Working Hours and Overtime in Montenegro

In Montenegro, your company must comply with working hour and overtime laws – including daily limits, overtime thresholds, and rest requirements – to stay compliant and build a strong employee experience.

Employers should establish clear internal rules that align with Montenegrin labour legislation, covering standard schedules, overtime authorization, record-keeping, and rest entitlements. By 2026, enforcement is expected to focus increasingly on transparent working-time records, fair overtime compensation, and the prevention of excessive hours, particularly in sectors with irregular or seasonal work. Proactive compliance – including regular audits of working-time data and updates to policies in line with legal or collective-bargaining changes – will help mitigate legal risks and support employee well-being.

• Standard Working Hours
• Overtime Thresholds
• Overtime Pay Rates
• Daily And Weekly Rest Requirements
• Night Work Restrictions
• Penalties For Non-Compliance

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Montenegro?

An employee whose age is 17 or younger has a maximum of 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. An employee whose age is 18 or older is allowed to work 40 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 30 minutes must be observed by employees who work more than 6 hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 09:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Montenegro

Under Montenegrin labour legislation, full-time work is generally limited to 40 hours per week, usually spread over five working days. Daily working time is commonly organized as 8 hours per day, although employers may distribute hours unevenly across the week if the average does not exceed statutory limits and if this is clearly defined in employment contracts or internal regulations. Any work that exceeds the contracted full-time schedule is tightly regulated and may trigger overtime obligations.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Continuous Process Industries – Such As Energy And Utilities
• Healthcare And Emergency Services
• Tourism, Hospitality, And Catering
• Transport, Logistics, And Port Operations
• Seasonal Agricultural Work
• Retail And Services With Extended Opening Hours

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Certain managerial or high-responsibility roles may have more flexible scheduling expectations, particularly where the nature of the job requires irregular hours or availability outside the standard workday. However, Montenegrin law does not provide a blanket exemption from working-time protections for managers. Employers should clearly define working time expectations, availability, and compensation arrangements in employment contracts, and must still respect health and safety limits, rest periods, and any applicable overtime or time-off rules unless a specific legal exemption applies.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Montenegro

Statutory full-time employment in Montenegro is based on a 40-hour workweek. This threshold is used to distinguish full-time from part-time work and to determine when overtime rules apply. Employers should document the agreed weekly hours, daily schedules, and any flexible or shift-based arrangements in written contracts and internal policies, ensuring that employees are informed of their standard hours, rest entitlements, and procedures for authorizing work beyond the normal schedule.

Overtime Regulations In Montenegro

What Counts As Overtime In Montenegro?

Overtime in Montenegro generally refers to any working time performed beyond the employee’s contracted full-time schedule, which is typically 40 hours per week. Work performed outside the established daily schedule, work on weekly rest days, and work on public holidays can all qualify as overtime if ordered or approved by the employer. Employers should implement clear internal procedures for authorizing overtime in advance, recording actual hours worked, and ensuring that overtime is used only when necessary for operational reasons.

Maximum Overtime In Montenegro

Montenegrin law sets limits on the amount of overtime an employee may perform to protect health and safety. Overtime is generally restricted to exceptional or temporary increases in workload, and employers must ensure that total working time, including overtime, does not exceed statutory daily and weekly limits over the applicable reference period. Employers should monitor overtime at the individual employee level, maintain accurate time records, and rotate overtime duties where possible to avoid overburdening specific workers.

Overtime Payout Rates In Montenegro

Employees who perform overtime in Montenegro are entitled to enhanced pay or equivalent time off, as defined by law, collective agreements, or company policies. Overtime hours are typically compensated at a premium percentage on top of the employee’s regular hourly wage, with higher rates often applicable for night work, work on weekly rest days, and work on public holidays. Employers should clearly communicate overtime rates in employment contracts or internal regulations, calculate premiums transparently on the basis of the employee’s regular earnings, and ensure that overtime payments are itemized on payslips so employees can verify that they have been correctly compensated.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Montenegro

In Montenegro, employees typically work up to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and rest periods and breaks are designed to protect health and safety within this standard schedule. Employers must provide a minimum uninterrupted meal break during the workday, ensure sufficient daily rest between shifts, and guarantee weekly rest days so that total working time and recovery periods remain balanced. These protections apply across sectors, with additional safeguards for minors and specific obligations on employers to organize work in a way that prevents fatigue and overwork.

• Meal Break Requirements
• Daily Rest
• Weekly Rest
• Minors
• Employer Duties