Regulated professions

Regulated profession is a profession that implies that the conditions for working in a profession are prescribed by a certain law, and performing a regulated profession implies that a person has professional qualifications acquired after education (work experience, license,...).

A formal (educational) qualification is a qualification acquired upon completion of formal education, which is proven by a diploma, certificate or other public document issued by the competent educational institution.

A professional qualification is a qualification that, in addition to the formal qualification as a basic requirement, includes the upgrading of knowledge and skills after formal education (for example, gaining certain work experience, passing a professional exam, obtaining a license, etc.).

Procedures for recognition of professional qualifications for the purpose of business establishment in the host country:

AUTOMATIC SYSTEM for recognition of professional qualifications:

a) based on the minimum training requirements for seven professions:

• doctors of medicine
• nurses for general health care
• midwives
• doctors of dentistry
• doctors of pharmacy
• veterinarians
• architects.

The minimum content of education is prescribed for these seven professions, while all educational programs are harmonized in all member states of the European Union. In practice, this means that persons who have obtained their professional qualifications in the mentioned professions, and in accordance with the prescribed conditions, can quickly and easily exercise right to work in the host country, fulfilling a simple procedure for recognizing their professional qualification.

b) based on previous professional experience

This is about the automatic recognition of professional qualifications based on professional experience in certain industrial, craft and commercial activities, whereby the host country, under certain conditions, recognizes pursuing of a certain activity in another EU member state as sufficient proof of knowledge and ability.

GENERAL SYSTEM of recognition of professional qualifications

It means that the person must prove appropriate education and additional knowledge, skills and work experience, and often language skills.

The EPC card is an electronic certificate that proves that the expert fulfills all the conditions necessary for the recognition of professional qualifications for the permanent practice of the profession or for the temporary or occasional provision of services in the host contracting state. The card is issued for the following five professions: general health care nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, mountain guides and real estate agents. The EPC is not a physical card, and data on the holder of the professional qualification are exchanged by competent public administration bodies through the Internal Market Information System (IMI system).

The EU certificate is issued to legal or natural persons who have a registered economic activity in Montenegro and want to provide services in the member states of the European Union, the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation. When a person intends to practice a regulated profession in another member state for the first time, the competent authorities of the host state may ask Montenegro to submit an EU certificate. It proves that the person has a registered economic activity in Montenegro and that at the time of issuing the certificate the person was performing certain activities, as well as not being (even temporarily) prohibited from performing the profession or activity.

Competent Authority:

Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare performs the operations of the Help Center.

Help Center

Address: Rimski trg 46

81000 Podgorica Montenegro

Regulations:

• Law on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications for Performing Regulated Professions ("Official Gazette of Montenegro", No. 56/18)
• Decision on determining the list of regulated professions ("Official Gazette of Montenegro", no. 80/18)
• Rulebook on the content and form of the EU certificate ("Official Gazette of Montenegro", no. 82/20)
• Rulebook on determining the list of activities for recognition of professional experience ("Official Gazette of Montenegro", no. 66/19)