Health Alert – U.S. Embassy Skopje, North Macedonia (May 22, 2020)
Location: North Macedonia
Event: The Government of North Macedonia continues to prohibit entry of foreigners, but will allow exit via land borders if the traveler has permission to enter the neighboring country. The Government of Serbia has opened its land borders with no COVID-19 related restrictions — monitor the U.S. Embassy Belgrade webpage for more information. All other neighboring countries’ land borders remain closed.
NEW: The Government of North Macedonia continues to prohibit entry of foreigners via land borders from all neighboring countries, including Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, and Serbia, but will permit travelers to exit via land border if they have permission to enter a neighboring country. The Government of North Macedonia has not announced an anticipated date for re-opening land borders or airports.
The Government of Serbia announced May 21, 2020 the lifting of all COVID-19 related entry restrictions at its borders. Visit the Government of Serbia webpage and the U.S. Embassy Belgrade webpage for the most up-to-date information on conditions in Serbia. Air Serbia announced limited regular passenger air traffic from May 21, 2020 with five flights per week from Belgrade to Frankfurt and Zurich. All travelers are responsible for making their own land transport and flight arrangements and confirming transit requirements for their entire itinerary, as restrictions change frequently. Keep in mind that unexpected flight cancellations, limited flight availability, and transit restrictions have affected many travelers worldwide. If your travel is disrupted en route, please contact your airline to reschedule.
For information on U.S. travel restrictions from Europe please visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website and the Department of State’s COVID-19 traveler page. U.S. citizen and legal permanent residents are permitted to return to the United States from the European Schengen area, United Kingdom, and Ireland.
Health screening at borders and before boarding, at transit locations and at final destinations are the responsibility of local authorities and airlines and may vary. Travelers should be aware that they may be refused onward travel if they have symptoms of illness such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath.
Monitor the official government websites of neighboring countries for the most up-to-date information regarding their border status and local conditions. U.S. Embassy COVID-19 information pages and travel alerts for neighboring countries can be found on the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov
U.S. Embassy Skopje has suspended routine consular services. For emergency American Citizens Services, including emergency passports, please visit our website for additional information. We encourage you to use the SkopjeACS@state.gov email to communicate with us.
The State Department issued a Level 4 Global Health Advisory on March 19, 2020, recommending U.S. citizens avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19 or prepare to remain abroad for an indefinite period.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 3 Global Travel Alert to avoid nonessential travel due to coronavirus.
Actions to Take:
- Follow the instructions of North Macedonia’s authorities.
- Monitor local media and visit the websites of the Government of North Macedonia or Ministry of Health for updated information, including mandatory quarantine measures and travel restrictions which may be implemented with little or no notice.
- Visit our Embassy webpage on COVID-19 https://mk.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/covid-19-information/ for information on conditions in North Macedonia.
- Read the Centers for Disease Control’s and Prevention guidelines for the prevention of COVID-19 and information on health conditions in North Macedonia.
- Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for the latest information.
- Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the United States.
- Contact the local centers for public health by telephone, prior to visiting a hospital or clinic for medical care, if you believe you may have COVID-19 (or similar symptoms) or were exposed to someone who may have COVID-19 in the last six weeks. North Macedonia’s Institute of Public Health has provided contact numbers along with other advice for travelers on their website.
Assistance:
- U.S. Embassy Skopje
Str. “Samoilova” Nr.21
1000 Skopje
Republic of North Macedonia
+389 2 310-2000
SkopjeACS@state.gov
https://mk.usembassy.gov/ - State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444 - North Macedonia Country Information
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