North Macedonia keeps investment citizenship, drops minimum criteria

A recent package of amendments to North Macedonia's citizenship law leaves the investment route for obtaining a passport intact while removing the statutory minimums that previously defined how much must be invested and how many jobs must be created.

Under the current text of the changes, the formal thresholds for investment and employment are abolished and the authority to grant citizenship “on economic interest” is concentrated in the Ministry of Economy. Critics say that approach increases discretion and the risk of arbitrary decisions.

How the change plays out in practice

The law as amended does not eliminate the option for foreigners to receive citizenship in exchange for an economic contribution. Case files show investors who met the former numerical conditions — for example an investor who put 400,000 euros into a small Skopje hair salon and formally hired ten workers — were able to secure a passport and then withdraw or dispose of their local stake while keeping the travel document.

The European Union has long warned that citizenship-for-investment schemes can create security risks, including illicit actors gaining easier access to the Schengen area if vetting is insufficient. Several EU member states, including Spain and Bulgaria, have already ended such programmes; the European Commission has recommended that candidate and visa-exempt countries do the same.

The EU delegation in Skopje has said the European Commission's recommendation is clear and that the country should abolish the scheme. Lawmakers and government officials, however, promoted the amendments as tightening rules while in effect enabling the Ministry of Economy to decide case-by-case—regardless of the size of the financial contribution.

Photo: press material from the event