As part of the Roma Integration Phase III Programme, a joint initiative of the European Union and the Council of Europe, efforts are being made to support Roma communities in the Western Balkans and Türkiye in overcoming structural barriers through inclusive public policies. These policies target key areas such as housing, employment, civil registration, and the green and digital transition. The Macedonian Young Lawyers Association (MYLA) is working with ENS and its members in other Western Balkan countries under this initiative to provide legal aid, advocate for systemic reform, and ensure access to rights for stateless people and those at risk of statelessness in the region.
In North Macedonia, statelessness disproportionately affects members of the Romani community, who face deep-rooted barriers to civil registration, legal recognition, and inclusion. Their risk of statelessness is not coincidental—it stems from a history of antigypsyism and systemic discrimination, mirroring global patterns where Roma and other minoritised groups are overrepresented among stateless populations. Without targeted efforts to dismantle these forms of exclusion, the cycle of invisibility and marginalisation continues across generations with many individuals trapped in a bureaucratic maze that denies them the most basic human rights.
This is the story of BB, a woman whose very existence was questioned by the system, and whose struggle for identity and dignity mirrors that of thousands of people affected by (risk of) statelessness in North Macedonia.
Born Without a Country
"I am stateless because I have no documents. My six children are not registered and do not have birth certificates. We have been stateless for two generations," BB explains.
MYLA has been working for over a decade to solve BB’s case, along with the cases of others like her. But due to institutional barriers, the process has been stuck in circles for years.
Her words carry the weight of years spent in legal limbo, invisible to the State and deprived of the fundamental rights that others take for granted.
BB’s journey began before the collapse of Yugoslavia. Born in Italy to a mother from Kosovo, she was abandoned on her father’s parents’ doorstep in North Macedonia when she was just two years old. But her father’s family refused to acknowledge her. Left without a home, she was eventually taken in by the Center for Social Work and placed with a guardian who raised her until she turned eighteen. The only document she ever possessed was an old, invalid birth certificate from Italy—useless in a system that requires a valid in-time birth certificate to obtain citizenship.
Without the required official documents, BB - and therefore also her children - did not exist in the eyes of the State. They had no access to healthcare, education, or employment. Because BB herself was undocumented, she was unable to register the births of her children—passing on her legal invisibility to the next generation. This is a common reality for stateless families, where the lack of legal identity is inherited, reinforcing cycles of exclusion and marginalisation. "When my children are sick, I cannot take them to a doctor. They can’t go to school because they don’t have birth certificates. My children are invisible in the system," she says.
The Systemic Problem of Statelessness
BB’s story is not unique. Statelessness in North Macedonia is deeply rooted in systemic legal gaps, discrimination, and bureaucratic obstacles.
Three primary factors contribute to statelessness in the country:
- The collapse of Yugoslavia left many individuals stranded without citizenship. Those who remained in Macedonia after 8 September 1991, but failed to register for Macedonian or another Yugoslav successor State's citizenship, were left stateless.
- Administrative barriers such as the failure to register births, a lack of institutional coordination, and complex legal procedures make it nearly impossible for many people to establish their legal identity.
- Widespread antigypsyism and systemic discrimination, particularly against Romani communities, further fuel statelessness—both in North Macedonia and globally. These forms of exclusion contribute to limited access to documentation, social services, and legal remedies, reinforcing cycles of legal invisibility across generations.
Even when stateless persons are identified, they are often treated as foreigners in the only country they have ever known. Under the Law on Foreigners in North Macedonia, stateless people can apply for a temporary residence permit, renewed annually—but this does not grant them full citizenship rights and has the effect of further excluding them rather than confirming their Macedonian citizenship.
A Turning Point: Legal Reforms and Hope
Despite these challenges, change has been brewing. In 2018, the North Macedonian government launched an initiative to identify individuals missing from the birth registry, uncovering at least 700 unregistered people at risk of statelessness —a number likely far from the full reality.
In February 2020, the Law on Persons Not Registered in the Birth Registry was introduced, granting temporary access to essential services such as healthcare, education, and social protection. However, this law only provided temporary relief without addressing the root causes of statelessness. It created a special registry in which individuals were categorised separately from other citizens, leaving them in continued uncertainty.
Recognising the need for stronger measures, in February 2023, the Parliament held a Supervisory Commission to oversee the issue and push for more permanent solutions. MYLA advocated and urged for amendments to the Civil Registry Law to enable universal registration of children and adults alike.
Real progress came in June 2023, when amendments to the Law on Civil Registry simplified the process of obtaining birth certificates. The revised law now provides that every child born in North Macedonia after June 2023, regardless of parental origin, will be registered at birth. Additionally, the procedure was simplified for those previously left out of the birth registry, and if fully implemented as intended, will go some way to finally addressing one of the root causes of risk of statelessness.
These changes provided BB with a long-awaited lifeline. Through cooperation with an international organisation, MYLA helped her retrieve a valid birth certificate from Italy. This allowed her to apply for Macedonian citizenship under newly simplified regulations for former Yugoslav residents. Thanks to these legal reforms, BB and 285 other people finally obtained their citizenship.
For BB, the fight was not just about legal status—it was about securing a future and preventing statelessness for her children. With birth certificates in hand, they could finally have their own citizenship confirmed, enroll in school, access healthcare, and step out of the shadows into the full light of society.
The Road Ahead: A Future without Statelessness
While the reforms mark significant progress, the fight for equality is far from over. Statelessness and antigypsyism are human rights issues that demand continuous action at local, national, regional, and global levels.
To ensure lasting change, North Macedonia must continue to further strengthen its legal framework, streamline birth registration processes, and eliminate bureaucratic hurdles that prevent people from claiming their rightful identity. Strong political will, institutional cooperation, and public awareness are essential to ensure positive reforms are fully implemented and prevent future generations from being born into statelessness.
For people like BB and her children, these reforms represent more than just legal victories. They symbolise a new beginning—a chance to belong, to dream, and to build a future free from fear and uncertainty.
The journey toward justice continues, but today, thanks to dedicated advocacy and legal reform, hundreds of once-invisible people now have the chance to live with dignity and hope.
