Driving license in Macedonia

Personally, I just use my English (EU format) license and this is perfectly acceptable here.  I have never had an issue with that. I suspect if you have a non EU license it would need a local test. 

There is a written theory and practical aspect to the test like many EU countries. No idea what the present cost is but it will be relatively low compared to any other developed nation.

Hi Arioch13!

Thanks for your help

Armand

You can use an international driver's permit. If you are seeking residency, you may take a driver's test after 6 months for about $600 US from what I have found, but I am going to continue using my international driver's permit.

They let me use my Driver's license from the states...i'm sticking with that...

An update on this:

You will need to do the following if you are here longer than six months.

Take the driving appropriate medical exam.  This is pretty low cost (around 30 Euros) and is a very general bill of good health. Some of the tests seem a little odd and unrelated as it is quite thorough but it is straight forward enough.

Submit this together with your EU driving license.  Strangely, the KEEP your foreign driving license.  Very strange and I did not know this was lawful as your document is the property of a foreign state but this is the process.  You get a Macedonian license in return.   This can be problematic when you leave the country so you then go and get an international license as well which is a pretty simply process.

When you leave to go home you will probably want your original license back. You back back to the ministry and give them your Macedonian License in return for your original and they hold on to it. Give them 2 days notice and you should be ok.

Did you just find this out recently?  I think i'm going to stick with using my license unless i'm told otherwise because i'm not giving up any of my official driver's license to any ministry here.  In my experience they do not have a great track recording of keeping up with things.  Thanks for the update.

Hi P.

I learned of a prosecution of someone that got into an accident.  The case was being conducted on the basis of driving without a license or insurance.  The person concerned was under the impression their foreign license was valid to the full extent of the validity shown on the license itself. (I forget what country it was issued in but I do remember it was an EU license).  Without a license the insurance was invalidated also.

I did not drive here until recently.  I still prefer to use a driver but with family here I had to get a car in the end.  So I had someone go into the Ministry and confirm the process in person in the light of what I learned above.

I know what you mean about surrendering the other license.  I think many ex pats are concerned by this.   I know both Macedonia and Romania do this.  Romania seems far worse as you're lucky if you ever get it back there.   

Not that I condone it but I hear that people submit their license here then report it lost or stolen in their home country and simply get a replacement to avoid inconvenience.   In fact, in some countries the license is actually the property of the state, not the person and as such has to be reported as lost or stolen if no longer in the drivers possession so they have little choice. 

This i probably just one of those things where theprocess has has been around forever and never really been updated.   But it is what it is and I try to be a good guest no matter how ultimately pointless the processes might seem to be.    I should say that I work in international law and regulatory compliance so I err on the side of almost paranoid levels of compliance and caution by default.