North Macedonia tourist visa and visa-free entry

The visa regime of North Macedonia is set by the government and applied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its embassies and consulates and the border police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Whether your nationality needs a visa is shown country by country in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' "Do you need a visa?" tool; check it, or ask a North Macedonian mission, before travelling. No pre-registration or electronic travel authorisation is described in the official visa information.

Visa-free entry covers tourism, visiting friends and relatives, attending events and similar short trips. It does not cover employment or long studies. A stay that is meant to last longer than 90 days must be based on temporary residence, which the Ministry of Internal Affairs approves before the stay goes beyond that limit.

A visa is requested at a North Macedonian embassy or consulate. The passport must be valid, genuine and in your own name, and its validity must exceed that of the visa by at least three months. The purpose of the trip is shown with documents that match it: for tourist or private visits an invitation from your host, proof of paid tourist services, a confirmed booking of an organised trip and a paid return ticket or a ticket onward; for business visits invitations from state bodies, companies or event organisers; for short courses of up to three months a confirmation of admission; for other trips invitations to cultural, sports, scientific, political or religious events, court summons or confirmation of a short medical intervention.

You also have to show means of subsistence for the stay and for the return journey. Cash in denars or a convertible currency, a valid payment card or traveller’s cheques, a guarantee letter or invitation from a legal entity, or real estate and other lawful sources are accepted forms. No minimum daily amount is published on the services portal. A colour photo of 3.5 x 4.5 cm not older than three months and proof that the visa processing fee was paid complete the file.

A transit visa or a short-stay visa allowing up to 15 days can be issued at a border crossing only by exception: when it is in the national interest, for humanitarian reasons, or when a ratified international agreement provides for it. The border police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs issue it with the prior consent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Applicants must document unforeseeable and urgent reasons, such as serious illness or death of a close family member living in the country, participation in an official delegation or event supported by a state body, a change in flight connections, urgent hospital care, humanitarian relief after a disaster or organ donation, and must show that their return is secured.

There is no tourist extension beyond the visa-free period. A foreigner who intends to stay in North Macedonia longer than 90 days needs temporary residence for a specific purpose, approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Visa-exempt nationals can file some of these requests directly in the country, for example when an employer files for employment or when a lawfully staying student applies; others must be filed at a mission abroad.

A minor under 18 who will stay without a parent or guardian must carry certified consent of the parents or guardian for entry and stay. For a visa application the consent is attached to the file. Families travelling without a visa should carry such a consent for a child travelling with other adults, because the visa rules and the residence services both refer to it.