Sanitary and Phytosanitary & Veterinary regulation

What is subjected to the Sanitary Inspection

Sanitary inspection is performed safety of food and item of general use (toys and cosmetic products) in production, circulation and import. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Health have the competences for food safety policymaking.

Laws and Regulations

Where is Sanitary Inspection Conducted

Import / Export / Re-exsport / Transit procedure

Consignments of food in import, export or transit must have the required international approval (certificate) or other required documentation, except if required otherwise by international agreement.
Certificate must be: in original, marked with a serial number, completed and signed by the competent authority of the exporting economy and in the appropriate form. For importing consignments, the certificate must be written in Montenegrin and in the language of the exporting economy.

Competent authorities may prescribe special conditions for import and transit of consignments of foodstuffs or feedstuffs on the basis of analyses, international recommendations and guidelines.  

Sanitary inspector inspect the safety of the food of plant origin after primary production, combined and other types of produced food, international traffic, wholesale and retail, as well as individually declared packed food of animal origin found in retail.

Sanitary inspectors conducting inspection in customs warehouses and free customs zones have the following additional competences:

- Permitting import or warehousing of consignments of food after physical and documentary examination;
- Collecting and sending food samples for analysis in the competent laboratory;
- Inspect the compliance with established requirements in customs warehouses and duty free zones;
- Monitoring and inspecting disinfection activities of the means of transport, customs warehouses and warehouses within duty free zones.

In the food sampling process, one can take up to three samples under the same conditions and in quantities as required for analysis. The number of samples, time and quantities depends on to the available material, the perishability of a product or other similar cases.

Veterinary inspectors inspect the food safety of the food of animal origin, combined food and feedstuffs in the process of production, international traffic, wholesale and retail of meat, fish and other aquaculture products.

Veterinary inspectors conducting inspection at border crossing points or in customs warehouses have the following additional competences:

- Permitting import, transit or warehousing of consignments of foodstuffs and feedstuffs after conducting physical and documentary examination;
- Examining and inspecting consignments of animals, foodstuffs and feedstuffs for export in case of reload at the border crossing point or warehousing in registered warehouse in accordance with the regulations and requirements;
- Issuing or validating certificates for animals, foodstuffs or feedstuffs;
- Collecting and sending foodstuff and feedstuff samples for analysis in the competent laboratory;
- Inspect the compliance with established requirements in warehouses, duty free zones and customs warehouses;
- Monitoring and inspecting disinfection activities of the means of transport, warehouses and equipment at border crossing points and customs warehouses within duty free zones;
- Monitoring outbreaks and trends of infectious diseases in neighboring economies and reporting findings to the competent authorities.

Phytosanitary inspectors inspect the safety of food of plant origin in the primary production.

Supporting documents, Forms

Food Safety
The Law on Genetically Modified Microorganisms

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