Customs

In this part of the CEFTA Web Portal you will find the most important customs import/export procedures separately for each CEFTA Economy. Procedures include but are not limited to: 1.The location of customs clearance offices; 2.The working hours in each office; 3.The procedures to follow based on the destination of your goods; 4.The documents to present to customs authorities for obtaining approval for the relevant destination; 5.The officially approved documents given to you by customs authorities in each case; 6.The procedures followed by customs authorities for calculating the customs value of your goods; 7.The definition of rules of origins determining customs preferential or non preferential tariffs; 8.The Free Trade Agreements signed by each CEFTA Economy with the other signatories. In cases where the final destination of goods is one of the CEFTA Economies, please refer to the import procedures section of this Economy on this portal. In cases where goods transit through different economies before arriving to their final destination, please refer to the transit procedures of these economies. If goods exit one of the CEFTA Economies included in this site, please refer to the export procedures for the relevant Economy.



Albania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
North Macedonia
Moldova
Montenegro
Serbia
Kosovo*


FTA-s description

The Republic of Macedonia is currently applying five free trade agreements covering 40 trading partners: 27 EU Member States, 4 EFTA countries, 7 CEFTA parties, Turkey and Ukraine.
The main objective of concluding the agreements is to encourage the growth of trade between the Parties, the increase in foreign direct investment, the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers to mutual trade and to achieve greater transparency in trade policies.

Implemented FTA-s

The Republic of Macedonia has signed the following free trade agreements, which are into force:

1) The Central Europe Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA 2006)

CEFTA 2006 was signed on the 19th of December 2006 in Bucharest, and entered into force on the 22.11.2007. The following are the countries signatories of the agreement: Republic of Macedonia,  Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,  Republic of Croatia, Moldova, Montenegro, and UNMIK for the territory of Kosovo. Additionally to the liberation of the trade in goods, CEFTA 2006 also provides for increased cooperation between its members in the following areas: Trade in services, public procurement, investments and protection of the intellectual property.

2) EFTA
 
EFTA is a multilateral agreement concluded between the Republic of Macedonia and the Swiss Confederation, the Kingdom of Norway, Republic of Island, and the Duchy of Leichtenstein, on the 19.06.2000 in Zurich.  In November 2001, the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia ratified the Agreement in November 2001 (Official Gazette of RM, No. 89/2001), and it was enforced on 1st of May. The Agreement provides an asymmetric approach to the trade in industrial and agricultural foodstuffs, in the interest of the Republic of Macedonia. Thus, Macedonian industrial products are freely, duty-free, exported on the markets of EFTA countries, responding to the needs of 12 million citizens. On the other hand, trade in industrial products in case of import from the EFTA countries in Macedonia shall be performed in different transition periods, individually for every EFTA country, in a period of four, seven and nine years. In the tenth year of application of the Agreement, exchange in both directions shall be performed duty-free.

3) Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and Ukraine

The Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and Ukraine is a legal framework which regulates the bilateral trade cooperation between the two countries, and is applicable as of 10 September 2001.

 4) Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Turkey

The Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Turkey regulates the trade between both countries and is applicable as of 1 September 2000.
 
5) Stabilization and Association Agreement

The Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European communities and their countries – members (SAA) is the existing legal framework which regulates the relations of the Republic of Macedonia and the European Union.
The Republic of Macedonia signed the SAA on the 9th of April 2001 in Luxemburg, and the Agreement entered into force on 1 April 2004. The sections of SAA regulating the trade and the trade issues were enforced on 1 June 2001, with the special Interim Agreement on Trade Issues between the Republic of Macedonia and the European Community. This agreement provided for asymmetrical approach to trade with industrial and agricultural foodstuffs, in the interest of the Republic of Macedonia. Thus, Macedonian industrial products are freely, duty-free, exported to EU markets, and trade in industrial products imported from the EU, according to projection, shall be gradually liberalized in a period of 10 years. In the tenth year of application of the Agreement (2011), exchange in both directions shall be performed duty-free.

Contact

MINISTRY OF ECONOMY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
Jurij Gagarin 15
1000 Skopje
Macedonia

phone: +389 23 093 408
fax: +389 23 084 472
e-mail: contact@economy.gov.mk
web: www.economy.gov.mk