Immigration law in Macedonia

The main legal framework consists of the Law on Foreigners, the Law on Citizenship and the Law on International and Temporary Protection. The Ministry of Interior (MVR) is the central authority for temporary and permanent residence, many work-related residence procedures, return measures and citizenship applications. The ministry responsible for foreign affairs and foreign trade (MFAFT) and diplomatic or consular missions handle visa applications and consular services. The Employment Agency assesses labour-market conditions for many employment cases. A short stay normally requires a visa or visa-free eligibility and is limited to 90 days in any 180-day period. Travellers generally need a valid passport or recognised travel document, usually valid for at least three months beyond the planned departure and issued within the previous ten years. Authorities may also examine the purpose of travel, accommodation, sufficient funds, return or onward travel, entry alerts and risks to public order, national security, public health or international relations. EU and Schengen nationals may generally enter visa-free with a valid identity card. In 2026, certain third-country nationals holding a valid temporary or permanent residence permit in the EU or Schengen area, or a valid multiple-entry Schengen C visa or multiple-entry visa for the United Kingdom, United States or Canada, may use a limited 15-day-per-entry and 90-day-per-180-day arrangement. The United Kingdom, United States and Canada visa arrangement is stated to apply from 1 January to 31 December 2026 and should be checked before travel. North Macedonia issues airport-transit visas, short-stay or transit visas and long-stay visas. Visa applications are usually submitted personally to the competent diplomatic or consular mission between six months and at least 15 days before travel. Typical evidence includes the application, passport, photograph, travel medical insurance, purpose of travel, accommodation, financial means, return or onward travel and the fee. A long-stay Visa D costs EUR 70, or EUR 35 for children aged six to twelve. A Visa D can be connected with an application for temporary residence, but the visa only permits the approved purpose. Temporary residence covers purposes such as employment, seasonal work, secondment, study, school attendance, language learning, exchange programmes, vocational or practical training, traineeships, scientific research, medical treatment, geriatric care, family reunification, humanitarian reasons and certain property-based cases. A property-based application can apply to eligible EU or OECD citizens, or people covered by a treaty, who own a qualifying residential property worth at least EUR 40,000. It normally provides one year of temporary residence and must be renewed under the applicable conditions. Each applicant generally needs sufficient lawful means of support or legally secured maintenance, accommodation, medical insurance, a valid passport, purpose-specific evidence and a personal interview. The application purpose and circumstances should not change during the procedure. An application may be filed with MVR during a lawful stay or through a diplomatic mission with a Visa D. MVR normally decides an application filed in North Macedonia within 30 working days and an application filed through a mission or external provider within 60 working days; an extension of up to 30 working days is possible. A permit usually covers the necessary period and may last up to one year. Employment residence is tied to the approved work. The residence permit also functions as the residence-and-work permit for an employment purpose. The Employment Agency may examine the employer, quota, labour-market effect and availability of national applicants. Employment, seasonal employment and secondment are distinct categories. A seconded employee will generally need to have worked for the foreign employer for at least one year, and the secondment normally cannot exceed two years. Short stays can permit certain short-term work for up to 90 days when the required employment certificate and other conditions exist. Employers and workers may have reporting duties when work begins or ends. Study residence is normally granted for one year and may be renewed. Language-learning residence is limited to one year and cannot be extended for the same purpose. Study residence generally does not allow employment except for activities authorised by law. Research residence can last up to one year and may be renewed, but the end of the project can create a duty to leave. Certain education and training periods count only half toward the qualifying period for permanent residence. Family reunification can cover a spouse or partner, minor unmarried children, dependent parents in defined cases, dependent adult children because of health and parents of a minor child. The sponsor or a legally resident family member applies to MVR. Evidence normally includes residence documents, proof of the family relationship, stable and regular means for the sponsor and family, accommodation, medical insurance and certified travel documents. Family members can access education, vocational training, employment and self-employment under the law. An autonomous residence permit is generally available no later than after four years of family residence, and special rules may apply after widowhood, divorce, separation or particularly difficult circumstances. Authorities may refuse cases involving a marriage, adoption or custody arrangement of convenience. Family members of a North Macedonian citizen follow a separate temporary-residence regime. International protection is governed primarily by the Law on International and Temporary Protection rather than the ordinary foreigner rules. The Sector for Asylum within MVR handles the procedure. A person can express an intention or apply at a border crossing, police station, Reception Centre or the Sector for Asylum. Refugee status concerns a well-founded fear of persecution, while subsidiary protection concerns a real risk of serious harm. Declaring an intention to seek protection prevents entry from being refused solely for that reason, and non-refoulement protects against removal to a place where life or freedom is endangered or where torture or inhuman or degrading treatment is likely. Applicants may stay near Skopje in the Reception Centre or in private accommodation with approval. Vulnerable people include minors, unaccompanied minors, older people, pregnant people, single parents and survivors of torture, rape or serious violence. Recognised refugees and people with subsidiary protection can receive rights including work, social protection, healthcare, education and housing. The Intermunicipal Centre for Social Work can prepare an individual integration plan, while UNHCR and MYLA can provide legal assistance. Permanent residence may be requested after five consecutive years of qualifying temporary residence. During those five years, absence normally may not exceed six consecutive months or ten months in total. Certain education and training periods count only half, while parts of the international-protection period count under specific rules. Applicants need stable regular means without dependence on social welfare, accommodation, medical insurance, a clean qualifying criminal record, no relevant security or public-order risk and Macedonian language ability sufficient for simple communication. MVR can take up to four months, with an exceptional extension of up to three months. Permanent residence is indefinite, but the permit itself is valid for five years for people aged five to twenty-seven and ten years for people over twenty-seven. It supports employment, self-employment, education, training, diploma recognition, social protection and access to public services under the applicable rules. Citizenship can be acquired by descent, in narrow cases by birth in the territory, by naturalization or under an international agreement. Dual citizenship is legally possible, and North Macedonia generally treats a dual national as a North Macedonian citizen. Ordinary naturalization usually requires age eighteen or more, at least seven years of lawful continuous residence, secured housing, sufficient regular income, no qualifying prison sentence in North Macedonia or the country of origin, no criminal proceedings, Macedonian communication ability, no residence ban, no threat to national security or defence, a loyalty oath and release from the former citizenship or proof that release will follow. The applicant applies personally to MVR. The fee is EUR 20 when filing and EUR 80 if citizenship is granted. Special rules apply to spouses of North Macedonian citizens, recognised refugees, stateless people and minor children included in a parent's application. Work, study, family ties, property ownership or entry alone do not automatically create a right to citizenship or permanent residence. Foreigners must register temporary residence or an address within three days after crossing the border or changing address. Permanent-residence address registration generally has an eight-day deadline. Accommodation providers report paid accommodation within twelve hours, other hosts within forty-eight hours and people using their own accommodation within forty-eight hours, unless another rule applies. MVR electronic registration is available, while personal reporting at a police station remains possible. A residence permit must be carried. Replacement is required after damage, a name change or expiry, generally within fifteen days. Renewal should be filed no earlier than 30 days before expiry or, under the stated rule, at least 15 days after expiry; during a pending renewal, lawful stay can continue until the final decision when the required certificate is held. Renewal can fail if the holder spent more than one quarter of the authorised period outside North Macedonia without justification. A refusal can usually be challenged in writing in Macedonian and Cyrillic within eight days. The State Second Instance Commission for Administrative Procedures and Labour Relations reviews many appeals, and an administrative dispute before the competent court may follow. Visa, temporary-residence and permanent-residence appeals generally have an eight-day deadline, with different statutory decision periods. Appeals are normally not suspensive, so filing one does not automatically stop enforcement. Illegal stay, cancelled or revoked residence and expulsion can lead to a return decision. Voluntary departure normally receives seven to thirty days, with a justified extension up to ninety days. An entry ban can last up to five years, while an expulsion ban lasts at least six months. Removal remains prohibited where it would expose a person to a risk to life or freedom or to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment. MVR detention can initially last up to 24 hours, and detention in the Reception Centre can last up to six months, exceptionally twelve months where obstruction, false information or document delays justify the extension. Fees for residence applications, translations, notarisation, insurance, legalisation and travel vary by category, so the current official tariff and procedure should be checked before filing.