North Macedonia

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Since its launch in 2018, the Statelessness Index has become a vital tool for monitoring how European countries protect stateless people, and track the measures being taken to prevent and reduce statelessness. With data from 34 countries, the Index has evolved significantly as a comparative tool that informs research, advocacy, and policy efforts to end statelessness in Europe.
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North Macedonia’s legal framework enshrines some basic protections against arbitrary detention, and some safeguards to prevent statelessness. Important steps have been taken towards reducing in situ statelessness in recent years, but, despite being party to the 1954 Convention, there is still no statelessness determination procedure, and no statelessness protection status. Stateless migrants may apply for asylum or a temporary residence permit at the discretion of the Government, but both provide only very limited rights. There are some protections in law from arbitrary detention, including the right to free legal aid and remedies to challenge detention, but people detained are often not made aware of their rights in practice.

There is a provision in law for children born on the territory to stateless parents or parents of unknown nationality to automatically acquire Macedonian nationality, but this focuses on the status of the parents rather than the statelessness of the child, so does not prevent statelessness in all cases. There are safeguards in law to prevent statelessness among foundlings and children born to Macedonian nationals abroad. Positively, amendments adopted in June 2023 mandate the immediate registration of every child born on the territory of North Macedonia, irrespective of the nationality or personal status of the parents, but there are still some issues with implementation. Barriers to birth registration disproportionately impact Romani communities, although the 2023 amendments should improve this situation.

Τελευταία ενημέρωση:

Ιαν 2025

Εμπειρογνώμονας/ες χώρας:

Teodora Kjoseva Kostadinovska & Aleksandra Efremova, Macedonian Young Lawyers Association

Additional resources

ASSESSMENT KEY

++POSITIVE

+ SOMEWHAT POSITIVE

+-POSITIVE and NEGATIVE

- SOMEWHAT NEGATIVE

--NEGATIVE

ADDITIONAL INFO

NORMS & GOOD PRACTICE

International and Regional Instruments

Assesses whether countries are State party to the relevant international and regional instruments, including whether reservations have an impact on statelessness, and whether instruments are incorporated into domestic law. The four core statelessness treaties (1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons; 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness; European Convention on Nationality; Council of Europe Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to State Succession) carry more weight than other relevant human rights instruments in the assessment.

North Macedonia has a good record on accession to relevant international and regional treaties. It is State party to the 1954 Convention, acceded to the 1961 Convention in January 2020, and is party to most other relevant international and regional treaties with no reservations, including the European Convention on Nationality. However, it is not State party to the European Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to State Succession nor to the UN Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.

The 1954 Convention

North Macedonia is State party to the 1954 Convention with no reservations and the Convention has direct effect.

The 1961 Convention

North Macedonia acceded to the 1961 Convention in January 2020 with no reservations and the Convention has direct effect.

Other Conventions

North Macedonia is State party to all other relevant regional and international treaties, except for the Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to State Succession and the Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.

Statelessness Population Data

Examines the availability and sources of disaggregated population data on statelessness. Provides recent figures and assesses reliability of measures countries have in place to count stateless persons, including in the census, population registries, and migration databases. Notes whether statelessness has been mapped in the country and whether there are sufficient measures in place to count stateless persons in detention.

North Macedonia collects some limited data on statelessness. It includes a category of ‘stateless’ in the census, and data is disaggregated. However, the 2021 census reported a significant decrease from the last census carried out in 2002, and there are concerns about the methodology. Other government departments use potentially overlapping categories, such as ‘unknown nationality’. The Government does not publish data on refugees and asylum seekers, nor on stateless people in detention. UNHCR and its partners collect operational data on the population at risk of statelessness.

Availability and sources

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North Macedonia included the category ‘stateless’ in its last census conducted in 2021, which recorded 584 stateless people, down from 17,652 people ‘without citizenship’ in the previous census carried out in 2002. The reasons for such a significant decrease are unclear. There are concerns about the methodology used in the 2021 census, as there are inconsistencies between the data reported in the census, the number of people identified as unregistered during the government public call in 2018 for registration of undocumented people, and data held by civil society in some municipalities. Therefore, the number of stateless people is likely to be higher than the number recorded in the census. The census data is disaggregated by ethnicity.
The Ministry of Interior uses the potentially overlapping category of 'unknown nationality' in its data collection but does not publish these figures.
A government-initiated campaign in 2018-2019 to identify and register people who lack a birth certificate or other documentation, resulted in over 700 people at risk of statelessness being identified, the majority of whom were Roma, Ashkali or Egyptian. This figure is likely an underestimate of the total population at risk, as there may be others who either did not hear about the public call or were unable to register during the timeframe.
273 citizens of the former-Yugoslavia who continued to live in North Macedonia after 1991 acquired Macedonian nationality between August 2021 and August 2024. 355 unregistered people obtained legal identity through 2023 amendments to the Law on Civil Registration.
UNHCR recorded 275 stateless people in North Macedonia in 2023 and 179 in mid-2024, and its implementing partner, Macedonian Young Lawyers Association, report 185 people at risk of statelessness as of June 2024, of whom 62 have unregulated nationality and 123 have undetermined Macedonian nationality.
In 2023, 618 and in 2024, 323 asylum seekers resided in the asylum reception centre. The top four countries of origin were Syria, Afghanistan, Congo, and Morocco. No-one in the asylum procedure between 2023-2024 was recorded as stateless.

Stateless in detention data

North Macedonia does not publish data on stateless people in detention. It does collect some data on the nationality of detainees, and the Government confirmed in a free access to information request that one stateless person was held in immigration detention in 2023 and no stateless person was held in 2024 (as of November).

Statelessness Determination and Status

Identifies whether countries have a definition of a stateless person in national law that aligns with the 1954 Convention, and whether they have a dedicated statelessness determination procedure (SDP) leading to a dedicated stateless status. If an SDP is not place, it assesses whether there are other procedures in which statelessness can be identified or other routes through which stateless people could regularise their stay or access their rights. Countries are subdivided in three groups to enable comparison between those with an SDP leading to protection, those with other procedures, and those with a statelessness status but no clear mechanism to access protection. The existing procedures and rights granted to stateless persons are examined and assessed against international norms and good practice. Assesses whether stateless people fleeing war have access to temporary protection.

North Macedonia has a definition of a stateless person in national law that aligns with the 1954 Convention, but it does not have a comprehensive legal framework in place to identify and protect stateless migrants. There is no statelessness determination procedure nor statelessness protection status. Stateless migrants may apply for asylum or a temporary residence permit at the discretion of the Government. Stateless people with a residence permit have access to some basic rights.

Definition of a stateless person

The definition of a stateless person in national law in North Macedonia aligns with the 1954 Convention.

Training

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There is no formal training for government bodies on statelessness, but ad hoc training is provided by UNHCR and Macedonian Young Lawyers Association (MYLA), based on the needs of the relevant institutions. Following the adoption of amendments to the Law on Civil Registration in 2023, OSCE held three trainings for the authorities working on the implementation of the laws.
In collaboration with the Council of Europe, MYLA conducted two trainings in November 2024 for public authorities regarding the implementation of the amendments to the Law on Registration of Temporary and Permanent Residence and the Law on Identification Documents.
There is no training on statelessness for judges.
MYLA and UNHCR provide training to lawyers and NGOs on an ad hoc basis. MYLA also trains its lawyers and attorneys as well as NGOs working with high school students and Romani communities.

Existence of a dedicated statelessness determination procedure (SDP)

There is no statelessness determination procedure nor statelessness protection status in North Macedonia.
Stateless migrants may obtain a temporary residence permit on humanitarian grounds at the discretion of the Government on a case-by-case basis, and statelessness may be identified and recorded during international protection procedures.
There used to be routes to regularisation for some stateless people or those at risk of statelessness (people who were born in North Macedonia or neighbouring countries of the former Yugoslavia and who remain without civil status and nationality), but these have expired.

Procedures in which statelessness can be identified and other routes to regularisation

During the asylum procedure a person can be recorded as ‘a stateless person from [country of birth]’, but there is no procedure for the identification of statelessness. If the person later receives an identity card as an asylum seeker or beneficiary of international protection, they will be identified as 'stateless person born in [country of birth]’).
Stateless migrants may regularise their stay and obtain a temporary residence permit on humanitarian grounds, but only at the discretion of the Government on a case-by-case basis and dependent on the documentation available.
Until 2022, under the Law on Foreigners, people from the former Yugoslavia who remained on the territory of North Macedonia without acquiring the nationality of any other country could apply for permanent residence. A simplified naturalisation procedure operational between August 2021 and August 2024, enabled this group to submit a request to acquire Macedonian nationality in a shorter procedure with exemptions from certain conditions.

Access to procedures

There are no obligations in law on the authorities in North Macedonia to examine a claim of statelessness, and no clear, accessible instructions for stateless people on how to claim their rights under the 1954 Convention.
The asylum procedure is conducted by the Sector for Asylum within the Ministry of Interior and procedures under the Law on Foreigners are conducted by the police, the Sector for Foreigners, and other sectors within the Ministry of Interior. Neither of these authorities are specialised in statelessness and there is no centralised cooperation between agencies that may have contact with stateless people.

Assessment

The burden of proof in all procedures is on the applicants. They must apply, attend interviews where relevant, and provide all necessary documentation to state officials. The Law on Administrative Procedure obliges state officials to guide and assist those who do not understand the law, but this is not fully implemented in practice.
The standard of proof applied when establishing statelessness is unclear. Authorities usually conduct verifications on the applicant’s parents’ status and the applicant’s duration of stay in the country and their origin.
There is no clear guidance for officials on how to identify or determine statelessness. Asylum officials should follow country of origin information and North Macedonia has appointed two country of origin information officers.

Procedural safeguards

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Free legal aid is only available to stateless people who have a residence permit or otherwise have a right to stay.
Stateless people do not always have an opportunity to claim their statelessness in an interview, though this opportunity is provided in the asylum procedure and, in practice, is usually granted in the procedure to acquire a residence permit under the Law on Foreigners.
Free interpreting is available in the asylum procedure, as well as in criminal and court procedures, but not in other procedures.
In all administrative procedures, decisions contain reasons and are given in writing, electronically, or another appropriate format.

Protection

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Although there is no dedicated statelessness determination procedure nor statelessness status, there are several provisions in law that provide certain rights to stateless people in North Macedonia.
For example, stateless people can access primary and secondary education and may acquire a temporary residence permit on humanitarian grounds.
Stateless people with a residence permit may acquire a 1954 Convention travel document, have a right to free legal aid, and access to employment.
A stateless person married to a Macedonian national, has access to public healthcare based on marriage.
Stateless people with permanent residence have the right to work and may access social security.
Stateless people do not have the right to vote in any elections in North Macedonia.
It is unclear whether stateless people can benefit from consular protection abroad, but refugees cannot.

Temporary protection for people fleeing war

According to State practice, people fleeing the war in Ukraine and holding a Ukrainian passport, identity card, or a birth certificate may enter North Macedonia, and there are no reports of people being prohibited entry into the country.
The Law on International and Temporary Protection activated temporary protection in North Macedonia in August 2023 for one year, granting protection to ‘people without a nationality’ and foreign nationals who have been granted asylum or equivalent national protection in Ukraine and their family members. Previously, changes had not been made to allow beneficiaries of temporary protection to be granted an identification number, which is required to access basic rights. People would first need to be assigned temporary residence on humanitarian grounds to obtain an identification number and then be transferred to the temporary protection scheme. This caused significant delays in accessing rights, which could be particularly challenging for children born on the territory. Positively, the law was amended in October 2024 to grant an identification number to beneficiaries of temporary protection.
There are no reports of any stateless people from Ukraine coming to North Macedonia and any specific barriers they may have faced.
There is no information on longer-term solutions after temporary protection expires (likely in 2026). Stateless people fleeing Ukraine can also apply for international protection.

Detention

Analyses law, policy and practice relating to immigration detention generally, but focusing on protections in place to prevent the arbitrary detention of stateless people during removal and deportation procedures. Subthemes examine areas such as the identification of statelessness and assessment of whether there is a reasonable prospect of removal, procedural safeguards such as time limits, judicial oversight, and effective remedies, as well as the rights granted to stateless people upon release from detention and protection against re-detention.

There is a basic legal framework for immigration detention in North Macedonia, but there are few protections against the arbitrary detention of stateless people. Statelessness is not a juridically relevant fact in the decision to detain, and statelessness is not considered as giving rise to vulnerability. There is no requirement to define a country of removal. There is a clear obligation in law to release a person when there is no reasonable prospect of removal and in practice people are released from detention to apply for asylum. There are no alternatives to detention prescribed in law and no information on how other less coercive measures are considered; nor are there periodic reviews of the decision to detain. There is a time limit on detention and remedies available in law, but detainees are not made aware of them in practice. No documentation is issued on release from detention, leaving most with basic rights and exposed to re-detention, unless they apply for asylum or a temporary residence permit.

Immigration detention

The legal framework in North Macedonia restricts immigration detention to the purposes permitted under the European Convention on Human Rights, but recent practice suggests that detention may go beyond this including to secure witness statements against people-smugglers.
There are no alternatives to detention prescribed in Macedonian law.
If someone has their own means of subsistence and does not require accommodation in the ‘Reception Centre for Foreigners’, the Ministry of Interior has the legal possibility to limit their movement and require them to report to a police station, but this measure has never been used in practice. There used to be a safe house for people subject to detention who were assessed as ‘vulnerable’, but this is no longer in operation as an alternative to detention.
There is no evidence or information available on how alternatives to detention are considered in practice or whether immigration detention is the default.
There is no requirement to identify a proposed country of removal prior to detention.
According to the law, there is an obligation to release a person when there is no reasonable prospect of removal. In practice people are advised to apply for asylum and are released from detention.

Identification of statelessness

Statelessness is not a juridically relevant fact in decisions to detain.
There is limited information on detention of stateless people in practice. In 2022, two stateless people were detained, while one person was detained due to a lack of documents and later released.
The Law on Foreigners and the Law on International and Temporary protection provide for definitions on vulnerable people which do not explicitly include statelessness.
A vulnerability assessment is not undertaken as part of the decision to detain foreigners, but detention of asylum seekers is subject to an individual assessment. Statelessness is not considered as giving rise to vulnerability, but a basic vulnerability assessment is carried out on entering detention.

Procedural safeguards

There is a time limit of 24 hours for temporary detention prior to an immediate deportation. A person can also be temporarily detained until the reasons preventing their deportation cease to exist or if they have no valid or recognised travel documents for up to 12 months. At the end of that maximum period of detention, detainees should be released. If a detainee applies for asylum they will usually be transferred to a Reception Centre for asylum-seekers.
There are remedies available to challenge detention within eight days of receiving the decision, but in practice, detainees are usually not aware of this remedy.
The law provides for detainees to be informed about their right to legal assistance and to contact their embassy, but they are not informed of this in practice.
The law also provides for detainees to receive a written explanation of the reasons for detention in a language they understand, but in practice, this is issued in Macedonian. Detainees are not provided with information about their rights, contact details of organisations providing support, or the right to appeal the detention decision.
There are no regular periodic reviews of the necessity for the continuation of detention by judicial or other bodies.
There are no rules in place governing the process of re-documentation and ascertaining nationality.

Protection on release

No identification is issued upon release from detention, so people are exposed to re-detention.
People without documentation have very few rights in North Macedonia, aside from access to primary education.
In practice, many former detainees enter the asylum system and secure additional rights as asylum seekers, such as the right to basic healthcare, education, accommodation in the Reception Centre for asylum-seekers, and access to the labour market after nine months if their claim for international protection has not been resolved by the Sector for Asylum.

Return and readmission agreements

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Statelessness is mentioned in the text of bilateral readmission agreements entered into by North Macedonia. However, there is no information on whether stateless people are returned under such agreements, though this has not been observed in practice by the Macedonian Young Lawyers Association.

Prevention and Reduction

Assesses the adequacy of safeguards in nationality laws to prevent and reduce statelessness, including facilitated routes to naturalisation for stateless people, and protections for otherwise stateless children born on the territory or to nationals abroad, foundlings and adopted children. Examines law, policy, and practice on birth registration, including access to late birth registration, and reduction measures taken by States to prevent and reduce in situ statelessness. Analyses provisions on deprivation of nationality and whether there are safeguards related to renunciation and deprivation of nationality to prevent statelessness from occurring.

Stateless people with a residence permit may apply for naturalisation after six years’ lawful and continuous residence, subject to other eligibility criteria. North Macedonian law contains some partial safeguards to prevent childhood statelessness, but there are gaps. There is a safeguard for children born on the territory to stateless parents to automatically acquire nationality, but this focuses on the status of the parents rather than the statelessness of the child, so does not cover children born to parents who may have a nationality but cannot confer this to their child. The provision only applies to minors, which is a lower standard than in the 1961 Convention. There are safeguards to prevent statelessness for foundings and children adopted by or born abroad to North Macedonian nationals. There is no legal provision preventing statelessness in the case of a North Macedonian child adopted abroad, though a safeguard is applied in policy and practice. North Macedonia has taken important steps towards reducing statelessness in recent years, including through the adoption of various legal amendments in June 2023, which mandate the immediate registration of every child born on the territory of North Macedonia irrespective of the nationality or personal status of their parents, and facilitate registration for marginalised groups. Barriers to birth registrationdisproportionately impact on Romani communities, although the new amendments should improve this situation. Late registration is possible in law but is a very cumbersome procedure in practice that presents insurmountable barriers, particularly for marginalised communities.

Naturalisation

Stateless people can apply for naturalisation after six years' lawfully and continuously residing in North Macedonia, which is accelerated in comparison to others.
However, other conditions for naturalisation must be met, including submission of a certificate confirming no criminal convictions or prosecutions and birth registration documentation. There are no exemptions from these requirements for stateless people.
There is a fee of approximately 100 EUR for naturalisation, and additional costs of 2.50-5 EUR for each document required for the procedure.

Stateless born on territory

There is a provision in law for children born on the territory to stateless parents or parents of unknown nationality to automatically acquire nationality, but in practice an application must be submitted and this focuses on the status of the parents rather than the statelessness of the child, so does not cover children born to parents who may have a nationality but cannot confer this to their child.
As there is no procedure for determining statelessness in North Macedonia, proving the statelessness of the parents can be very challenging in practice.
The law provides that only children can benefit from the provision, so this is interpreted as under 18 years-old, leaving a protection gap for young adults. The application is free of charge.
The law on administrative procedures provides for a clear obligation for active assistance from the authorities, however these are not proactive in informing parents at risk of statelessness about their child’s nationality rights and relevant procedures.

Foundlings

There is a provision in law for foundlings to automatically acquire nationality.
The law refers to children, so this is interpreted as under 18 years old.
Nationality can only be withdrawn if parents are identified and can confer their nationality to the child, and this would not leave the child stateless.

Adoption

Although not required by law, any loss of nationality through adoption is prevented in practice by the competent authority requiring from the adoptive parents a guarantee of acquisition of another nationality by the child. The renunciation of nationality can be revoked if the child does not acquire the other nationality.
North Macedonia provides for acquisition of its nationality by a foreign child adopted by its nationals. If at least one parent is a national by naturalisation, the child will also acquire North Macedonian nationality in the case of full adoption and if the child is under 18 and lives in North Macedonia (if the child is 15 or older, they must consent). If both parents are North Macedonian by birth, the child will acquire nationality from the date of adoption.

Ius sanguinis

A child born abroad to a North Macedonian national acquires the parent's nationality automatically, but the birth must be registered by the parent with the consular authorities. Between the age of 18-23 years, the child can register themselves as a North Macedonian national with the competent authority.
The conditions of acquisition are not discriminatory.

Birth registration

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Amendments to the Law on Civil Registry adopted in June 2023 mandate the immediate registration of every child born on the territory of North Macedonia, no longer than 45 days after the birth, irrespective of the nationality or personal status of the child’s parents. Although this provision is already in effect applying to all births after the date the law came into force, it is not yet fully implemented in practice due to lack of awareness of the authorities in particular where mothers are undocumented.
Hospitals must report births to the civil registration office. However, parents must present at the civil registration office within two months of the birth to complete the registration, register the name of the child, and obtain the birth certificate.
Under the amended Law, after 45 days, if the child is still unregistered, an appointed legal guardian from the Centre for Social Work should determine the personal name of the child. The Registry Office has begun to implement this provision with the Centre for Social Work, but there are issues finding guardians in all cases.
Asylum seekers usually register the birth of their child with the identity card issued by the Sector for Asylum.
There are no reported cases of children being prevented from registering due to their parents’ sexual or gender identity.
For unregistered children born before the amendments of June 2023, late birth registration is possible in practice through the authority of the Ministry of Justice, but it is a very complex administrative procedure that puts additional requirements on parents. They must pay 250 MKD (4 EUR) for the procedure and present additional documents at the discretion of the registry official, including: ID cards; marriage certificate (or birth certificates if not married); medical and education certificates for the child; and in some cases, additional notary verified statements or, as a last resort, DNA testing. Although this late registration procedure is still in force, it is unclear how the amendments to the Law on Civil Registry will affect the availability of this procedure.
The requirements of the late birth registration procedure are extremely difficult to meet and the risk of births prior to June 2023 remaining unregistered impacts disproportionately on marginalised communities, including Romani communities. There are credible reports of births not being registered due to lack of documentation. Romani communities are disproportionately affected due to a range of factors, including inability to meet documentary evidence requirements, discriminatory attitudes of registry officials, and poverty and marginalisation. The June 2023 amendments to the law and procedure if fully implemented should address some of these challenges and facilitate birth registration for marginalised communities.
Nationality is determined upon birth registration only if the child is Macedonian, or there is proof of nationality. While this is not provided for in law, in the case of a child born to a Macedonian and a foreign parent, in recent years the Ministry of Interior has required consent from the foreign parent before the child can acquire Macedonian nationality. There is no legal framework for the subsequent determination of a child’s nationality if they are not Macedonian. If there is no proof of nationality, the nationality field on the birth certificate is left blank (as has been reported in cases of children born to refugees).
There are credible reports by lawyers that medical authorities are being required to report undocumented parents to the immigration authorities in practice. There are no restrictions preventing authorities from sharing information regarding registration.

Reducing in situ statelessness

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Romani communities remain disproportionately impacted by the risk of statelessness in North Macedonia. In recent years, risks have also emerged among the children of refugees who came to North Macedonia following the Kosovo crisis in 1999 and continued living in the country without lawful residence and documents after their subsidiary protection ended. Their children face difficulties registering their births and regulating their residence because their parents are undocumented. Around 40 such cases have been reported. UN Human Rights mechanisms have issued several recommendations to North Macedonia to address these issues, and it has received four Universal Periodic Review recommendations on the issue of birth registration.
North Macedonia has taken several positive steps in recent years towards reducing in situ statelessness. In January 2020, it acceded to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Between 2019-2022 a regularisation route was introduced under the Law on Foreigners for citizens of the former-Yugoslavia who continued to live in North Macedonia after 1991 without acquiring any nationality, enabling them to acquire permanent residence. Under the Law on Citizenship, between August 2021 and August 2024, these people could then submit a request to acquire Macedonian nationality in a shorter procedure and were exempted from certain conditions. 273 stateless people acquired Macedonian nationality under this simplified procedure. The issue of civil registration was also addressed in North Macedonia’s Strategy for Inclusion of Romani people 2022-2030.
Attempts have been made through various mechanisms to address the issue of lack of civil registration predominantly affecting Romani communities, but these have failed to provide a systemic solution until significant legal reforms were introduced in 2023. In June 2023, amendments to the Law on Civil Registry introduced the obligation to immediately register every child born on the territory of North Macedonia, irrespective of the nationality or personal status of the parents. In parallel, in October 2023, amendments to the Law on Registration of Temporary and Permanent Residence and the Law on Identification Documents introduced a simplified procedure for homeless people to register their residence at the addresses of social work centres and provides options for people living in ‘non-legalised houses’ to document ownership of the property and obtain an identity document. The new provisions have begin to be implemented but will require close monitoring and capacity-building to ensure they are fully implemented as intended, especially where mothers are undocumented.

Deprivation of nationality

There are no provisions for deprivation of nationality in Macedonian law.
There is a provision for renunciation of nationality, but this is not permitted if it would result in statelessness. If the person fails to acquire a foreign nationality within one year of renunciation, they automatically reacquire Macedonian nationality.
Children under the age of 18 lose their nationality upon request of their parents if their nationality has been lost by renunciation, but this cannot result in statelessness of the child and evidence that the child will acquire another nationality must be presented.
The competent authority for nationality matters is the Ministry of Interior. There is a right of appeal, and by law, legal aid is available, though it is difficult to access in practice.

Resources

Library of resources, legal instruments, publications and training materials on statelessness, specifically relevant to this country. More regional and international materials, as well as resources from other countries, are available on the Resources library. Domestic case law can be consulted in the Statelessness Case Law Database (with summaries available in English).

Please note that we are in the process of adding new resources, so check back soon.

International and regional treaties

United Nations - Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (Ιαν 1954)

Council of Europe - European Convention on Nationality (Νοε 1997)

Council of Europe - Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in relation to State Succession (Ιαν 2006)

United Nations - Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (Ιαν 1961)

Publications

Access to Civil Documentation and Registration in South Eastern Europe: Progress and Remaining Challenges since the 2011 Zagreb Declaration (Οκτ 2013)

MYLA, ENS, ERRC, MRG & ISI - Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council at UPR32 - North Macedonia (Ιουλ 2018)

European Network on Statelessness - Statelessness determination and protection in Europe (Σεπ 2021)

UNDP - Roma access to personal documentation in the Western Balkans (Δεκ 2018)

ENS, ERRC, ISI - Submission to the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues – Statelessness, A Minorities Issue (Μάιος 2018)

ENS, ERRC, ISI - Roma Belong: Statelessness, Discrimination and Marginalisation of Roma in the Western Balkans and Ukraine (Οκτ 2017)

ENS - Submission to inform the European Commission 2022 Enlargement Package: progress towards addressing statelessness (Απρ 2022)

ENS - Submission to inform the European Commission 2021 Enlargement Package: progress towards addressing statelessness in Enlargement countries (Απρ 2021)

ENS - Submission to inform the European Commission 2020 Enlargement Package: progress towards addressing statelessness in Enlargement countries (Ιαν 2020)

MYLA, ENS, ERRC & ISI - Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council at UPR46 - North Macedonia (Oct 2023) (Οκτ 2023)

The European Network on Statelessness - Submission to inform the European Commission 2023 Enlargement Package (Απρ 2023)

ENS - Ending Childhood Statelessness: A Study on Macedonia (Φεβ 2015)

MYLA, AVAJA, ENS and ISI - Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee on North Macedonia (Αυγ 2021)

European Network on Statelessness - Thematic briefing: Birth registration and the prevention of statelessness in Europe (Νοε 2024)

ENS - Submission to inform the European Commission 2024 Enlargement Package (Απρ 2024)

North Macedonia

Additional resources

ASSESSMENT KEY

ADDITIONAL INFO

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