North Macedonian passport
Passports are issued to citizens of North Macedonia for the purpose of international travel. Responsibility for their issuance lies with the Ministry of the Interior. The validity of the passport is 5 years for persons 4 to 27 years of age, and 10 years for those 27 years of age and older. For children ages four and under the validity of the passport is limited to two years. The passports conform to the recommended standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization, and are biometric passports.
History
From 1945 to 1991, when Macedonia was a constituent republic of Yugoslavia, Macedonians traveled with Yugoslav passports. Under the Yugoslav federal system, each republic had its own variety of passport; in particular, Yugoslav passports issued in SR Macedonia were printed in Macedonian and French, rather than in Serbo-Croatian.The first post-independence Macedonian passports were issued in 1991.
The design and contents changed over the years. The first generation passports were blue with a silver color inscription without an emblem. The second generation of Macedonian passports had a golden inscription on the cover and the third generation had the national coat of arms added. The first three generations had only "Република Мaкедонија" and the English translation "Republic of Macedonia" inscribed on the cover page.
The fourth generation passport became red with the French translation of the official country name, "République de Macédoine", added above and "Passeport" below the coat of arms. It was a biometric passport which contained a RFID chip, enabling the storage of biometric and other retrievable data. Previously issued, non-biometric passports remain valid until their stated dates of expiration.
Effective November 16, 2009, the five-pointed red star that had been part of the national coat of arms was removed from the emblem.
After the Prespa Agreement ending the naming dispute with Greece coming in effect in February 2019, passports were stamped with the country's new name as an interim measure before new passports were issued. The trilingual stamp states “This passport is property of the Republic of North Macedonia” in English, French, and Macedonian.
Physical appearance
Passports of North Macedonia are red in colour with the national coat of arms emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The words "Република Северна Македонија", optionally followed by the Albanian version "Republika e Maqedonisë së Veriut", as well as the English "Republic of North Macedonia" and the French "République de Macédoine du Nord" are inscribed above the coat of arms. The words "Пасош", "PASAPORTË", "PASSPORT", and "PASSEPORT" are inscribed below. The passports have the standard biometric symbol at the bottom of the cover page. They contain 32 pages, with the critical information both printed on the data page and stored in the chip.Data page and signature page
Each passport has a data page.A data page has a visual zone and a machine-readable zone. The visual zone has a digitized photograph of the passport holder, data about the passport, and data about the passport holder:
- Photograph
- Type
- Code
- Passport No.
- Surname
- Given Name
- Nationality: македонско/граѓанин на Република Северна Македонија, Macedonian/citizen of the Republic of North Macedonia
- Date of Birth
- Unique Master Citizen Number
- Sex
- Place of Birth
- Date of Issue
- Issuing Authority
- Date of Expiration
- Holder’s Signature
- Permanent Residence
The first line of a machine-readable zone of a passport contains a letter to denote the type of travel document, the code for the citizenship of the passport holder, and the name of the passport holder.
The second line of a machine-readable zone of a passport contains the passport number, supplemented by a check digit; the code of the issuing country ; the date of birth of the passport holder, supplemented by a check digit; a notation of the sex of the passport holder ; the date of expiration of the passport, supplemented by a check digit; the holder’s personal number and, at the end of the line, two overall check digits.
The data page has a line for the signature of a passport holder. The non-biometric passports of the first three generations were not valid until they were signed by the holder. If a holder was unable to sign, it was to be signed by a person who had the legal authority to sign on their behalf. The new biometric passports only require a signature made with a digital pen on a tablet on the day of application, after which the image of the signature is printed on the first page along with the other data, and cannot be altered thereafter.
Types of Passports
- Regular Passport - Issuable 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 passport applicant/holder. These passports are not extendable or renewable and a new one must be obtained once expired.
- Diplomatic Passport - Issuable to diplomats accredited overseas and their eligible dependants, and to citizens who reside in North Macedonia and travel abroad for diplomatic work. Title and function of the bearer is listed on the data page in addition to the information already contained. It is valid for five years.
- Official Passport – Issuable 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. Title and function of the bearer is listed on the data page of the Official Passport in addition to the information already contained. It is valid for five years.
- Temporary Passport - Issuable 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.
Documents required
- Passport Application Form
- Valid State Issued ID
- Old passport
- 50 MKD Administrative Stamp
- 1500 MKD Processing Fee
- Administrative tax Receipt for persons between the ages of 4 and 27 and 500 MKD.
- Picture, fingerprints, and all biometric data are collected at the Passport Application Center; fingerprint data is not collected from minors ages 12 and under.
Visa requirements