The working licence is an official document that proves the professional capacity for medical practice of the doctor of medicine. The doctors of medicine in Republic of North Macedonia must have a working licence in the field of their medical practice, noting their speciality or subspecialty.
The validity period of the licence is seven years.

The issuing, renewal, extension and termination of the licence is done by the Doctor’s Chamber in accordance with the Manual on issuing, renewal, extension and termination of the licence of the healthcare workers.

The amount for issuing, renewal and extension of the working licence is specified in the Manual on the costs for issuing, extension and renewal of a working licence.

Issuing of a working licence 

Primary Health Care Licence  

A doctor of medicine can acquire a Primary Health Care licence if having completed an appropriate education level in medicine, completed the trainee internship and passed the licensing exam.

Required documentation:

• Request for issuing a working licence;
• Application for registration in the Registry of Doctors;
• Diploma/Certificate for completed medical studies – notarized photocopy;
• Certificate for passed licensing exam – original document or notarized photocopy;
• Certificate for Citizenship – original document or notarized photocopy;
• Payment slip on the payment for issuing a working licence.

Speciality or Subspecialty Licensing  

A doctor with a primary health care working licence can obtain a working licence in another speciality or subspecialty, after completing the specialization.

Required documentation:

• Request for issuing a working licence;
• Application for registration in the Registry of Doctors;
• A certificate for completed specialist studies
• Document for paid membership fee
• Payment slip on the payment for issuing a working licence

Working licence for a doctor with faculty degree in medicine, completed trainee internship and completed licensing exam abroad  

A doctor of medicine with faculty degree in medicine, completed trainee internship and completed licensing exam abroad can acquire a working licence with a Validation of the diploma issued by the Ministry of education and Science and Document for acceptance of the trainee internship and the passed licensing exam abroad issued by the Doctor’s Chamber of RNM.

Required documentation:

• Request for issuing a working licence;
• Application for registration in the Registry of Doctors;
• Validation of the diploma issued by the Ministry of Education and Science of RNM – notarized photocopy;
• Diploma for completed studies in medicine – notarized photocopy;
• Diploma for completed studies in medicine – notarized translation in Macedonian language by a court interpreter;
• Certificate for Citizenship – original document or notarized photocopy;
• Document for acceptance of the trainee internship and the passed licensing exam abroad issued by the Doctor’s Chamber of RNM – original document or notarized photocopy;
• Payment slip on the payment for issuing a working licence.

In case the candidate has completed specialist studies or subspecialist studies abroad, in order to obtain a working licence for his/her specialty/subspecialty, the following documentation is required as well:

• Validation of the specialization or subspecialisation issued by the Ministry of Health of RNM – notarized photocopy;
• Document for passed specialist or subspecialist exam – notarized photocopy;
• Document for passed specialist or subspecialist exam – notarized translation in Macedonian language by a court interpreter.

If the applicant has a foreign working licence, apart from the previously listed documentation should also submit:

• A working licence issued by the Doctor’s Chamber of the foreign country – notarized photocopy;
• A working licence issued by the Doctor’s Chamber of the foreign country – notarized translation in Macedonian language by a court interpreter;
• Recommendation by the Chamber of his/her earlier membership.

Temporary working licences for foreign citizens  

Temporary employment licence

 A healthcare worker with a completed medical studies who is a foreign citizen can acquire a working licence if fulfils the general conditions determined in the regulations for traveling, residence and employment for foreigners, and also complies with the conditions given in the Law on Health Protection for RNM regarding citizens that completed education abroad, completed the trainee internship and the additional training and assessment of professional knowledge and skills of the DCM.
A healthcare worker with completed medical studies who is a foreign citizen must have an extensive knowledge of the Macedonian language in order to be allowed to practice medicine in Republic of North Macedonia.
A healthcare worker with completed medical studies who has acquired qualifications in the countries that are members of the European Union or in Switzerland, Norway, Canada, Japan, Israel, Turkey, Russia or USA is not required to complete an additional training and assessment of the professional knowledge and skills. 

Required documentation:

• Request for issuing a temporary working licence;
• Application for registration in the Registry of Doctors;
• Validation of the diploma issued by the Ministry of Education and Science of RNM – notarized photocopy;
• Diploma for completed studies in medicine – notarized photocopy;
• Diploma for completed studies in medicine – notarized translation in Macedonian language by a court interpreter;
• Document for completed or accepted licensing exam – original document or notarized photocopy;
• Certificate for extensive knowledge of the Macedonian language issued by an education facility;
• Residence permit for temporary stay in RNM issued by the Ministry of Interior – original document or notarized photocopy;
• Working permit issued by the Employment Agency of RNM – original document or notarized photocopy;
• Document on one’s working experience;
• Recommendation by the Chamber of his earlier membership;
• Certificate for completed training and assessment of professional knowledge and skills for issuing a working licence;
• Payment slip of the payment for issuing a working licence for a foreigner.

If the doctor has completed specialist studies or subspecialist studies abroad and s/he is a foreign citizen, the following documentation is also required:

• Document for acceptance of the specialist or subspecialist studies issued by the Ministry of Health of RNM – notarized photocopy;
• Certificate for passed specialist or subspecialist exam abroad – notarized photocopy;
• Certificate for passed specialist or subspecialist exam abroad – notarized translation in Macedonian language by a court interpreter. 

Temporary working licence for educational purposes

A doctor, who can be further a specialist or subspecialist and a citizen of a state that is a member of OECD, or a Macedonian citizen who has been engaged in medical practice for at least five continuous years in healthcare facilities or educational institutions in countries that are members of OECD, and who according to the regulation for the medical studies and the continuous medical  education has signed a contract for medical services for the purposes of enhancing the knowledge and the skills of our medical staff in RNM by educating them in our healthcare institutions, can obtain a temporary working licence.
The working licence is issued upon a request of the healthcare institution where the expert shall be temporary engaged in medical practice.

Required documentation:

• Request for issuing a temporary working licence for educational purposes; 
• Professional biography – translation in Macedonian language;
• A detailed description of the goals and the duration of the stay of the expert;
• Working licence issued by the chamber of the country the expert comes from – notarized translation in Macedonian language by a court interpreter;
• A statement by the healthcare institution that engages the doctor regarding their liability for providing an appropriate healthcare for the patients after the departure of the expert;
• Consent by our professional association of that medical field;
• Payment slip on the payment for temporary working licence of a foreign citizen.

Renewal of the working licence  

The working licence has a validity period of seven years. The request for the renewal of the working licence should be submitted at least 30 days prior the expiring of the document. One can renew the working licence if:

• During the validity period of the licence, s/he has acquired at least 20 point on annual level concerning the continuous medical education (CME) through following the novelties and promotion of his/her personal knowledge;
• S/he has been engaged in medical practice in the field of speciality stated in the licensing document for at least 60% of the validity period of the licence.

Required documentation:

• Request for renewal of the working licence
• Documentation (certificates) that confirm that within the validity period of the licence, the doctor has acquired the proposed number of CME points, according the criteria given in the Manual for professional development of the Chamber;
• Documentation on the duration of the medical practice: document from the Employment Agency of RNM or from the Pension Insurance Fund for the duration of the employment period, or a document from the public healthcare institution;
• Document on the paid membership fees;
• Payment slip on the payment for renewal of the working licence.

Renewal of working licences for doctors who were elected officials.

The period in which one doctor has been elected an official, is not calculated within the validity period of the licence. The doctor should submit a document from the authorized institution that s/he has been elected an official with the period of performing official duties stated in the document.

Extension of the working licence  

In accordance with the Law on Health Protection, a doctor who does not comply with the conditions for renewal of a working licence, can be granted a temporary extension of the existing licence for a six-month period, under the condition that the doctor completes an additional training and assessment of the professional knowledge and skills according to the Program for additional training and assessment of professional knowledge and skills of the Chamber.

Manual on the program for additional training and assessment of the professional knowledge and skills of healthcare workers with a faculty degree in medicine and the procedure for the valuation of the healthcare workers with a faculty degree in medicine.

Required documentation:

• Request for a training and assessment of professional knowledge and skills for extension of the working licence

Regaining the working licence  

A doctor who has not renewed or extended the working licence within the proposed deadline, can regain the licence if completing an additional training and assessment of professional knowledge and skills. The last involves an examination commission of the Chamber.
Required documentation:

• Request for regaining a working licence