Private investigator licensing in North Macedonia

Yes. Private investigators need a licence in North Macedonia. In North Macedonia, only a detective holding a licence from the Ministry of Internal Affairs may carry out detective activity. To qualify, an applicant must be a citizen living in the country, hold a university degree, be of good repute, not be under a ban on practising a profession, and pass the professional exam for detectives. Anyone who served as an authorised official in the interior, intelligence or defence services in the past two years cannot be licensed, and people with at least three years in those posts are exempt from the exam. The Ministry's service listing on the national e-services portal cites the Law on Detective Activity (Official Gazette 80/1999), sets a 60-day decision deadline, and lists a fee. We could not open the law itself, so article numbers and the role of the Chamber of Detectives (Комора на детективи) are unverified.

Ministry of Internal Affairs (Министерство за внатрешни работи), under Law on Detective Activity (Закон за детективската дејност), Official Gazette No. 80/1999, as amended.

Yes, applicants must pass an exam.

Administrative tax listed on the e-services portal as 30,000 (currency not stated, presumably MKD), paid with a PP50 slip to the state budget

60 days for a first-instance decision (e-services portal)

1. Pass the professional exam for detective activity, unless exempt through at least 3 years' service in interior, intelligence or defence posts 2. Submit the licence application to the Ministry of Internal Affairs with your university diploma, a statement that you have not held security or defence posts in the past two years, and the exam certificate 3. Pay the administrative tax; the Ministry collects proof of citizenship, residence and no professional ban itself 4. The Ministry decides within 60 days; you can appeal within 15 days, then sue within 30 days