How to Buy Real Estate in North Macedonia (Guide)

How high are realtors´ and lawyers´ fees in North Macedonia? What about other property purchase costs?

Obtaining property in Macedonia comes with relatively low costs compared to a lot of other countries. Firstly we cover the purchase process followed by an analysis of the costs when buying real estate.

Property buying process in Macedonia

Foreign individuals can freely buy apartments and buildings subject to the reciprocity rule and approval from the Ministry of Justice. The parties must first acquire a non-encumbrance certificate from the Real Estate Cadastre. Concurrently, the seller should secure a Title Deed and a registration of real estate from the Department of Cadastre.

Macedonia traditional architetcureA lawyer then prepares a sale contract, as North Macedonian Law stipulates that only lawyers can draw up sale contracts. Thereafter, sales tax will be paid to the municipality (previously done in the Public Revenue Authority). Tax rates are determined and collected by the municipality where the real property is located. The decision for the amount of property tax by the Mayor should be passed and delivered within 30 days after the submission of the application.

Pursuant to paying taxes, the agreement is verified by a notary public, who will inform the Department of Cadastre about the change of ownership. A lawyer, or the buyer himself, would then apply for registration at the Cadastral Office for a new title deed. Registration and request for a new Title deed can take as much as 30 days.

It takes an average of 29 days to complete the seven procedures needed to register a property in North Macedonia.

Land: Foreign citizens and companies can directly own land for construction in North Macedonia, under the Law on Construction Land adopted in 2008. Under the law, the construction land is sold through a public tender procedure. Also, foreign individuals and companies can lease land for up to 99 years through a public bidding process.


What are the additional costs when buying property in Macedonia?

Transaction Costs

    Who Pays?
Sales tax 2.00% - 4.00% buyer
Value Added Tax (VAT) 18.00% buyer
Registration fees 0.10% buyer
Notary fee 0.10% - 1.00% buyer
Legal fee 0.10% 0.50% buyer
Real Estate Agent´s Fee 2.00% seller
Costs paid by buyer 2.30% - 5.60%
Costs paid by seller 2.00%
ROUNDTRIP TRANSACTION COSTS 4.30% - 7.60%
See Footnotes
Source: Global Property Guide

Footnotes to Transaction Costs Table

The round trip transaction costs include all costs of buying and then re-selling a property - lawyers´ fees, notaries´ fees, registration fees, taxes, agents´ fees, etc.

Sales tax:
Sales tax on transfer of property and property rights is levied at 2% - 4%of market value.

Value Added Tax (VAT)
Value Added Tax (VAT) at 18% is imposed on first turnoever within five years of construction of residential buildings and apartments.

Agent´s commission:
Real estate agent´s commission is 2% of property value. It is typically paid by the buyer.

Legal fees:
Based on market practice, the Revenue Office requests sale agreements to be prepared by an Attorney at Law. Legal fees are generally negotiable.

Notary fee:
Notary fees are set in accordance with the Tariff for Notary Services adopted in 2011.

NOTARY FEES

PROPERTY VALUE MKD (€) NOTARY, MKD (€)
Up to 300,000 (€4,387) 0
300,000 - 3 million (€48,387) 2,000 (€32)
3 million - 5 million (€80,645) 10,000 (€161)
5 million - 9 million (€145,161) 12,000 (€194)
9 million - 20 million (€322,581) 20,000 (€323)
20 million - 60 million (€976,742) 30,000 (€484)
Over 60 million (€976,742) 60,000 (€978)

In cases where the sale contract is prepared by a lawyer and the Notary Public only verifies the contract, the applicable fees are reduced to 50% of the general notary fees.

NOTARY FEE

PROPERTY VALUE MKD (€) NOTARY, MKD (€)
Up to 300,000 (€4,839) 0
300,000 - 3 million (€48,387) 1,000 (€16)
3 million - 5 million (€80,645) 5,000 (€81)
5 million - 9 million (€145,161) 6,000 (€98)
9 million - 20 million (€322,581) 10,000 (€163)
20 million - 60 million (€967,742) 15,000 (€244)
Over 60 million (€967,742) 30,000 (€488)

Legal Fee
The Revenue Office requests sale agreements to be prepared by an Attorney at Law, based on the market practice. Legal fees are generally negotiable.


Registration fee:
Registration fee is around 0.10% of the property value. Registration fee is generally negotiable.