Republic of North Macedonia vs Kingdom of Sweden
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Republic of North Macedonia and Kingdom of Sweden government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Consular services - visas and legal stay
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Republic of North Macedonia - verified
- Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket)
Migrationsverket - verified
- Migrationsverket — Employees work permit
Migrationsverket - verified
Republic of North Macedonia
North Macedonia publishes its consular visa and foreigner-stay guidance through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. The official route set distinguishes short-stay and transit C visas from long-stay D visas, and explains that D visas are linked to a Ministry of Interior decision granting temporary residence. Temporary residence grounds include work, study, student exchange, training, volunteering, research, family reunion, humanitarian reasons and property ownership by eligible EU or OECD residents.
- Languages
- Macedonian, Albanian
- Currency
- Macedonian denar
Kingdom of Sweden
Sweden's work and residence permits are administered by the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). The work permit system requires an employer offer meeting minimum salary and insurance conditions. The EU Blue Card (Sweden) targets highly qualified workers. Self-employment, researcher, and student permits round out the system. Sweden offers permanent residence after 4 years of continuous residence on a work permit.
- Official portal
- Migrationsverket
- Languages
- Swedish
- Currency
- Swedish krona
How Republic of North Macedonia and Kingdom of Sweden differ
| Dimension | Republic of North Macedonia | Kingdom of Sweden |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 6 | 4 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 3 | 1 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 0 | 3 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | — | Employee permit -> permanent residence after 4 qualifying work years in 7; self-employed permit -> possible permanent residence after 2 qualifying years; citizenship is a separate residence-based step. |
| Dominant skilled visa | Long-Stay D Visa for Work Temporary Residence | Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd) |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | — | SEK 34,470/month |
| Skilled visa processing time | — | For initial highly qualified employee cases, the Swedish Migration Agency reports that 75% of complete applications are decided within 1 month and incomplete applications within 2 months. |
| Skilled visa government fees | — | A Swedish employee work-permit application costs SEK 2,200 for the principal applicant. |
| Official languages | Macedonian, Albanian | Swedish |
| Currency | Macedonian denar | Swedish krona |
| Primary regulator | MBA | Advokatsamfundet |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Republic of North Macedonia
Long-Stay D Visa for Work Temporary Residence
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- No
Kingdom of Sweden
Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd)
- Salary minimum
- SEK 34,470/month
- Government fees
- A Swedish employee work-permit application costs SEK 2,200 for the principal applicant.
- Processing time
- For initial highly qualified employee cases, the Swedish Migration Agency reports that 75% of complete applications are decided within 1 month and incomplete applications within 2 months.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Routes unique to Republic of North Macedonia
Routes unique to Kingdom of Sweden
Visa routes side by side
Republic of North Macedonia (6)
Short-Stay and Transit Visa (C Visa)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 90 days for short stay, or up to 5 days for transit.
Business Visit C Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Within the C visa framework: short stay up to 90 days, or transit up to 5 days where applicable.
Long-Stay D Visa for Work Temporary Residence
Sponsor · Non-settlement · The D visa follows a Ministry of Interior temporary residence decision; confirm the approved residence period in that decision.
Long-Stay D Visa for Study Temporary Residence
No sponsor · Non-settlement · The D visa follows the Ministry of Interior temporary residence decision; confirm the approved period in that decision.
Long-Stay D Visa for Family Reunion
Sponsor · Non-settlement · The D visa follows the Ministry of Interior temporary residence decision; confirm the approved period in that decision.
Temporary Residence for Eligible Property Owner
No sponsor · Non-settlement · The D visa follows the Ministry of Interior temporary residence decision; confirm the approved residence period in that decision.
Kingdom of Sweden (4)
Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 2 years initially, limited by the employment contract and passport validity; extendable for up to 2 years at a time.
EU Blue Card (Sweden)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · At least 9 months and up to 4 years; renewable.
Self-Employment Permit (Eget företag)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 2 years initially, limited by passport validity; at the extension stage, permanent residence can be requested after at least 2 qualifying years.
Student Residence Permit (Uppehållstillstånd för studier)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 1 or 2 years depending on the institution and programme; never longer than the studies or passport validity.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Republic of North Macedonia or Kingdom of Sweden?+
Republic of North Macedonia’s Long-Stay D Visa for Work Temporary Residence is the dominant skilled route; Kingdom of Sweden’s Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd) requires SEK 34,470/month. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Republic of North Macedonia or Kingdom of Sweden have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Republic of North Macedonia has more: 3 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 1 for Kingdom of Sweden. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Republic of North Macedonia vs Kingdom of Sweden immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/north-macedonia/vs/sweden. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons