According to the media reports and further clarifications BDK has obtained from the Employment Bureau of Montenegro, this authority has frozen any further issuance of employment permits. Employment permit is required for foreigners wishing to enter into employment relationship in Montenegro. The freeze is imposed because annual quotas for employment permits, set by the Government of Montenegro, have been exceeded. The suspension will be lifted only if the Government of Montenegro increases the quotas.
The freeze does not apply to the issuance of work permits required for secondment of foreigners to Montenegro and employment permits to seasonal workers (issued for a period of up to eight months within a year). The extension of existing employment permits will not be affected by the freeze either.
The freeze will not affect certain categories of foreigners, including inter alia foreign representatives of Montenegrin companies, foreign spouses or children under the age of 21 of Montenegrin citizens, and migrant workers (foreigners with permanent residence in a neighbouring country who work in Montenegro but return to their home country at least once a week), since issuance of employment permit to these categories is not limited by quotas.
