Self-employment / Freelance in North Macedonia
One documented route of this kind in North Macedonia, with its conditions, documents, official government fees and process.
Personal Work Permit (Self-Employment / Company Owner)
Residence based on a personal work permit for self-employed persons or owners/co-owners of a company (DOO) registered in the Central Registry. Validity can be up to 3 years (or unlimited in special cases).
- Processing time
- ~2-6 weeks depending on office (practitioner-reported)
- Validity
- Up to 3 years (unlimited in special cases)
- Language requirement
- None for the permit; basic Macedonian required later for PR/naturalization
- Permanent residence
- Permanent residence after 5 years continuous legal residence (statutory)
- Citizenship
- Naturalization after 8 years codified (7 years reported for 2026)
Requirements
- Incorporated/co-owned company (DOO) in the Central Registry
- Business plan
- Proof of investment and economic benefit (jobs created)
- Sufficient funds
- Clean criminal record
- Health insurance
Required Documents
- Central Registry company registration documents required
- Business plan required
- Proof of investment / economic benefit required
- Bank statements proving sufficient funds required
- Criminal-record certificate required
- Health insurance required
Official fees
- Combined work + residence (practitioner-reported) 150 EUR
Process Steps
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1
Incorporate company
Register a DOO in the Central Registry.
-
2
Apply for personal work permit
Apply to the Employment Agency with business plan and investment proof.
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3
MoI residence decision
Submit residence file to MoI; cure incomplete documents within 7 days.
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4
Collect residence card and register address
Collect the residence card and register your address with local police.