Montenegro has generated more than 2,3 million euros in revenue from online purchases in five months this year, and the customs clearance process has been significantly accelerated thanks to digitalization and international cooperation, Maja Racković from the Customs Administration told "Boje jutra".
As of January 1, 2025, Montenegrin citizens are required to pay VAT on all online shipments, regardless of their value. Amendments to the VAT Law have abolished the previous threshold of 75 euros below which shipments were not taxed.
"The Customs Administration, in cooperation with the German Society for International Cooperation - GIZ, has developed the E-manifest application for announcing shipments before their arrival in Montenegro," said Račković.
He adds that the application allows customs officers to analyze shipments in advance and mark those that will be subject to control. Shipments that do not require inspection can be immediately delivered to the final recipients without additional delay.
Despite the amendments to the Law, citizens' interest in online shopping does not wane.
"There has been no decrease in the number of shipments after the amendment to the VAT Law, but on the contrary, this number is constantly increasing," says Račković.
According to her, more and more operators are expressing interest in using the E-manifest application, especially those who operate with the TEMU platform.
Montenegro has generated more than 2,3 million euros in revenue from online shopping in just five months this year.
"In the first five months of 2025, 378.117 online shipments worth up to 75 euros arrived in Montenegro, for which VAT was calculated in the amount of 2.311.029,88 euros," said Račković.
In the same period last year, there were only 10.248 such shipments, and VAT was not charged on them at that time.
"From the above, it follows that the state of Montenegro has generated over 2.300.000 euros in revenue on this basis alone," she concluded.
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