Obtaining North Macedonian Citizenship in 2026

In 2026, North Macedonian citizenship can be obtained through standard naturalization after at least 7 years of continuous residence, through marriage, by descent, or through an accelerated investment program. The country is attractive for immigration due to its status as an official EU candidate, visa-free access to the Schengen Area, a low income tax rate, and the absence of a requirement to renounce the first passport under certain conditions.

Adult foreigners with no criminal record who can prove a legal source of income, meet the residence requirements, and pass the mandatory due diligence check may apply for a North Macedonian passport. In this article, we will examine in detail the real and unrealistic ways to obtain a passport, the exact timeframes, the cost of the process, and the legal pitfalls that are important to know before starting the naturalization procedure.

Advantages of North Macedonian Citizenship

A North Macedonian passport gives expats greater freedom of movement, including the right to:

1. cross borders visa-free within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period;
2. visa-free access to Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile;
3. travel using an ID card in Western Balkan countries (Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania).

A standard visa is required for the United States and the United Kingdom (B1/B2 and Standard Visitor), but citizenship of a stable EU candidate country is an advantage and, according to reviews from those who have obtained the status, significantly reduces the refusal rate.

One of the advantages of the immigration process is that North Macedonia offers one of the clearest and most affordable tax models in Europe, with a flat corporate tax and a 10% personal income tax rate. Companies operating in free economic zones are fully exempt from corporate tax and personal income tax for up to 10 years.

Double taxation treaties have been signed with 49 countries worldwide, making it possible to optimize the international structure of asset ownership.

Mandatory health insurance covers a basic range of services, hospitalization, and prescription medicines with minimal out-of-pocket costs. In the capital of Macedonia, Skopje, there are major international clinics and medical centers, such as Acibadem Sistina and Zan Mitrev Clinic), which provide high-quality services at prices lower than those in Western Europe.

The country offers free primary and secondary education in public schools, as well as accredited international private schools teaching in English and French. As a citizen of North Macedonia, you or your children will be able to study at the country’s leading universities at local tuition rates, which are lower than in other countries.

If your goal is not merely to obtain a second passport but to acquire EU citizenship, it is worth comparing the available immigration strategies in European Union countries in advance. Our specialists will help you choose a suitable program, assess the timeframes and requirements, and develop a personalized path to European citizenship based on your situation.

Main Ways to Obtain North Macedonian Citizenship

The main document governing the right to obtain North Macedonian citizenship is the Law “On Citizenship of the Republic of North Macedonia”. Under this legal act, there are several routes to obtaining the country’s passport, each differing in residence periods, applicant requirements, and costs.

Naturalization and Marriage

Standard naturalization is a way to obtain status for foreigners moving to the country for work, business, or family reasons. Under the law, to be granted citizenship, an applicant must have lived in the country on the basis of temporary/permanent residence for at least 7 years, have a basic command of the state language, have a permanent source of income and housing, and renounce their previous citizenship.

If a foreign national has been in a legally registered marriage with a citizen of North Macedonia for at least 3 years and has continuously and legally resided in the country for at least one year, the residence requirement is reduced and the language exam requirement does not apply. If the couple is married and lives outside North Macedonia, citizenship requires at least 8 years of marriage and close ties to the country. Spouses of Macedonian citizens are allowed to retain their first citizenship; renunciation of their passport is not mandatory.

In total, obtaining citizenship through naturalization requires 7 years of residence (or 1–3 years for a spouse) and approximately one year for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of North Macedonia to process the application. The state fee for filing an application is EUR 100: EUR 20 is paid for consideration of the application and EUR 80 for issuance of the citizenship decision itself.

Investment

North Macedonia offers an accelerated citizenship route for contributions to the country’s economy. The program is regulated by Article 11 of the Citizenship Law and is available through one of the following options:

1. Investment fund — an investment of at least EUR 200,000 per adult applicant in a special private/state investment fund managed by the Macedonian authorities. The minimum asset holding period is 2 years.
2. Direct business — an investment of at least EUR 400,000 in the establishment of a new enterprise, excluding catering establishments and retail facilities, with the employment of at least 10 people on an indefinite basis for at least one year.

The processing period is up to 6 months. However, in addition to the principal investment, the need to pay state administrative fees should be taken into account. The route is not highly complex, but it is financially significant. Investors are exempt from the language exam requirement and do not have to reside permanently in the country. They are also allowed to retain their first citizenship.

Repatriation

Applicants who have Macedonian ethnic roots or first-degree ancestors may apply for a passport under a simplified procedure pursuant to Article 8 of the law. The program also applies to emigrants who previously lost North Macedonian citizenship and their direct descendants. Applications may be submitted through diplomatic missions abroad. Processing time depends on the workload of the consulates and averages from 6 months. Repatriates are not subject to residence or language test requirements, and the standard processing cost is EUR 100.

Requirements and Procedure for Obtaining North Macedonian Citizenship

The process of obtaining North Macedonian citizenship requires the successive legalization of status and the collection of a complete set of documents. The basic documents include:

1. an application for citizenship completed in Macedonian using the prescribed form available from regional offices of the Ministry of Internal Affairs;
2. a valid international passport;
3. a birth certificate — a duplicate or a recent extract on an international-format form;
4. a marriage/divorce certificate (if applicable);
5. a certificate confirming that no criminal proceedings are pending against the applicant in North Macedonia, issued by the Basic Court at the place of residence;
6. a certificate confirming the absence of criminal proceedings and a criminal record certificate from the applicant’s country of citizenship;
7. proof of financial independence — a bank statement from a Macedonian bank, an employment contract with a local employer, or documents proving ownership of a business;
8. proof of housing — a certificate of ownership of residential property or a long-term lease agreement;
9. a questionnaire used to assess knowledge of the state language or evidence of education received in Macedonian (the relevant certificate or confirmation is attached to the questionnaire);
10. a receipt confirming payment of the state fee.

All documents issued by foreign states must be apostilled or legalized, translated into Macedonian by an accredited court translator, and notarized.

The process of obtaining citizenship through standard naturalization consists of several consecutive steps:

1. Obtaining a Temporary Residence Permit. The initial residence permit is issued on the basis of a long-stay category D visa for employment, company registration, study, marriage, or property ownership. The visa can be obtained at a consulate in the applicant’s country of residence abroad. Upon arrival, the residence permit is issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs for up to 1 year and may be renewed if the grounds remain valid. Residence in the country must be continuous (the total period spent outside North Macedonia must not exceed one quarter of the permitted residence period).
2. Obtaining Permanent Residence. After 5 years of continuous residence on the basis of a temporary residence permit, you become eligible to apply for permanent residence. Permanent residence provides an indefinite right to live and work in the country and is also mandatory before applying for citizenship. To preserve the qualifying residence period, you may not be absent from the country for more than 10 months in total or 6 months at one time.
3. After at least 7 years of lawful and permanent residence in the country, the applicant may prepare documents for naturalization. One of the requirements is knowledge of the Macedonian language at a level sufficient for fluent communication. A special questionnaire of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is used to confirm compliance with this requirement. If the applicant was educated in Macedonian or studied it as a school subject and received a passing grade, the relevant education document must also be provided.
4. Submitting the Application. The documents are submitted personally by the applicant to the regional office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the place of residence. The processing period starts from 60 days. During this period, the competent authorities conduct a comprehensive due diligence check.
5. Granting Citizenship. After a positive decision, a decree granting citizenship is issued. The applicant must then take an oath and obtain a citizenship certificate, on the basis of which a Unique Identification Number is issued. To obtain an ID card and international passport, the applicant must provide biometric data and submit an application to the regional office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The passport is issued within up to 15 days.

If you are not prepared to go through the many-year path from temporary residence to citizenship, it is worth considering simplified grounds for obtaining citizenship in EU countries. Depending on origin, family ties, and other circumstances, certain programs make it possible to obtain a European passport without a lengthy period of prior residence. We will help verify the available grounds and identify the most suitable strategy.

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How Much Time and Money Are Needed to Obtain North Macedonian Citizenship

The cost and timeframe for obtaining a Macedonian passport depend directly on the chosen route. The requirements and fees for 2026 are as follows:

1. Repatriation (by descent): there is no minimum time requirement before applying. The government fee is 100 EUR.
2. Marriage to a citizen for at least 3 years: the required period before applying is 1 year when residing in the country or 8 years when residing abroad. The government fee is 100 EUR.
3. Standard naturalization: the required period before applying is 7 years. The government fee is 100 EUR.
4. Citizenship by investment: there is no minimum time requirement before applying. The government fee is 100 EUR.

A long-stay visa costs 35–70 EUR, depending on the applicant’s age, while obtaining a residence permit costs 35 EUR. A permanent resident card costs 76 EUR. Investment costs and legal fees should be accounted for separately.

What Does Not Work: How You Cannot Obtain a North Macedonian Passport

Attempts to obtain a North Macedonian passport in circumvention of current laws may result in financial losses, legal problems, and lifetime entry bans. The most common myths about ways to obtain citizenship are:

1. Buying a Ready-Made Passport. Common online offers to buy a Macedonian passport without personal presence or document submission are fake. There is no legal sale of ready-made passports. To obtain a biometric passport, you must provide fingerprints, have a digital photograph taken, and provide a signature sample in person at the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. The use of forged documents may result in criminal liability under Article 378 of the Criminal Code, arrest when attempting to cross the border, and a lifetime ban on entry into the Schengen Area and the Balkan region.
2. Citizenship by Birthplace. The birth of a child in the country does not automatically confer citizenship. Children born to foreign parents do not acquire the status unconditionally. An exception is made only for foundlings in the country whose parents are unknown. The risk is incurring the financial costs of giving birth in a private Macedonian clinic in the hope of securing citizenship for the child.
3. A Fast Passport Through a Sham Marriage. The mere fact of registering a marriage does not grant a passport. The requirement for an uninterrupted marriage is at least 3 years, while the applicant must also have legally resided in Macedonia with temporary residence status for at least 1 year. Police and foreigner-affairs inspectors regularly conduct checks at the place of residence — interviewing neighbors and verifying actual cohabitation. If the marriage is found to be fictitious, it is annulled, the residence permit is revoked, and the foreign national is deported and banned from entry.
4. Repatriation Through Second-Generation Ancestors. The claim that a person can find Macedonian roots through distant relatives or great-grandparents and obtain a passport is a myth. Under Article 8 of the Citizenship Law, only those whose ancestors are no more distant than the first degree, meaning parents, may become citizens of North Macedonia through repatriation. An attempt to obtain a passport in this way will result in refusal by the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the verification stage and the loss of time and money spent on archival searches.

Dual Citizenship in North Macedonia: Is It Permitted to Hold Multiple Passports?

Under Article 2 of the Citizenship Law, North Macedonia fully recognizes and permits its citizens to hold two or more passports. At the same time, within the country, you will be recognized exclusively as a citizen of the republic. However, international law distinguishes between dual citizenship and second citizenship:

1. Dual citizenship is possible when two states have signed an international treaty on mutual recognition of statuses. In this case, the states officially recognize the citizen’s rights and obligations in both countries (for example, where military service is to be performed or taxes paid).
2. Second citizenship arises when a foreign national obtains a passport of another country, but there is no special agreement between the states. North Macedonia permits second citizenship, without requiring renunciation of the first passport, but does not recognize the second status domestically.

North Macedonia does not prohibit a second passport, but the conditions for obtaining citizenship vary depending on the route of acquisition. Repatriates, spouses of Macedonian citizens, and investors are not required to renounce their first passport. Under standard naturalization, however, the applicant must provide a certificate of renunciation of their previous citizenship or a guarantee that such renunciation will take place.

If you later plan to obtain an EU passport as a second passport, there will be no restrictions on the part of North Macedonia. You will not be deprived of citizenship for acquiring a passport of the European Union or any other country in the world.

If you are considering EU citizenship as a second passport, our specialists will check whether you have grounds for simplified processing in one of the European Union countries. We will compare the available options, requirements, and timelines and propose a strategy that will help avoid unnecessary stages of standard naturalization.

Where Is It Faster and Easier to Obtain a Second Passport: An Overview of Alternatives

For most foreigners, North Macedonian citizenship through standard naturalization is an available route. The process takes from 7 years and requires learning the state language and incurring living expenses. If the main purpose of immigration is security, freedom of movement, and the right to live and work in Europe, it makes sense to consider alternative programs in European Union countries.

For example, Romania offers a repatriation route based on having ancestors up to and including the third degree. The period of residence in the country is irrelevant, and the process takes from 6 months. As a result, you become an EU citizen with all the corresponding rights and opportunities without the need to renounce your existing status. Similar routes to a second passport are available in Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovenia.

Compared with procedures in EU countries, obtaining North Macedonian citizenship is less attractive in terms of requirements and the residence period. The country’s passport provides visa-free entry to the Schengen Area, but the drawback is that it does not grant the right to work, study, or permanently reside in European Union countries. A passport of any EU country, even one obtained through a simplified procedure, automatically makes you a citizen of the European Union, giving you access to the labor market, high-quality medical services, and the banking system of all 27 member states.

You may choose North Macedonia if you genuinely plan to live and conduct business in the country or have purchased property and are ready to integrate over a 7-year period. Consider EU citizenship if you need a backup residence option without having to relocate immediately, if obtaining the document as quickly as possible is important, and if you want to secure for yourself and your children the right to live and work freely anywhere in Western Europe.

Before investing time in standard naturalization in North Macedonia, we recommend consulting an immigration specialist and checking whether you can become a citizen of the European Union through one of the simplified programs. Legal assistance guarantees compliance with all conditions and legal requirements, with support at every stage of obtaining a second status.