Business in Macedonia

The Central Registry of the Republic of North Macedonia (CRRNM, ЦРРСМ) records companies and other registered business entities. A founder normally checks and, where available, reserves the name, chooses the legal form and registered seat, defines the activity scope, prepares the founding act and submits the registration. Registration integrates taxpayer and EDB registration and reserves a bank account. A natural person can independently submit an electronic application for a ДОО (limited liability company), ДООЕЛ (single-member limited liability company), Трговец Поединец (sole trader), or certain partnership forms with a valid digital certificate. A Registration Agent can be used for legally permitted forms. A sole trader cannot use the paper application method. Foreign documents require a court translator and notarised translation. The CRRNM electronic system accepts applications around the clock, while processing takes place Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 16:30. The Public Revenue Office (UJP) and the Employment Service Agency (AVRSM) receive relevant registration data. Sector-specific licences, permits, concessions or approvals may be required before trading begins. Crafts, regulated professions and other special activities can require prior registration with a chamber or responsible ministry. Local or municipal permits depend on the activity and business location. The legal representative remains responsible for accurate beneficial-owner information. Beneficial-owner registration with the CRRNM is electronic for entities, and changes normally have to be reported within eight days according to the detailed registry guidance. The establishment guidance also refers to a 15-day period after entity registration, so the applicable deadline should be confirmed before filing. Timely registration is free under the stated rules; late filing can create a fee. For a sole trader, beneficial-owner data is maintained through the relevant registration records and a separate entry is generally not required. A business must report changes such as a new name, seat, owner or founder, capital, manager, activity scope, duration, licence or contact details to the CRRNM. Accounting records and annual accounts or financial reports are submitted to the Registry of Annual Accounts. The manager or a certified accountant handles these duties, with a digital signature required for electronic submissions. Medium and large entities must submit electronically. A business with no activity may still need to submit a no-activity notification. Audit and reporting requirements depend on the entity’s size, activity and the applicable deadline. VAT registration becomes compulsory when turnover exceeds MKD 1,000,000 in the previous year, is expected to exceed that amount, or exceeds it during the current year under the applicable rules. Voluntary VAT registration is possible below the threshold. The general VAT rate is 18 percent and the preferential rate is 5 percent. VAT returns and payment are due within 25 days after the tax period, including when the return reports zero activity. After the business ends, the final VAT return is due within 25 days after the end of the relevant month. Corporate income tax is handled through the annual closing process. A simplified annual tax on total income applies to qualifying businesses with total income from MKD 3,000,001 to MKD 6,000,000 at 1 percent, with an election binding for at least three years. Businesses with income up to MKD 3,000,000 may be exempt from payment under the relevant regime, but filing duties remain. Banking, financial, insurance and games-of-chance businesses are excluded from that simplified treatment. Cash-register duties, contributions, tax records and accounting requirements vary with the activity and legal form, so the current UJP calendar should be checked. Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises make up about 99 percent of enterprises according to the National SME Strategy 2025–2030. Ministry programmes can support access to finance, green or digital transition, competitiveness and exports. The Fund for Innovation and Technology Development (FITD) uses calls for proposals covering areas such as start-ups, commercialisation of innovations and technological development; funding is not automatic. AVRSM self-employment measures can offer registered unemployed applicants entrepreneurship training, business-plan preparation and six months of mentoring. The 2025 measures listed support of up to MKD 430,500 for applicants over 29 and up to MKD 615,000 for applicants aged 29 or younger, subject to the specific call. These programmes create no permanent entitlement. Public calls have their own eligibility rules and deadlines; for example, a 2026 Ministry call for qualifying micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and artisans with majority domestic capital had a 30 June 2026 deadline. Foreign investors can register an entity and record qualifying investments in the Direct Investment Registry. Relevant events include a non-resident’s acquisition of ownership, incorporation, a capital increase, an acquisition of more than 10 percent of shares or voting rights, and a qualifying loan with a term of at least five years. New investments, changes and deletions require separate reporting. A share transfer may require an offer and acceptance or non-acceptance procedure. Transferring a sole-trader business can require a notarised transfer agreement, publication of the transfer intention in a daily newspaper within 30 days before filing, and creditor consent or confirmation that no objections were made. There is no single total fee for establishing or operating every business. The CRRNM service fee follows the government-approved tariff, while a digital certificate, Registration Agent, notary, translation, accountant, audit and sector permit can add separate costs. Closing a business may involve staged voluntary liquidation, shortened liquidation or direct deletion where the legal form permits it. Typical documents include a termination decision, dismissal of the representative, appointment of a liquidator, a recent UJP tax and contribution certificate, recent bank solvency or account-status confirmation, the annual account for the deletion year and a liquidator’s statement about claims and creditors. A merger, court bankruptcy decision or expiry of a fixed term can provide another method. Outstanding liabilities or creditors require liquidation or bankruptcy procedures rather than simple deregistration, and sector or municipal closure duties must be checked separately.