North Macedonia medical treatment visa and residence

Short medical check-ups or minor interventions fit within a visit: visa-exempt nationals can stay up to 90 days, and nationals who need a visa can document a short medical intervention in a visa application. Treatment that will keep you in North Macedonia longer requires temporary residence for medical treatment under article 103 of the Law on Foreigners. It can be requested at a North Macedonian mission or directly at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVR), which also allows a patient already in the country to apply there.

Three special documents are needed. First, a confirmation from the health institution in North Macedonia that will carry out the treatment, stating how long the treatment and any post-treatment care will last. Second, a confirmation from that institution that admitting you will not be to the detriment of patients who are citizens of North Macedonia. Third, proof that the costs of treatment are secured, either by you or by the state you come from.

The general conditions apply too: secured accommodation for the stay, health insurance, a passport valid at least three months beyond the stay, no entry ban, no threat to public order or security, and no criminal conviction or proceedings in the year before the request. A patient under 18 needs the consent of parents or guardian, certified by an authority of the home country or by a North Macedonian mission.

The MVR decides within 30 working days of receiving a request filed with it, or 60 working days when filed at a mission, with a possible 30-working-day extension in exceptional cases. The service page lists the MKD 50 request fee; the decision (MKD 1,230), permit (MKD 930) and permit form (MKD 4,000) charges are those of the general temporary residence fee table. Patients who need a visa receive the visa D from the mission after approval.

Residence for treatment is approved for up to one year and can be extended when the conditions are still met, for example with a new hospital confirmation. When the treatment and any post-treatment care are over, you must leave North Macedonia. Residence for treatment does not count towards permanent residence, and the law states that the duration of an extended residence cannot be shortened because the foreigner falls ill.