Real estate agency licensing: North Macedonia
No licensingNorth Macedonia is the only country we cover with no broker licensing at all: no professional exam, no licence, no register of agencies. In its 2023 report MONEYVAL noted explicitly that entry requirements are completely absent for the real estate sector. Vetting an agency comes down to checking the company in the Central Register and to the quality of the written contract.
Legal framework
No dedicated real estate brokerage act
- Published in:
- General company law and anti-money-laundering rules apply
- In force since:
- —
Authority and register
There is no broker register. Agencies register as companies with the Central Register and, as anti-money-laundering obliged entities, are supervised by the Public Revenue Office (active supervision since 2022).
Requirements for brokers
- Registering a company with the Central Register of North Macedonia — the only formal requirement.
- No mandatory professional exam or agent licence.
- No statutory minimum professional indemnity insurance.
- Agencies are obliged entities under AML/CFT rules (client identification, suspicious transaction reporting).
Mandatory insurance
Not required by law. If an agency carries professional indemnity insurance, it does so voluntarily — ask to see the policy.
What a listing must contain
- No specific statutory requirements for the content of agency listings.
- General consumer-protection rules and the ban on misleading advertising apply.
Commission and contract
The commission is freely agreed; there is no statutory cap and no rules on when it falls due. A written contract is your only protection.
Penalties
There are no penalties for 'brokering without a licence' because no licence exists. Sanctions are possible under AML and consumer-protection rules.
How to check an agency
Before you sign a brokerage contract:
- Find the agency in the official register and match the name and company number against the contract.
- Ask for its register number — in most countries it must appear in the listing itself.
- Ask to see the professional indemnity policy and check that it is current.
- Insist on a written contract stating the fee and exactly when it falls due.
- Do not pay any advance on the commission before the deal closes — in most countries in the region that is expressly prohibited.
Frequently asked questions
Looking for property in the region?
Browse Stanovina — apartments, houses, villas and land across seven Balkan countries.