Located in Southeast Europe, the Republic of North Macedonia is surrounded by picturesque rivers and scenic, lush mountainous areas. Its growing economy and excellent agriculture and trade opportunities are attractive to investors and businesspeople. The people of North Macedonia enjoy a culturally rich lifestyle influenced by the arts and local tradition as well as a civil law system. Located in Southeastern Europe, North Macedonia has a strategic geographic location — prospective investors are in a key position to benefit from the nation’s status as a major transportation route across Europe.

The Macedonian passport had demonstrated its strength over the previous several years and didn’t fall in the rankings in comparison to the decline of several other countries’ passports.

TRIK has prepared this article for you to cover everything linked to the Macedonian passport and compare it with many other international passports, in line with all the relevant updates for foreigners desiring to gain citizenship and a Macedonian passport. We will also cover the methods for getting it, its several types, and the countries that allow free visa entry, using it. To find out more, we recommend you to read this article.

               What makes one passport more powerful than others?

There are, of course, passports from certain countries that are stronger than others, but how you know that? To demonstrate the superiority of one passport over another, worldwide passport rating platforms use basic criteria.

• The ability that passports offer to travel free across countries.
• The number of countries into which a passport holder can travel, in general.
• The number of countries that a passport holder can access without a prior or electronic visa.

According to this standpoint, the value of passports around the world is fluctuating from day to day, which is also a result of the political and diplomatic ties that exist between countries. Not to forget the coronavirus pandemic, this had a significant impact on the closure of some countries for the citizens from other countries.

The strength of the Macedonian passport in 2023, power and advantages

The Macedonian passport has demonstrated extraordinary efficiency by ranking high on the international ranking indexes, and the most compelling evidence of this is the existing desire of many people throughout the world to get Macedonian citizenship, which has become easier through methods allowed by the Macedonian institutions.

The potency of the Macedonian passport is demonstrated by the fact that it is currently ranked 46th place on the Guide Consultants Passport Ranking Index. It provides visa-free access to 123 countries. This gives it an overall very good mobility score. Macedonian passport holders have visa-free and visas on arrival access to countries such as Brazil, Israel, Turkey and the entire European Union. This allows almost instant travel worldwide. Macedonian passport holders do however require a visa to enter about 106 destinations in the world. Some of the countries where visa is required are China, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Visa-Free Travel Countries for the holders od North Macedonia Passport: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Bahamas, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Eswatini, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Vatican City, Kosovo, North Cyprus, Palestine, South Ossetia, Taiwan, Transnistria, Hong Kong, Macau, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Aruba, Caribbean Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French West Indies, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Réunion, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna, Cook Islands, Niue.

Visa on arrival countries: Armenia, Benin, Cambodia, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Samoa, Maldives, Palau, Seychelles, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Comoros, Grenada, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nepal, Somalia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu

Electronic visa countries: India, Antigua and Barbuda, South Sudan, Azerbaijan, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Lesotho, Oman, São Tomé and Príncipe, Suriname, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, Armenia, Benin, Cambodia, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Pakistan, Montserrat.

Additionally, the holder of a Macedonian is entitled to all same privileges as a Macedonian citizen, including:

• The right to vote and run for office in North Macedonia;
• The right to access free education in Macedonian education institutions and schools;
• The right to preserve his or her nationality;
• The right to access the same medical rights as Macedonian citizens.

According to international rankings and categorization, the Macedonian passport ranks higher than the passports of various Arab and African nations, for example higher than the Qatar passport, the Kuwait passport, the Bahrain passport, the Saudi passport, the Chinese passport, the Tunisian passport, the Egyptian passport, etc.

Further, for the Macedonian citizens that are living and working abroad, issuing passports for this category of our citizens has been both facilitated and expedited by the institutions. Namely, in order to quickly and efficiently exercise the rights of citizens living abroad in the Macedonian Embassies were settled up fixed base stations for issuing Macedonian passports. This service is enabling the receipt of travel document applications to be performed at diplomatic and consular missions of North Macedonia and their processing on a daily basis, by checking data in real time. Base stations for issuing Macedonian passports were installed in the Macedonian Embassies in Munich, Bonn, Berlin, Brussels, Bern, Vienna, Ljubljana, Venice, London, Stockholm, New York, Chicago, Toronto and Melbourne.

There are several types of Macedonian passport:

Regular (Ordinary) passports – Issued to all citizens of North Macedonia. It has a red color and is valid for two, five, or ten years depending on the age of the applicant. These passports are not extendable or renewable and a new one must be obtained once expired.

Diplomatic passports – Issued to diplomats accredited overseas and their eligible dependents and to citizens who reside in North Macedonia and travel abroad for diplomatic work. It is valid for five years.

Official passports – Issued to government employees assigned overseas, government employees working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or at a diplomatic mission abroad. An official passport can also be issued to other government officials that are to travel abroad, with prior approval, as well as to their spouses and children living in the same household. It is valid for five years.

Temporary passports – Issued to citizens who need to return to the country from abroad and have extenuating circumstances such as a lost or stolen passport. When issued, it is valid for 30 days or until the return trip is completed. It can be issued at an embassy or consulate abroad.

The main reasons for seeking a Macedonian passport

There are numerous broad factors, and they vary from one country’s inhabitants to another’s, but we all concur on a few key factors, namely:

• EU candidate country
• Member of NATO since March 2020
• Fast-growing European country with a strong economy
• Currency fixed to the Euro
• Zero income tax for non-resident
• Lowest corporate and income taxes in the European Union (10%)
• No residency requirement
• No language, education or management requirements
• Possibility to include your spouse and children under 18 years old
• Visa-free access to 123 countries, including the Schengen Area
• In spite of its small size and modest domestic market, the Republic of North Macedonia is an excellent choice to locate a business for a number of reasons:
• Strategic geographical position at the crossroads of 2 main European transport corridors,
• Highly-liberalized foreign trade policy and has signed various bilateral agreements that give local producers free access to the European Union and other markets, making North Macedonia a highly-competitive production and export platform,
• Highly-qualified workforce and one of the most competitive labor costs in Europe,
• Investor- friendly Institutions,
• Fast Company Registration – One-stop-shop system for company registration within 4 hours.

 

For those who would like to become citizens of this growing European economy, the North Macedonia Citizenship by Investment Program is the most efficient way to acquire such status. The country welcomes wealthy and talented foreign individuals who are able to make a significant, qualified investment into the country that would boost the economy through foreign direct investment. Under this program, individuals can become citizens of North Macedonia within five months. The government is currently in the process of setting up the program.

What is the North Macedonia Citizenship by Investment program?

North Macedonia began naturalizing individuals who invested at least EUR 400,000 in businesses on a discretionary basis in 2016. In 2021, a standardized investor naturalization program was curated. This included an option for investment into an approved development fund. This represents North Macedonia following the successful path of other similar European citizenship investment programs. However, North Macedonia has further modified their program to be more in line with EU policies. The North Macedonia Citizenship by Investment Program allows foreign nationals to invest in the country and apply for citizenship in exchange for this investment. The program has an annual application quota, allowing just 1,000 applicants to be approved each year.

Requirements of North Macedonian citizenship by investment

The North Macedonian Citizenship by Investment Program requires that a foreign individual invests EUR 200,000 or EUR 400,000 under one of the following two investment options:

Option 1:

EUR 200,000 per adult applicant for a period of at least two years in a private investment fund established in accordance with the laws of the Republic of North Macedonia, to be eligible to apply for citizenship

Option 2:

EUR 400,000 per adult applicant as a direct investment in new facilities (except for those in hospitality meant for restaurants or shopping), employing at least ten people for an indefinite period of time in a period of at least one year

The following documents are required:

Police certificates of clearance

Detailed curriculum vitae (CV)

Proof of financial standing

Procedures and time frame of the North Macedonia Citizenship by Investment Program

Applications for North Macedonian citizenship must include completed application forms and should be accompanied by the appropriate fees and supporting documents. The required documents include birth and marriage certificates and a signed prospectus and share redemption documents of the government-approved fund. The program is under the direct and close monitoring of the Fund for Innovations and Technology Development of the Republic of North Macedonia.

The following application steps apply:

• Initial due diligence checks completed
• Client agreement signed and retainer paid
• Requirements fulfilled
• Application for North Macedonian citizenship submitted to the government
• Application approved (after 2-5 months+ of processing)
• Full citizenship received