What Are The Public Holidays in Montenegro in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Montenegro (2026)

Montenegro recognises a mix of state and religious public holidays. Below is an indicative list for 2026, but you should always confirm exact dates and observance rules with up‑to‑date local sources, especially for religious holidays that follow different calendars.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, Montenegrin labour law generally requires employers to treat public holidays as paid non‑working days for employees who would normally work on those days. In practice, this means your employees should receive their regular pay for the holiday, without being required to use annual leave.

If an employee works on a public holiday, you must provide either premium pay or compensatory time off. The Labour Law sets minimum standards for increased pay for work on holidays, and many collective agreements or employment contracts go further, so you should always check the specific terms that apply in your company.

When a public holiday falls on a weekend, it is typically observed on the next working day, so your team still receives a paid day off. However, implementation can vary by sector and collective agreement, so you should confirm the practice with your local payroll provider or legal counsel.

Part‑time employees are entitled to public holiday pay on a pro‑rated basis if the holiday falls on a day they would normally work. If the holiday falls on a non‑working day for a part‑time employee, there is usually no additional entitlement unless your internal policies or a collective agreement provide more generous treatment.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Failure to respect public holiday rights in Montenegro can expose your company to labour inspections, administrative fines and back‑pay obligations. The labour inspectorate is the main enforcement authority and can initiate proceedings if an employee complains or if irregularities are discovered during an inspection.

Sanctions can include fines per violation, orders to correct payroll and working time records, and payment of unpaid wages with interest. In more serious or repeated cases, inspectors may also impose additional measures affecting your ability to operate until compliance is restored.

Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as ordinary working days without premium pay, not granting an observed day off when a holiday falls on a weekend, and misclassifying employees as independent contractors to avoid holiday obligations. Keeping accurate time records and clear written policies is essential to demonstrate compliance.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

Public holidays in Montenegro do not remove or replace normal weekly working time limits, but they do change how hours are classified and paid. Hours worked on a public holiday are typically treated as work under special conditions and must be paid at a higher rate than ordinary hours, often in addition to any overtime premium that would otherwise apply.

If an employee exceeds the standard weekly or daily working time because they worked on a holiday, those excess hours are usually counted as overtime and must be compensated accordingly. In practice, this can mean a combined premium for both holiday work and overtime, depending on the wording of your employment contracts and any collective agreement.

To stay compliant, you should track hours worked on holidays separately from regular hours, apply the correct premium rate for holiday work, and then assess whether the total hours trigger overtime. Where your policies allow, offering compensatory time off at an enhanced rate can be an alternative, but only if it is clearly agreed and still meets minimum legal standards.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Navigating Montenegro’s mix of state and religious holidays, observed days and premium pay rules can be challenging, especially if you are managing a distributed team from another country. Playroll helps you handle this complexity so you can focus on growing your business.

When you hire in Montenegro through Playroll, our in‑country experts and local partners keep track of changing labour laws, public holiday calendars and collective agreements. We build the correct public holiday entitlements into employment contracts, payroll calculations and time‑off policies from day one.

Playroll automatically applies the right treatment for public holidays – whether that means paid time off, premium pay for work performed, or compensatory rest – and adjusts for part‑time schedules and observed days when holidays fall on weekends. Your team sees a clear breakdown of their leave and holiday pay, while you get transparent, audit‑ready records.

Because Playroll operates as the legal employer of record, we share responsibility for compliance with Montenegrin labour law, including public holiday and overtime rules. That reduces your legal and operational risk compared with trying to manage everything in‑house or through ad‑hoc contractor arrangements.

If you are planning to hire in Montenegro or expand an existing team, Playroll gives you a straightforward way to stay compliant with leave and holiday regulations, pay your people correctly and build trust with your local workforce – without needing to become an expert in Montenegrin employment law yourself.