Establishing a legal relationship with the Republic of North Macedonia is the only key solution, so that you no longer have to count the days of your stay, while yo can also spend an unlimited time in your spouse’s homeland.

On the other hand, the right to health insurance, the right to buy real estate, the right to vote and the freedom to travel, are only part of the rights that the citizenship provides.

However, entering into a marriage with a Macedonian is just a pre-step for acquiring legal right to submit an Application for acquisition of citizenship of the Republic of North Macedonia, while the rest of the conditions that you must fulfill for the purposes of the procedure are defined depending on the number of years spent in marriage.

In that sense, the Law on Citizenship of the Republic of North Macedonia provides two main legal bases, according to which you can acquire Macedonian citizenship through simplified naturalization, if you are married to a Macedonian citizen.

1. Three years of marriage, plus residence in North Macedonia

If at least 3 years have passed since the day you got married to a Macedonian citizen, and at the same time you have legally resided in the Republic of North Macedonia for a period of at least one year, it means that you have already acquired the right to apply for citizenship.

It is a legal basis that is relatively flexible, given that it does not require the applicant to fulfill a multitude of conditions, nor is the procedure burdened by submitting numerous documentation. 

The good news is that you do not have to have lived in the Republic of North Macedonia for at least 7 years, although you must have stayed in the Republic of North Macedonia for at least one year continuously. In this way, this legal basis binds your right to acquire citizenship, with the obligation to have legally resided in the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia, i.e. the obligation to regulate your stay by possessing a temporary residence permit on the basis of marriage.At the same time, the Law does not require mandatory knowledge of the Macedonian language, neither checks will be made during the procedure regarding this issue.

The law releases you from the obligation to submit documents for a secured apartment and a source of financial incomes. Even more, the Republic of North Macedonia does not oblige you to receive a release from the citizenship you possess, nor to prove that you will receive a release.

2. Eight years of marriage, plus legal residence abroad

If 8 years have already passed since the day you married a Macedonian and at the same time you legally and permanently live abroad, in such case you also have an eligible legal basis to apply for the acquisition of Macedonian citizenship.

This legal solution is as flexible as the previous one, because again foresees a procedure for acquiring citizenship by way of facilitated naturalization.

According to this legal basis, you do not have to have lived in the Republic of North Macedonia at all, but in any case it will be necessary to present proof that you have legally regulated your residence in the country where you currently live.

Once again in this procedure, speaking the Macedonian language depends exclusively on your personal desire. The competent authorities will not perform any checks on your knowledge.

The law releases you from the obligation to submit documents for a secured apartment and a source of financial funds. At the same time, North Macedonia does not require from you to obtain a release from the citizenship you currently possess, nor you have to prove that you will receive such one.

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Documents without which you could not apply, in both cases

If you intend to apply, the marriage certificate is the primary document that you will need, while in order to present yourself as a good citizen of the country which citizen you are now, you must provide a good conduct certificate too!

Note: The above does not constitute legal advice and in no way can be accepted or understood as an instruction to act in a specific case. Each legal situation has its own characteristics that should be reviewed at separately, and for that reason we recommend that you contact a professional – a lawyer – for legal advice.

More information in relation to the basis or the application procedure on Macedonian citizenship, you can find on the following link.