---
title: "North Macedonia Open Balkan requirements 2026: 2-year stay"
url: https://settleanywhere.com/countries/north-macedonia/free-movement-open-balkan/
lang: en
updated: 2026-10-10
---

North Macedonia

# North Macedonia Open Balkan

**First stay:** 2 yrs

Open Balkan free access to the labour market (Serbia and Albania)

First checked against official sources on 10 Oct 2026, some details partly verified [Change log](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/)

- **First stay:** 2 yrs (Up to 2 years under the Agreement; the request can be re-submitted.)
- **Renewal:** Renewable
- **Who can apply:** 2 nationalities (Citizens of Serbia and Albania.)

## Key facts

Open Balkan is a long-stay route for North Macedonia. Checked 2026-10-10 against the official source.

- **First stay:** 2 yrs

## Why this route may not fit

Check this before you apply.

- Only for passports from Serbia, Albania

### What you'll need

#### Who can apply

- The applicant is a citizen of Serbia or Albania.
- The applicant first obtains an Open Balkan ID number on the home country portal (euprava.gov.rs for Serbia, e-albania.al for Albania).

#### Steps

1. Log in to uslugi.gov.mk, submit the request for free access to the labour market and fill in the questionnaire.
2. The Ministry of the Interior issues a unique foreigner ID number, which the Employment Service Agency enters in the certificate.
3. The applicant does not need to be physically present in North Macedonia when requesting the certificate.
4. The employer registers the employment (M1 registration) with the Employment Service Agency using the valid certificate.

#### After you arrive

- The Agreement allows stay and work for up to 2 years, with the possibility of re-submitting the request.
- The Open Balkan ID number alone gives no labour market access; only the certificate does.

## What happens at day 183

How North Macedonia decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.

- **Stay on this route:** **2 years at first, renewable**
- **Tax residence:** - **At least 183 days in any 12-month period** Staying 183 or more days continuously or with breaks in any 12-month period makes a person resident for personal income tax.
- **Foreign-source income:** Residents of North Macedonia pay a flat 10% personal income tax on income earned in the country and abroad; for salary the tax base is gross pay minus the 28% employee contributions and a tax reduction of MKD 10,932 (≈ $200) a month (MKD 131,184 (≈ $2,400) a year in 2026).

[All tax rules for North Macedonia](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/north-macedonia/tax/) Tax records checked 10 Oct 2026

**Full official text**

Citizens of Serbia and Albania can request a certificate online on uslugi.gov.mk and take up employment in North Macedonia without a work permit; the Agreement allows stay for up to 2 years. (sources 1, 2, 3, 4)

#### Requirements

- The applicant is a citizen of Serbia or Albania. (source 1)
- The applicant first obtains an Open Balkan ID number on the home country portal (euprava.gov.rs for Serbia, e-albania.al for Albania). (source 1)
- Log in to uslugi.gov.mk, submit the request for free access to the labour market and fill in the questionnaire. (source 1)
- The Ministry of the Interior issues a unique foreigner ID number, which the Employment Service Agency enters in the certificate. (source 1)
- The applicant does not need to be physically present in North Macedonia when requesting the certificate. (source 1)
- The employer registers the employment (M1 registration) with the Employment Service Agency using the valid certificate. (source 1)
- The Agreement allows stay and work for up to 2 years, with the possibility of re-submitting the request. (source 3)
- The Open Balkan ID number alone gives no labour market access; only the certificate does. (source 1)

#### Stay

- Up to 2 years under the Agreement; the request can be re-submitted.
- Initial permitted stay: 24 months.
- Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.

#### Nationality

Citizens of Serbia and Albania. Open to: Serbia, Albania.

#### Work

The certificate holder can be employed like any citizen of North Macedonia and is registered in compulsory social insurance.

Checked 2026-10-10 · partly verified

## Official sources

1. [Open Balkan: notice on the free access to the labour market service](https://av.gov.mk/content/%D0%94%D0%BE%D0%BA%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B8/2%20%D0%90%D0%92%D0%A0%D0%9C-%D0%98%D0%B7%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%9A%D0%B5%20%D0%9E%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BD%20%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BD.pdf) · Employment Service Agency of North Macedonia · checked 2026-10-10
2. [Open Balkan - North Macedonia, Serbia and Albania](https://av.gov.mk/otvoren-balkan.nspx) · Employment Service Agency of North Macedonia · checked 2026-10-12
3. [Open Balkan portal: questions and answers on the Agreement](https://openbalkan.euprava.gov.rs/en-US/Help) · Government of the Republic of Serbia (Open Balkan eGovernment portal) · checked 2026-10-10
4. [Open Balkan agreements and dates of entry into force](https://punetejashtme.gov.al/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Aktet-e-Open-Balkan.pdf) · Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania · checked 2026-10-10

## Open Balkan and its alternatives

| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open Balkan | – | 2 yr, renewable | – |
| [EU free movement](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/portugal/free-movement-eu/) Portugal | – | – | Yes |
| [Free movement by treaty](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/spain/free-movement-andorra/) Spain | – | 5 yr | Yes |
| [Visa-free stay (12 months)](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/georgia/visa-free-365d/) Georgia | – | 1 yr | – |
| [EU free movement](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/italy/free-movement-eu/) Italy | – | – | Yes |

## Questions people ask

### How long can I stay on the Open Balkan?

Up to 2 years under the Agreement; the request can be re-submitted.

### Can I work on the Open Balkan?

The certificate holder can be employed like any citizen of North Macedonia and is registered in compulsory social insurance.

### Who can apply for the Open Balkan?

Citizens of Serbia and Albania. Open to: Serbia, Albania.

### How are Open Balkan holders taxed in North Macedonia?

No special regime in our records is tied to the Open Balkan. The standard rules apply: Residents of North Macedonia pay a flat 10% personal income tax on income earned in the country and abroad; for salary the tax base is gross pay minus the 28% employee contributions and a tax reduction of MKD 10,932 (≈ $200) a month (MKD 131,184 (≈ $2,400) a year in 2026). Non-residents pay on income earned in North Macedonia.

## Similar visas elsewhere

[🇫🇷 EU free movement](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/france/free-movement-eu/) [🇬🇧 Visa-free stay (6 months)](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/united-kingdom/visa-free-180d/) [🇦🇱 Open Balkan](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/albania/free-movement-open-balkan/) [🇭🇺 Visa-free stay (4 months)](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/hungary/visa-free-120d/) [🇷🇸 Open Balkan](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/serbia/free-movement-open-balkan/) [🇦🇲 Visa-free stay (6 months)](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/armenia/visa-free-180d/)

≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.

## How this was checked

**Checked on 2026-10-10 against 4 official sources.** Status: partly verified; the page marks the facts an official source does not fully confirm.

Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.

1. [Open Balkan: notice on the free access to the labour market service](https://av.gov.mk/content/%D0%94%D0%BE%D0%BA%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B8/2%20%D0%90%D0%92%D0%A0%D0%9C-%D0%98%D0%B7%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%9A%D0%B5%20%D0%9E%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BD%20%D0%B1%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BD.pdf) · Employment Service Agency of North Macedonia · checked 2026-10-10
2. [Open Balkan - North Macedonia, Serbia and Albania](https://av.gov.mk/otvoren-balkan.nspx) · Employment Service Agency of North Macedonia · checked 2026-10-12
3. [Open Balkan portal: questions and answers on the Agreement](https://openbalkan.euprava.gov.rs/en-US/Help) · Government of the Republic of Serbia (Open Balkan eGovernment portal) · checked 2026-10-10
4. [Open Balkan agreements and dates of entry into force](https://punetejashtme.gov.al/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Aktet-e-Open-Balkan.pdf) · Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania · checked 2026-10-10

Tracked since 2026-10-11. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the [changes page](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/), and the [methodology page](https://settleanywhere.com/methodology/) explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email [contact@stayglobe.app](mailto:contact@stayglobe.app?subject=Correction) with a link to the official source.