Personal documents of citizens of North Macedonia with the old name, “Republic of Macedonia”, have become invalid for entry and exit into this state since February 13.
Replacing personal documents, passports, identity cards, driver’s licenses, and vehicle registration permits with those bearing the name “North Macedonia” is an obligation for the residents of this country, based on what is known as the Prespa Agreement between Skopje and Athens for the change of the state name, which was reached on June 17, 2018.
The agreement came into force in February 2019 and had a five-year period to implement its obligations, including the replacement of personal documents.
Through a circular letter sent to all Greek ministries, the Greek Foreign Minister, Giorgos Gerapetritis, “reminded that the transitional period of five years regarding the documents for international use of North Macedonia expires on the midnight of February 12, 2024”.
The head of Greek diplomacy also indicated that to enter Greek territory, vehicles from North Macedonia must have the marking NMK or NM.
Despite the expiration of the deadline for the old documents, the customs and police services of North Macedonia have announced that Macedonian citizens in Kosovo, Albania, and Serbia passed the border on February 13 with the old documents bearing the name Republic of Macedonia.
Even after the deadline expired on February 12, many citizens have not obtained personal documents with the new name, Republic of North Macedonia.
According to data from the Macedonian Ministry of Internal Affairs, around 650,000 citizens out of the 1.8 million in North Macedonia have not yet managed to replace their personal documents with the new name of the state.
Due to the lack of forms, Albanian citizens cannot obtain passports and identity cards in two languages – Albanian and Macedonian.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bujar Osmani, said in a press conference that citizens with old travel documents outside the country will be able to return with a travel document issued at diplomatic offices and consular missions.
On February 12, the Parliament of North Macedonia approved changes and supplements to two laws on communication security, through fast-track procedures, extending the validity of driver’s licenses with the name Republic of Macedonia until the end of 2024.
Their use is valid only within the territory of North Macedonia, and the changes were approved as the current law did not foresee such a thing.
The change followed numerous reactions in public opinion since otherwise, starting from February 13, all citizens with old driver’s licenses could face high fines.
For the situation created, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Panče Toškovski, who is from the ranks of VMRO-DPMNE, which is part of the technical Government, has accused former Minister Oliver Spasovski, calling on law enforcement agencies to act for legal violations and inaction in time.
Such accusations have been dismissed by the Social Democratic Union (SDSM) of former Prime Minister Dimitar Kovačevski, accusing the opposition of spreading panic.
“The spread of panic and the issuance of any populist statement that does not contribute to solving the problem with personal documents brings nothing good,” the SDSM reaction said.
