HOW TO SERVE LEGAL PAPERS IN NORTH MACEDONIA

This article will provide guidance on how to serve legal papers in North Macedonia. North Macedonia (Macedonia before February 2019) is a nation in Southeast Europe, formally known as the Republic of North Macedonia. As one of Yugoslavia’s successor republics, it earned its independence in 1991. Click here for How the Hague Convention Simplifies International Process Service.

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Sobranie, the unicameral legislative body of North Macedonia, is made of a coalition of parties, while the judiciary is autonomous and has its constitutional court. Members of the Assembly are elected every four years, and there are a hundred and twenty seats. The president’s function is mostly ceremonial, and the prime minister has the actual authority. State armed forces are commanded by the president, who is also head of the state’s Security Committee. Click Here for information on the Code of Civil Procedure in the Republic of North Macedonia. 

BACKGROUND

Seventy-eight municipalities were created in 2005 when new legislation was passed, and elections were conducted. The ten municipalities that make up the ‘City of Skopje’ manage the country’s capital, Skopje. North Macedonian municipalities are self-governing locales. Neighboring municipalities may work together. Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions About Process Servers!

The biggest political divide in the nation is between the majority-Macedonians and minority-Albanians political groups, which are founded on ethnicity. After a short battle in 2001, a power-sharing arrangement was established between the two groups, resulting in a peace pact. Lawmakers in August 2004 redrawn municipal borders and granted more autonomy to ethnic Albanians who predominate in regions where ethnic Albanians reside. Click here for information on How Rush Process Service Can Expedite Your Case.

After a tumultuous campaign, North Macedonia’s 5 July 2006 elections were largely peaceful and democratic. The Democratic Union for Integration and the governing VMRO-DMPNE party created a conversation to discuss the differences between the two parties and promote the country’s European and NATO objectives.  Macedonia’s governing coalition was established after early legislative elections in 2008, which were conducted in the Macedonian Parliament. Click here for information on How Service of Process Ensures A Solid Foundation.

It was critical for Macedonia’s EU ambitions that the country’s presidential and municipal elections be held peacefully in April 2009. 

Macedonia’s legislative body is the Parliament or Sobranie. It is tasked with drafting, proposing, and enacting legislation. The North Macedonian Constitution has been in effect since the republic’s inception in 1993. It restricts the powers of both municipal and national governments. Additionally, the military’s powers are regulated by the constitution. The capital of North Macedonia, Skopje, is designated as a social free state under the country’s constitution. In a general election, a hundred and twenty members are chosen to serve four-year terms. Anyone above eighteen may cast a ballot for one of the major political parties. Click here for information on How Process Servers Protect Your Rights: Myths Debunked

This authority is held by the Government of North Macedonia, whose prime minister is the most powerful person in the nation. The prime minister appoints the government’s members, and each sector of society is represented by a minister. Economic, financial, and information technology are only a few of the many departments that have their ministers. Four-year terms are the norm for those elected to the House of Representatives. The judiciary is led by the Judicial Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, and the Republican Judicial Council, which all can rule on cases. The judges are chosen by the general assembly.

According to the North Macedonian legal system, there are three courts: the basic courts, the appellate courts, and the supreme court.  When a disagreement develops over the administrative process, the Administrative Court and the Higher Administrative Court are both competent to resolve the matter in the first and second instances, respectively. Should an appeal of a final judgment of the Higher Administrative Court be permitted, the Supreme Court has jurisdiction to rule on that question.

The Law on Courts establishes the jurisdiction of the Basic Courts over a certain municipality or groups of municipalities within that municipality’s jurisdictional boundaries. Courts of primary jurisdiction and courts with enlarged jurisdiction (the Basic Courts) are formed in accordance with their respective jurisdictions. For civil and commercial concerns, labor disputes, and other sorts of conflicts that fall within the jurisdictional purview of the courts, there are specialized court departments within the first-instance courts with enlarged authority.

The Appellate Court has the authority to hear appeals from Basic Court judgments. The Appellate Courts are second-instance courts formed for the region of various Basic Courts. It is possible for the Appeals Court to either uphold the Basic Court’s decision (which would make it definitive) or reverse it and send the matter to the original court for a new trial. The Administrative Court was founded and had jurisdiction over the Republic of North Macedonia. The Higher Administrative Court serves as an appeals court for administrative issues. It is the Administrative Court’s job to determine whether or not a state official’s actions are lawful, as well as other matters.

As a third-tier appellate court, the Supreme Court of the Republic of North Macedonia has the authority to rule on exceptional legal remedies in the third instance against final judgments taken by the appellate courts or final decisions adopted by the Higher Administrative Court.

HOW TO BEGIN A LAWSUIT IN NORTH MACEDONIA

According to the legislation, each lawsuit must have a precise claim addressing the primary problem and the subsidiary claims, facts on which the plaintiff founded the claim, proof supporting the facts, and other  North Macedonia Process Service data that each file must include.

In the run-up to a trial, after receiving the statement of claims (lawsuit), preparations for the trial begin. Preparations for the main hearing include the following: evaluation of the lawsuit; transmission of the  Macedonia Process Service lawsuit to the defendant for response; preliminary hearing; and scheduling of a major hearing. Accordingly, parties may file North Macedonia Process Service documents detailing facts they plan to present at the main hearing, as well as a proposal for disclosure of North Macedonia Process Service evidence they want to make available. After the preliminary hearing has concluded, there is no opportunity to present evidence or additional evidence.

The judge (or the council) is ultimately responsible for deciding whether evidence is admissible at trial. At trial, each side presents its case and then elaborates on the evidence they supplied in the preparation process; this material is pertinent to the case and supports their remarks. The primary claim in action, as well as any related claims, are decided by the court in a judgment. If more than one claim is asserted, the court will often provide a single decision on all of the claims. Occasionally, the court will come up with an answer to a problem.

Legal remedies in Macedonia are divided into two categories: regular and extraordinary.

Parties may file an appeal against a first-instance (regular remedy) ruling in a civil case within fifteen days from when they were served with the transcript of the ruling. The parties can bring an appeal against a second instance final decision within thirty days of receiving the transcript (extraordinary legal remedy). According to the value and nature of the claim, a revision might be reported.

It is possible for a court process to be restarted within thirty days after the day the party learned of the cause for the court proceedings being restarted, provided certain circumstances are satisfied. How long it takes depends on the difficulty of the case. Each court has a certain period in which it must act, but such timelines are seldom fulfilled. A notary public reviews the statement of claim and the genuine document attached before issuing a payment order based on the findings. If the other party does not protest, the payment order becomes an enforcement deed when it is given to them.

A civil case may be handled in a first instance court that lacks local jurisdiction if the legislation does not define the court’s exclusive jurisdiction, as long as the court has jurisdiction over the kind of claim at issue. A stipulation excluding one court’s jurisdiction over a particular case cannot be enforced. In addition, exclusive jurisdiction provisions are deemed invalid if the plaintiff commences a proceeding for the judgment in question.

This begins the process of civil action by filing a lawsuit (statement of claim). The court will serve the lawsuit on the defendant after verifying that the lawsuit is properly formatted and follows the law (as decided by an earlier inspection).

Legal entities, on the other hand, are served at their registered place of business, which is listed in the trade register. In theory, e-mail North Macedonia Process Service of a lawsuit is permitted by the law, but in fact, this seldom occurs. When a document is delivered to the intended receiver, it is called served. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs lends a hand with the North Macedonia Process Service of the document outside of Macedonian jurisdiction.

The Hague Service Convention, a multilateral convention enacted in Hague, Netherlands, on November 15, 1965, by member nations of the Hague Conference on Private International Law, governs the service of civil and commercial proceedings in the Republic of North Macedonia. With it, plaintiffs may now serve papers on overseas parties located, functioning, or based reliably and efficiently. To serve Macedonia Process Service in civil and commercial proceedings, but not criminal ones, the convention’s requirements apply. Also, if the address of the person to be served is unknown, the Convention does not apply.

Either by a method prescribed by its internal law for North Macedonia Process Service of documents in domestic actions on persons who are within its territory or at the request of the applicant, the Central Authority of the State addressed serves the document or arranges for it to be served by an appropriate agency. This permits the document to be served by delivery to an addressee who freely accepts it. To be serviced by the Central Authority, a document must be in the official language of the Republic of North Macedonia or one of the official languages thereof.

That all papers served subject to Article 5, paragraph 1, of the Convention must be prepared or translated into Macedonian according to Article 7 of the Republic of Macedonia Constitution of November 17, 1991

It was made easier for parties to serve each other in other countries thanks to the Hague Service Convention. Any country signing the convention must name a central body to handle North Macedonia Process Service requests from other countries. Requests for Macedonia Process Service from a judicial officer authorized to serve process in the state of origin may be made by sending them directly to the state’s central authority. Requests for North Macedonia Process Service are handled by the recipient state’s central authority, generally via a local court, after receiving the request. A certificate of service is sent to the court official who requested it after service has been completed.

Defendants are informed of legal claims against them via the North Macedonia Process Service, and the court may then exercise jurisdiction over them. Depending on the defendant’s location, the Macedonia Process Service for serving papers will be different. Letters rogatory or an international treaty must be used to serve a defendant in a foreign country, for example. Convention on Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents (the ‘Hague Convention’) is an example of a convention that allows the North Macedonia Process Service of legal documents in civil or commercial matters to be performed abroad. Even though it is often utilized in international litigation, there are a few things you should know before using the Convention to serve Macedonia Process Service.

Hague Convention North Macedonia Process Service requests are often served via a Central Authority authorized by each signatory nation to handle such requests for assistance. In accordance with Article 3 of the Convention, plaintiffs are required to file a formal request form in order to proceed. Most American lawyers utilize the U.S. Marshal’s online Request for Service Abroad of Judicial or Extrajudicial Documents form. The Central Authority must also receive copies of the summons, complaint, and other case-initiating papers from the plaintiff’s lawyer. To serve the defendant and submit a certificate of service back to the plaintiff, Central Authority must receive these papers.

The Hague Convention does not provide a certain time frame for serving North Macedonia Process Service. In practice, the Central Authority may take up to six months to serve the seeking party and deliver evidence of service. When the Central Authority returns a signed certificate of service, the plaintiff has no control over when it will arrive. When it comes to Macedonia Process Service, plaintiffs may not be aware that it has been performed until months after the fact.

Certain nations have made declarations and reservations about services that depart from what is generally permitted under the Hague Convention. As an example, a request for North Macedonia Process Service must be signed by a judge or court clerk rather than an attorney in Israel, for example. Many declarations and reservations affect Macedonia Process Service under the Convention that lawyers need to be aware of and understand.

OUR PROCESS

Documents can be faxed at (800) 296-0115, emailed ps@undisputedlegal.com, or uploaded to our website. We do require prepayment and accept all major credit and debit cards. Once payment is processed, your sales receipt is immediately emailed for your records.

Drop-offs must call and make an appointment first to be added to building security to permit access to our office. Documents for service must be in a sealed envelope with payment in the form of a money order or attorney check (WE DO NOT ACCEPT CASH) payable to UNDISPUTED LEGAL INC.; All documents will be received by our receptionist.

DOMESTIC COVERAGE AREAS:

Alaska | Alabama | Arkansas | Arizona | California | Colorado | Connecticut | District of Columbia | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Iowa | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maryland | Massachusetts | Maine | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | North Carolina | North Dakota | Nebraska | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | Nevada | New York | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Virginia | Vermont | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming

INTERNATIONAL COVERAGE AREAS:

Albania | Andorra | Anguilla | Antigua | Argentina | Armenia | Australia | Austria | Azerbaijan | Bahamas | Barbados | Belarus | Belgium | Belize | Bermuda | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Botswana | Brazil | British Honduras | British Virgin Islands | Bulgaria | Canada | Cayman Islands | Central and Southern Line Islands | Chile|China (Macao) | China People’s Republic | Colombia | Costa Rica | Country of Georgia | Croatia | Cyprus | Czech Republic | Denmark | Dominican Republic | Ecuador | Egypt | Estonia | Falkland Islands and Dependences | Fiji | Finland | France | Germany | Gibraltar | Gilbert and Ellice Islands | Greece | Guernsey | Hong Kong | Hungary | Iceland | India | Ireland | Isle of Man | Israel | Italy | Jamaica | Japan | Jersey Channel Islands | Jordan | Kazakhstan | Korea | Kuwait | Latvia | Lithuania | Luxembourg| Malawi | Malaysia | Malta | Mauritius | Mexico| MonacoMontenegro | Montserrat | Morocco | Namibia | Netherlands | New Zealand |Nicaragua | Norway | Pakistan | Panama | Paraguay | Peru | Philippines | Pitcairn |Poland| Portugal | Republic of Moldova | Republic of North Macedonia | Romania |Russian Federation | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | San Marino | Saudi Arabia | Serbia | Seychelles | Singapore| Slovakia | Slovenia | South Africa | Spain | Sri Lanka | St. Helena and Dependencies | St. Lucia | Sweden | Switzerland | Taiwan | Thailand | Tunisia | Turkey | Turks and Caicos Islands| UkraineUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Uruguay | US Virgin Islands | Uzbekistan | Venezuela | Vietnam

OFFICE LOCATIONS

New York: (212) 203-8001 – 590 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10022
Brooklyn: (347) 983-5436 – 300 Cadman Plaza West, 12th Floor, Brooklyn, New York 11201
Queens: (646) 357-3005 – 118-35 Queens Blvd, Suite 400, Forest Hills, New York 11375
Long Island: (516) 208-4577 – 626 RXR Plaza, 6th Floor, Uniondale, New York 11556
Westchester: (914) 414-0877 – 50 Main Street, 10th Floor, White Plains, New York 10606
Connecticut: (203) 489-2940 – 500 West Putnam Avenue, Suite 400, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830
New Jersey: (201) 630-0114 – 101 Hudson Street, 21 Floor, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302
Washington DC: (202) 655-4450 – 2200 Pennsylvania Avenue, 4 Fl East, Washington DC 20037

Simply pick up the phone and call Toll Free (800) 774-6922 or click the service you want to purchase. Our dedicated team of professionals is ready to assist you. We can handle all your process service needs; no job is too small or too large!

Contact us for more information about our process serving agency. We are ready to provide service of process to all our clients globally from our offices in New York, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Washington D.C.

“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives”– Foster, William A

Sources

1. Nikola Gruevski’s party, VMRO-DPMNE, won a clear win in the elections. More than 200,000 Albanian protesters demonstrated against Gruevski when he opted to include the Democratic Party of Albanians in the new administration rather than a coalition that had garnered the majority of the Albanian votes, resulting in widespread demonstrations.

2. Six months after snap elections, the Social Democratic Party’s Zoran Zaev was sworn in as prime minister in June of that year. Former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski’s VMRO-DPMNE party was replaced by a new center-left administration after eleven years of conservative dominance. 

3. Talat Xhaferi serves as Parliament’s president at the moment.

4. In Macedonian law, a so-called authentic deed (веродостонa исрава) may be used to secure an enforceable title in monetary claims.

5. U.S. Embassy Skopje

Samoilova 21

1000 Skopje

Republic of North Macedonia

Telephone: +(389) (2) 310-2000

Fax: +(389) (2) 310-2499

6. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
International Law Directorate
Filip II Makedonski 7
1000 Skopje
Republic of North Macedonia
Phone: +389 (2) 311 0333
Fax: +389 (2) 311 5790
E-mail: dmp@mfa.gov.mk

N.B.
The purpose of National Organs is the communication between the Members and the HCCH’s Permanent Bureau (Secretariat). They are not intended for communications with the public.

Questions concerning a specific Convention may be directed to a Central or Competent Authority designated by a State for a particular Convention. The details of those authorities are available on the webpage relating to the specific Convention. If legal advice is required, assistance from a qualified lawyer may be necessary.

The Permanent Bureau does not respond to legal queries from private persons or legal practitioners concerning the operation of the various Hague Conventions.

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