Montenegro: Tax treatment of purchase of antivirus software licenses from foreign companies

International Tax Review is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Garden, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Montenegro: Tax treatment of purchase of antivirus software licenses from foreign companies

zivkovic.jpg

Jelena Zivkovic

Production of antivirus software systems and other services related to software products are defined as special way of providing intellectual services in areas of complex science projects, especially programming, projecting and realisation. The Montenegrin VAT Law prescribes for the purchase of antivirus system software and other products related to software products that are produced in a foreign country for a Montenegrin company being subject to VAT at the rate of 17% in Montenegro (country of origin of customer). The tax base is the purchase price.

In addition, according to the Corporate Income Tax Law, the taxpayer is obliged to calculate, withhold and pay withholding tax (WHT) at the rate of 9% on payments made to non-residents in respect of interest, royalties and other intellectual property rights, capital gains, lease of immovable and movable property, the fees based on consulting services, market research services and audit services.

Since the local legislation recognises computer software as special way of intellectual services, WHT is payable in the case of the transfer of antivirus software copyrights for using antivirus systems for resale or in case of its further development.

In case of the procurement of an antivirus system for a company's internal usage, there is no obligation of WHT payment.

Jelena Zivkovic (jelena.zivkovic@eurofast.eu)

Eurofast Global, Podgorica Office, Montenegro

Tel: +382 20 228 490

Website: www.eurofast.eu

more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

From Instagram content to £100m transactions, the founder of Thomas & Co International discusses building a modern tax and accounting firm for business founders
Growing GAAR scrutiny is driving taxpayers to look beyond legal form and demonstrate the commercial rationale underpinning tax-efficient structures
Pillar two has been clients’ ‘biggest headache’ but also a driver of growth for MHA, which believes it has the edge over its big four rivals
Public country-by-country reporting is exposing multinational tax data to investors, journalists and competitors, creating fresh risks for businesses
Pillar two compliance is creating unprecedented data demands for multinational tax departments, making closer collaboration with FP&A teams essential for accurate reporting and audit readiness
Among the arrivals is Andrew Howell, who leaves scandal-hit PwC Australia after representing PepsiCo in a high-profile TP dispute
ITR's podcast examines whether the big four have overarching cultural issues and assesses the competitive threat of technology-backed transfer pricing firms
The UK advisory firm has seen its global revenues expand by £27.2m following its listing and acquisition of Baker Tilly South-East Europe
Tax-trained John Sams, previously the firm’s CFO and COO, was appointed after a rigorous process, KPMG said
From Mauritius substance rules to Kenyan SEP tax and South African anti-avoidance measures, businesses must navigate growing scrutiny of cross-border IP structures in Africa
Gift this article