Car accident in Montenegro: call 112, then the police

A crash on holiday feels worse than one at home: a foreign country, a foreign language, a car that is not yours. In practice the procedure here is short, and the one rule that matters is simple: do not leave without a police report. Here is what to do, step by step.

The phone numbers are the same everywhere

• 112 — the single emergency number. Works from any SIM, even with no credit and no local card.
• 122 — police. This is the number you call after an accident.
• 124 — ambulance.
• 19807 — roadside assistance, the Auto-Moto Association of Montenegro. Around the clock: towing, a mechanic, a wheel change. From a foreign number: +382 20 234 999.

There is no need to look numbers up by town — they are national.

The first minutes

If anyone is hurt — call 124 first, then 122. Do not move the cars. Hazard lights on, warning triangle out: it is mandatory equipment and lives in the boot. Place it 50 metres behind the car; on a hairpin road, before the bend, so drivers see it earlier than they see you.

If nobody is hurt and the damage is minor — photograph everything first: both cars from several angles, the plates, skid marks, broken glass. Only then move the cars off the road if they block traffic.

Put the reflective vest on before you step onto the road — it is also mandatory equipment, usually under a seat or in the boot.

The police are not optional, even if everyone agrees

In minor accidents the other driver will often suggest settling on the spot. For someone driving a rental car this is the worst possible option, and here is why:

Without a police report the rental company charges the full damage to you — regardless of who was at fault and regardless of insurance. That is how every rental agreement works: the insurer only considers a claim if a report exists. No paper, no claim; the repair comes out of your deposit, and if that is not enough, you get a bill.

So the sequence is always the same: call 122, wait for the patrol, have it documented. The report is called a zapisnik. The police write it up on the spot; ask for a copy or photograph every page. You are not obliged to sign a document you do not understand — ask for an explanation, or note in the report that you disagree with the account.

In season the patrol can take an hour or more to arrive. That is normal; do not leave.

Calling the rental company

The second mandatory call, right after the police, goes to the rental company. The number is in your rental agreement; better still, save it to your contacts when you collect the car.

They will tell you what happens next: where the car goes if it cannot be driven, whether you get a replacement, which papers they need. The call also proves you reported the incident immediately — contracts often set a notification deadline.

What not to do: repair anything yourself, order a tow without their approval, or sign any settlement with the other driver. Each of those can void your cover.

What happens to your money

As a rule it works like this:

• The other driver was at fault — their insurance pays. Your deposit comes back, though possibly not at once: the company waits for the case to close.
• You were at fault, or both were — you lose at most the excess written in your agreement. With local rental companies it is usually €100–300, with the international chains €300–1,000.
• There is no report — the whole repair is yours; insurance does not apply.

How the excess and the deposit work, and how to pick a car where both are smaller, is covered on our car rental in Montenegro page and in what can go wrong with a rental.

Small incidents you must still report

The “police plus rental company” rule is not just for collisions:

• A mirror or window smashed in a car park, culprit unknown. Without a report this counts as damage caused by you.
• A stone cracked the windscreen. Often excluded from cover — but report it anyway; terms differ between companies.
• You clipped a bollard, a kerb, a branch. The scratch will surface at return anyway. Reporting at once is cheaper than explaining later.
• Someone hit your car and drove off. Note the time and place, look for cameras, call the police: without a report there is no claim at all.

Alcohol and checks

After an accident the police breath-test both drivers as a matter of routine. Any alcohol at the wheel is a bad idea in Montenegro: the legal limit is 0.3 per mille (0.03%), zero for young and professional drivers, and after a crash even a permitted trace complicates everything. More on the rules and fines in driving in Montenegro.

The short version

1. Anyone hurt? 124, then 122. Nobody — photos first, then 122.
2. Hazards, vest, triangle 50 metres back.
3. Wait for the police, get the zapisnik, photograph it.
4. Call the rental company before doing anything else.
5. Sign nothing at the roadside and repair nothing yourself.
6. Car undriveable — towing only via the rental company or 19807.

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Prices checked in September 2026. Related reading: what can go wrong with a rental, driving rules and fines and car rental in Montenegro.