North Macedonia

Employment temporary residence and work permit. A foreigner with qualifying Macedonian employment may apply for temporary residence; the resulting card combines residence and work authorization for the approved job.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Employment temporary residence and work permit

A temporary-residence card that authorizes the approved work; employment opinion is issued for no more than one year under Article 81.

Who qualifies

Employment is a temporary-residence purpose. An ordinary employment or seasonal employment application requires a positive opinion from the Employment Agency, unless a ratified agreement provides otherwise.
North Macedonia, consolidated Law on Foreigners, Articles 71, 81 and 83
The applicant may work only in the job for which work residence was approved; the work-residence card is a combined residence and work permit.
North Macedonia, consolidated Law on Foreigners, Articles 76(4) and 82
General temporary-residence conditions include support, accommodation, health insurance and public-order checks. Filing location and a D visa after approval depend on the statutory procedure and the applicant’s situation.
North Macedonia, consolidated Law on Foreigners, Articles 72–77

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Does it fit your family?

One question, from the program’s own rules.

Do you have a binding job offer in that country?

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Time: Article 75 gives 30 working days for an application filed with the Ministry and 60 working days for one filed through a diplomatic mission, subject to a statutory extension.
Cost: Verify current government fees and document costs with the Ministry of Interior.
The hard part: Obtaining the Employment Agency’s positive opinion for the exact job and confirming the passport-specific D-visa and filing rule.

Citizens by 2035.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

2027
First residence permit
1 year, renewable for 1 year at a time.
2028
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2029
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2030
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2031
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2032
Permanent residence
Five years in a row on temporary residence, with no more than 6 months in a row or 10 months in total abroad. You also need steady income, housing and health insurance, and no prison sentence of a year or more. Years on a study permit count half. Years on a permit based only on owning a home do not count.
2034
Apply for citizenship
With a language test.
2035
Citizenship

Language: Macedonian well enough to talk easily with the people around you, judged by a commission the government sets up.
Time away: Seven years of lawful, continuous residence before applying. The citizenship law does not count days abroad; the permanent-residence rule (at most 6 months in a row or 10 in total over 5 years) is the working guide.
Two passports: It depends on the rules at the time and on your home country.

Employment residence counts in full while the combined residence-and-work permit is renewed without a gap.
How long the decision takes isn’t published; we allow a year.
Whether you can keep your current citizenship depends on the rules at the time and your home country.

The law behind these dates

Living there.

Time you must spend there: The program sets no minimum number of days. Renewal still expects it to be your home.
Tax: Where you become tax resident follows the days you spend there and where your home is. We map it for your family before you move.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Review the Ministry of Interior’s Law on Foreigners and contact its foreigners office.Open portal.mdt.gov.mk ↗
Gather these documents.
- The signed job offer, salary, and recognized qualifications
- Health insurance that meets the program’s rules
- A lease or other proof of where you’ll live in North Macedonia

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The official application forms, submission and recovery specification are not complete. Postern cannot run this application yet.

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