recorded in the cadastral records, two decisions will be processed, namely on the registration of the facility and finally a decision on the deletion of the encumbrance. Bearing in mind that a certain number of illegal facilities from the previous period have been registered, their owners can already obtain the necessary documentation from the Administration and continue the legalization procedure without delay," said Bulatović.
The problem of 130 vacancies
Bulatović said that the biggest problem and challenge facing the Administration is human resources and that they currently have more than 130 vacant positions, which significantly complicates the implementation of obligations within legal deadlines, although the desire is to respond to all requests in a timely manner.
"It should be especially noted that municipalities such as Budva, Kotor, Ulcinj or Žabljak have only one or two lawyers, which is insufficient to resolve all cases within the legal deadlines and tasks expected of them. The fact is that today knowledge is the most expensive resource, and we are also facing the problem of staff outflow who often find better positions in other bodies or the private sector, where responsibility is lower," Bulatović pointed out, adding that the public often gets the impression that state bodies are not doing enough or that they are only hiring for show, and he said that the doors of the Administration are open to anyone who wants to see for themselves the scope of work that this institution is doing.
He said that with the great support of the relevant ministry and the Government, they expect to strengthen the Administration in terms of personnel and bring it into line with similar bodies in the region, so that employees have the satisfaction of remaining permanent staff and continuing to contribute to the efficient implementation of legalization and all other procedures.
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