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North Macedonian law retains a discretionary special-economic-interest basis for citizenship, but its future is uncertain. The route operates through Article 11 of the Law on Citizenship — a discretionary provision for admission on grounds of special national interest — combined with an implementing Decree that sets out investment criteria. It does not operate as a standardised, dedicated citizenship-by-investment law comparable to the Caribbean programmes.
In its Eighth Report under the Visa Suspension Mechanism, published 19 December 2025, the European Commission explicitly called on North Macedonia to abolish the scheme and repeal its legal basis. This does not itself repeal the legislation, but it creates a material and current legal and policy risk. This page sets out the legal basis, the published criteria, and this EU position accurately and prominently — not something a prospective applicant should discover only after committing funds.
On timelines. No government-published or guaranteed processing timeline exists. Marketing sources quote figures ranging from roughly two to ten months; none is an official commitment. Given the European Commission's explicit call for abolition, the route's continued availability in 2026 should be verified directly with the competent authorities before any application is prepared.
Request a Preliminary North Macedonia Eligibility Assessment
Request a Preliminary AssessmentLegal Nature of the Article 11 Route
North Macedonia does not operate the route under a standalone citizenship-by-investment statute. The relevant legal basis is Article 11 of the Law on Citizenship of the Republic of North Macedonia (Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 67/92, 8/04, 98/08, 158/11, 55/16, and Official Gazette of the Republic of North Macedonia No. 174/21, 67/22), which permits the state to admit a foreign national to citizenship where this represents a special scientific, economic, cultural, sporting, or other national interest. Nevertheless, the European Commission's own reporting treats the economic-interest mechanism functionally as an investor citizenship scheme, and this page does too for practical purposes.
The specific investment-linked criteria are not in the citizenship law itself, but in a subordinate implementing Decree — the Decree for Determining the Criteria of the Distinctive Scientific, Economic, Cultural, Sports or Other National Interest for Acquisition of Citizenship (Official Gazette No. 9/05, as amended in 2012, 2019, and 2021). The investment-fund criteria were developed through amendments to this implementing framework, with the Fund for Innovation and Technology Development assigned a role in relation to qualifying funds; the precise date and manner in which the fund route became operational should be confirmed directly with the competent authorities rather than assumed from secondary sources.
Because the route sits within a discretionary special-interest provision rather than a standalone investor statute, it does not carry the published service-level commitments, agent regulatory frameworks, or standardised processing guarantees found in dedicated CBI jurisdictions such as the Caribbean states.
European Commission Position and Risk of Repeal
The European Commission continues to treat North Macedonia's special-economic-interest mechanism as an investor citizenship scheme. In its Eighth Report under the Visa Suspension Mechanism (COM(2025) 792 final, published 19 December 2025), the Commission stated plainly that North Macedonia must abolish the scheme and repeal its legal basis, provide information on applications already submitted under the special economic interest provision, and ensure that all such applications undergo rigorous background checks.
This call is consistent with the European Commission's longstanding opposition to investor citizenship schemes in EU candidate countries, and follows the April 2025 judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union against Malta's citizenship-by-investment scheme. Operating an investor citizenship scheme is now, in itself, a potential ground for suspending a country's visa-free status under the revised Visa Suspension Mechanism.
A Commission recommendation does not by itself repeal North Macedonian legislation. As of the latest official materials reviewed for this page, Article 11 remained part of the citizenship framework and the Ministry of Interior continued to publish a special-national-interest citizenship procedure; this does not by itself confirm that every provision of the implementing Decree remains unchanged and in force. The recommendation does, however, create a material and current legal and policy risk. Before any investment is made, the acceptance of new applications, the treatment of pending files, the current status of the implementing Decree, and the prospects for near-term legislative change should be confirmed directly with the competent authorities.
Track Record and Current Volume
Historical grants. European Commission screening material (July 2023 Cluster 1 Screening Report) records that 121 individuals were granted North Macedonian citizenship for economic reasons between 2005 and 2022, alongside 40 negative decisions over the same period.
Remaining uncertainty. That figure does not identify how many of the 121 grants arose specifically from the €200,000 investment-fund criterion versus the €400,000 direct-investment criterion versus other economic-interest grounds under the same provision, nor does it confirm which years processed the bulk of applications.
Recent volume. The Commission's staff working document accompanying the Eighth Report under the Visa Suspension Mechanism (SWD(2025) 429 final, 19 December 2025) sets out the most recent figures directly: of five applications submitted in 2023, one resulted in a grant of citizenship (to an applicant from Bosnia and Herzegovina) and four remained under assessment at the time of the report; in 2024, three applications were submitted by nationals of Türkiye, two of which resulted in citizenship grants. This is a route that, whatever its historical volume, currently processes a very small number of cases per year, across a small number of nationalities.
None of this means the legal basis is fictitious: Article 11 and the implementing Decree are real, published, and the historical record confirms citizenships have genuinely been granted this way. As of the latest official materials reviewed for this page, Article 11 remained part of the citizenship framework and the Ministry of Interior continued to publish a special-national-interest citizenship procedure. This should nevertheless be confirmed immediately before any application or investment, particularly in light of the European Commission's December 2025 recommendation that the route be abolished. The current pace is low, closely watched by the European Commission, and under explicit pressure for repeal. We verify the current operational status directly with the competent authorities before advising any client to proceed.
Legal Framework
| Instrument | Description |
|---|---|
| Law on Citizenship, Art. 11 | The primary statutory basis: discretionary admission to citizenship where this represents a special scientific, economic, cultural, sporting, or other national interest to North Macedonia. |
| Decree, O.G. No. 9/05 | Sets out the criteria for "distinctive economic interest," including the investment fund and direct investment thresholds. Amended in 2012, 2019, and 2021. |
| Fund for Innovation and Technology Development | Involved in vetting private investment funds eligible under the €200,000 fund route; funds must not invest in real estate beyond office premises and are capped at 500 foreign investor-applicants each. |
| Ministry of Interior | Prepares the administrative decision and coordinates the citizenship procedure, in consultation with the ministries responsible for economy and finance; national security screening is also conducted as part of the process. |
| Government of North Macedonia | Takes the final decision on admission to citizenship on the basis of special economic interest under Article 11. |
The Published Investment Criteria
Two investment-linked routes to satisfying the Decree's "special economic interest" test are published. A third, non-investment ground also exists under Article 11 itself. None of the three guarantees approval — each establishes eligibility to be considered, not an entitlement. The figures below are consistent across multiple independent published summaries of the implementing Decree; Ketenci & Ketenci does not recommend relying on them for a specific application until the currently applicable consolidated Decree text and the live availability of a qualifying investment vehicle have been confirmed with local counsel and the competent authorities.
Investment Fund — €200,000
Investment of at least €200,000 per person in an approved private investment fund constituted under North Macedonian law, held for a minimum of two years. Qualifying funds are generally required to hold at least €5,000,000 in initial capital before submitting their investment programme to the Fund for Innovation and Technology Development (FITD), to direct capital toward the economy, innovation, or innovation-related infrastructure rather than real estate (other than office premises for the fund's own needs), and to remain within a cap of 500 foreign investor-applicants per fund. The FITD assesses and confirms the existence of the special economic interest before the Ministry of Interior proceeds with the citizenship application; whether specific funds currently hold live FITD approval should be confirmed directly.
Direct Investment and Job Creation — €400,000
Direct investment of at least €400,000 per person in a new facility, excluding catering and certain other commercial premises, creating at least ten full-time jobs and maintaining them for the period required under the applicable Decree. This route requires ongoing operational and employment evidence, not a one-time transfer, and the precise excluded sectors and holding period should be verified against the current Decree text.
Exceptional Contribution (Non-Investment)
Article 11 also permits admission independent of investment, on the basis of exceptional scientific, cultural, or sporting contribution to North Macedonia. This ground is assessed entirely on its own merits and is not a standardised, applicable-to-anyone pathway.
General Conditions
Article 11 may permit admission without satisfying all of the ordinary residence-based naturalisation conditions, including prior residence in North Macedonia and Macedonian language proficiency. The precise conditions applicable to an investor and to each dependant must be confirmed under the current legislation and administrative practice rather than assumed. The published baseline conditions are that the main applicant is at least 18 years of age and must satisfy the applicable criminal-record, security, public-order, and suitability requirements.
A spouse is not automatically included in the principal applicant's Article 11 decision. The spouse may rely on a separate statutory naturalisation basis connected to the Article 11 applicant and must independently satisfy the conditions and filing requirements applicable to that provision; it is a related but distinct decision, not an automatic extension. Children under 18 may acquire citizenship under the rules governing naturalisation of minor children whose parent acquires citizenship. The precise procedure, documentation, timing, and any investment-related treatment for each family member should be confirmed individually before submission.
Common Misconceptions
- This is not a dedicated citizenship-by-investment law comparable to a Caribbean CBI statute — it is a discretionary special-interest naturalisation provision with investment-linked criteria attached by decree, though the European Commission treats it functionally as an investor citizenship scheme.
- No government-published processing timeline exists; any specific figure quoted by a third party (2–4 months, 3–6 months, 8–10 months — all of which circulate) is a marketing estimate, not an official commitment.
- Meeting the €200,000 or €400,000 criteria establishes eligibility to be considered; it does not guarantee a grant.
- Grants under this route are not merely theoretical — 121 economic-interest decisions were recorded between 2005 and 2022 — but recent reported grant volume was low: one citizenship grant from the five applications submitted in 2023, and two grants from the three applications submitted in 2024. The European Commission has called for the scheme to be abolished.
Considering This Route?
We will verify the route's current operational status before recommending it, and tell you plainly if the EU repeal risk or current volume make it unsuitable for your objectives.
Request a Preliminary AssessmentTax Considerations
North Macedonia generally applies a 10% personal income tax rate and a 10% corporate income tax rate, subject to the applicable category, exemptions, withholding rules, and treaty provisions; standard VAT is 18%. Resident individuals and companies are generally taxed on worldwide income, while non-residents are taxed only on North Macedonia-sourced income. This is a general summary, not tax advice for any individual position.
Tax residency and citizenship are separate legal questions — acquiring citizenship through this route does not itself create Macedonian tax residency, and a client's position should be assessed against actual circumstances with current professional tax advice.
Why Ketenci & Ketenci
The distinguishing question in North Macedonian matters is not whether the legal basis exists — it does, and 121 grants between 2005 and 2022 confirm it has been used — but whether committing now makes sense given the current low volume and the European Commission's explicit call for repeal. We do not take marketing claims at face value, including material we ourselves may have previously published.
Before recommending this route, we verify its current operational status directly with the competent authorities, review the specific investment vehicle against the Decree's published criteria, and set realistic expectations about timeline, volume, and legislative risk. Where the honest answer is that the route does not currently support a confident recommendation, we say so.
Ketenci & Ketenci coordinates North Macedonian matters together with instructed local counsel, alongside the client's existing tax and wealth advisers. Our teams in Istanbul, London, Lisbon, and Dubai conduct this work remotely where required.
Frequently Asked Questions – North Macedonia Citizenship
Request a Preliminary North Macedonia Eligibility Assessment
We will review the current legal position and the route's operational status, and provide a tailored legal fee proposal. To assess a matter we ask for:
- whether the objective is citizenship, residence, or a European business presence;
- nationality and current country of residence;
- intended investment structure (fund or direct facility investment);
- tolerance for the timeline and track-record uncertainty described above;
- proposed dependants.
Last legally reviewed: 6 August 2026. This page is provided for general information and does not constitute legal advice or create a lawyer–client relationship. Requirements, criteria, and the route's operational status are subject to change and, in this case, to significant uncertainty; independent verification is recommended before any commitment. Where this summary and the governing legislation differ, the legislation prevails. For advice specific to your circumstances, please contact our legal team directly.