Arriving for a first time in unknown country, the first people you will meet are courteous airport staff and, of course, taxi drivers. During the transfer from the airport in Podgorica, our friendly drivers will provide you with all the necessary instructions and information. One of the most common questions is: Do I have to leave tips in Montenegro?

This is a very specific custom in the world, and it differs from country to country. This is a habit, that if you do not know the rules for the country or region in which you are, you can look like decent, cultural, niggard, generous, haughty and similar. How and where to leave the tip in Balkan, as well in Montenegro, we will try to explain in this article.

Find out is baksheesh obligatory in Montenegro, and where to give it.

First to clarify one thing; All receipts you get in Balkan countries are without any kind of service fee! The number you see expressed in percentage is a VAT for the state. In Western European and American countries, you are obliged to pay service fee. It will be already included in your bill. In Switzerland you will be charged an additional 15% and in the UK 12.5% for the service. This will be indicated on your bill with total amount you need to pay.

Are you obliged to leave a tip in Montenegro or other Balkan states? Tipping culture certainly exist, but baksheesh in Montenegro is not mandatory. Of course, it is very desirable at all places it usually should be left. If you didn’t leave it, it means that you were absolutely not satisfied with the service. It can also mean that you are a sting.

To whom it is desirable to leave the money for the service? I think these are some general rules, and they are pretty similar for all countries that have this habit. So, you should leave some extra money to waiters, taxi drivers, deliverers, bellboys, chambermaids and similar. In Montenegro you can also leave a baksheesh to your hairdresser, beautician, tour guide and all other persons which are providing some kind of service for you.

Are You Obliged to Tip Your Taxi Driver in Montenegro?

As we have already explained, you are not obliged to pay more than agreed price, or the amount shown by the taximeter. But just to know, providing transportation from / to airport Podgorica, the driver expects a tip after the service is performed. Of course, you are the one who decides about this. If your driver drove carefully, helped you with the luggage, came on time to pick you up, provided you with some useful information, recommended a good and cheap restaurant, then it's impolite to leave him without some extra money.

How big is the gratuity you need to leave in Montenegro? It is very difficult to express in numerical terms, in percent. Usually it is from 10 to 30 percent, but also depends on the total amount indicated on the bill you are obliged to pay. We'll give you a few examples:

   -  You are alone in a coffee shop, and you need to pay the coffee you just drank. Your receipt is 1,20 Euros. You can easily leave 1,50 or even 2,00 Euros and not to look bragging or rude.

   -  Your receipt is 7,50 Euros? Then you should leave from 8,50 to 10,00 Euros

   -  In the case of bigger amount you need to pay, than tip can be lower. If your bill is 75,00 Euros, then 85,00 can be enough. But service provider will not be angry or offended if you pay 100,00 Euros.