Temporary Residence — Research & Science

The research-based residence permit allows foreigners to come to North Macedonia to carry out a defined research project at a recognised host institution. The instrument that anchors the permit is the hosting agreement — a written contract between the foreign researcher and the Macedonian institution that specifies the research subject, the duration, the conditions of stay, and the institution's commitment to cover both the legal responsibility and, in many cases, the financial means and accommodation of the researcher.

The category covers postdoctoral fellows, visiting scholars, principal investigators arriving for collaborative projects, scientists on bilateral exchange schemes, and participants in EU-funded research consortia hosted in North Macedonia.

The host institution must be on the public list of accredited Macedonian scientific research organisations. This includes the public universities and their faculties, the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (МАНУ), state research institutes such as the Institute of Agriculture or the Institute of Earthquake Engineering, and a growing list of private universities and research centres that have completed the accreditation procedure under the Law on Scientific Research Activity.

A foreign company's R&D unit is generally not sufficient on its own — the research must be hosted by an organisation whose primary activity is scientific research. Where there is doubt, МВР asks the institution to provide its accreditation certificate alongside the hosting agreement.

The hosting agreement carries weight beyond the simple statement of fact. It needs to identify the project (title, abstract, expected outputs), the duration, the source of funding (institutional, scholarship, foreign research grant, EU programme), the role of the researcher, and the conditions for terminating the relationship.

In many institutions the agreement is approved by the institutional senate, the rector, or the institute's scientific council before it is signed. The document is the centrepiece of the residence file and МВР scrutinises it in particular at first issuance and at the first renewal.

The wider documentary package mirrors other residence categories. The researcher provides a notarised copy of the passport, a recent criminal record and non-prosecution certificate (apostilled and translated), apostilled and translated diplomas (typically a doctorate or equivalent for senior scholars, a master's plus the project relevance for postdocs), valid health insurance, proof of accommodation, and the бела картичка confirming address registration within 48 hours of entry.

The host institution provides its accreditation certificate, the hosting agreement, and where it acts as the financial sponsor, evidence that it can cover the researcher's living costs. Visa-required nationals enter on a Long-Stay Visa (Type D) issued at the Macedonian consulate within three working days of МВР's positive preliminary decision; visa-free nationals can apply directly in country.

Rights attached to the research permit are intentionally generous. The researcher may give lectures and supervise students, may publish, and may move between accredited institutions on a single permit subject to notification of the principal host.

Under EU-style rules adopted in domestic practice, holders of a research permit issued by another European country may be permitted to carry out part of their research in North Macedonia under short-term mobility arrangements, especially where the host is part of an EU consortium. The permit also opens the family-reunification route on facilitated terms, with МВР often issuing the family permits in parallel rather than sequentially.

Renewal happens annually for as long as the project lasts. The institution issues a continuation certificate and the researcher refreshes the supporting documents (criminal record, accommodation, insurance). Years on a research permit count toward the five-year continuous residence required for permanent residence at full weight, the same as work-based residence.

Researchers who switch from a research role to permanent academic employment in North Macedonia normally transition to a work-based permit through АВРМ once the institutional appointment is confirmed; МВР usually treats that transition as continuous residence rather than as a fresh start.