Starting a business

Registration of Companies 

Macedonia has introduced a one-stop-shop system that enables investors to register their businesses within 4 hours. Company can be registered by visiting one office, obtaining the information from a single place, and addressing one employee.
This significantly reduces administrative barriers and start-up costs.The one-stop-shop system operates within the Central Register via 32 electronically integrated offices located throughout Macedonia.
Now as a part of e-government services, company registration is available online. This new feature allows users to carry out all types of registration activities 24/7, without obligation for personal presence in the Central Register.

Construction permits

Investors are exempt from paying fees for construction permits. Also, the Directorate for TIDZs carries out all the procedures for obtaining this permit that further reduce the setting up time.
The Construction Law regulates the issues regarding the construction, reconstruction, adaptation, maintenance of a construction, preparatory works, preliminary works, building site and basic conditions for construction (stability, fire protection, and consideration for the environment, noise protection, security, etc.).
The Law categorizes the buildings in five groups:

1. Residential houses, ground level commercial facilities, and pre-furbished buildings;
2. Residential and business facilities of up to three floors, buildings for the retail business, transformer stations up to 10 KV and others;
3. Schools, sports facilities, medical centres, catering facilities, business and residential constructions, local roads, hydro electrical plants up to 2 MW/h, water supply systems, communal waste dumps;
4. Government facilities, regional roads, hydro electrical plants between 2 and 10 KW/h, long-distance power lines up to 110 KV; and
5. Nuclear facilities, steam power plants, telecommunication systems, oil pipelines, highways, hydro electrical plants with power over 10 MW/h, long-distance power lines over 110 KV.

For the first three categories, the approval is issued by the Mayor of the relevant municipality, whereas for the other two categories the approvals are issued by the competent Governmental agency.

Work visas/permits

Citizens of the EU member states and citizens of the signatories to the Schengen Agreement may enter the territory of the Republic of Macedonia with valid ID card issued by the competent authorities of the concerning countries.
Foreign nationals can easily establish employment in the Republic of Macedonia, after getting an appropriate visa or permit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, i.e. Diplomatic-consular offices abroad.

Type of visas:
-Entry visa
-Business visa,
-Employment visa

Visa requirements and procedure
Visas shall be issued only at the territorially competent embassies or consulates of the Republic of Macedonia abroad. In case the Republic of Macedonia does not have a diplomatic-consular mission in the country of residence or stay of the foreign nationals, then the visa application is to be filed with the diplomatic-consular mission of the Republic of Macedonia in the nearest country. The List of diplomatic-consular missions of the Republic of Macedonia abroad can be found at the Ministry of foreign affairs website www.mfa.gov.mk (Consular Services).
The validity of the passport of the applicant has to be minimum 3 (three) months longer than the intended stay of the foreign national in the Republic of Macedonia.The applicant is to contact an embassy or the consulate of the Republic of Macedonia for additional information about the conditions and procedure for visa issuance;

Types of permits:
-Work Permit,
-Residence Permit.