Montenegro Becomes an Operational Member of SEPA: First Transactions from Tomorrow – Faster, Cheaper and Safer International Euro Payments
06/10/2025
As of today, Montenegro officially becomes an operational member of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA). This means that, starting 7 October 2025, citizens and businesses will be able to send and receive money within the SEPA zone significantly faster, cheaper and more securely, on an equal footing with forty European countries, including all EU Member States.
The launch of the first international euro transactions within the European payments area, less than a year after Montenegro became the first Western Balkan country to join SEPA, represents a historic milestone and a major step towards integration into the European financial area ahead of the country’s full EU membership.
From tomorrow, the first daily transfer of up to 200 euros by individuals to SEPA-area countries will be free of charge. For electronic transfers up to 20,000 euros, the maximum fee will be 1.99 euros, while for transfers exceeding €20,000, the fee will be 25 euros. Lower costs and faster transactions will bring direct benefits to citizens and businesses alike—from saving money to creating greater opportunities for trade and investment within the European market.
This historic achievement – Montenegro’s formal and operational accession to SEPA – is the result of the joint efforts of the Government, Parliament and the CBCGin aligning national regulations with European standards, as well as the synergy between the Central Bank and eleven Montenegrin commercial banks in modernising the country’s payment infrastructure and meeting the European Payments Council standards across the entire financial sector in a record time, with the support of the European Commission and the World Bank. Membership in SEPA demonstrates that reforms and integration processes already deliver tangible and practical benefits to citizens and the economy well before Montenegro’s accession to the European Union.
The launch of the first SEPA transactions is a significant step towards economic convergence with EU per capita income levels, sustainable growth, and deeper financial integration of Montenegro into the European market. Starting tomorrow, citizens and businesses will be able to take full advantage of the SEPA system, giving Montenegro’s European future a practical and visible dimension.