Tens of thousands of Macedonians living abroad may remain uncounted in the census because the issuance of Macedonian travel documents is late. They have been appealing for half a year to be issued travel documents because they cannot properly extend their stay in the country, and also because they will not be able to be counted as non-residents.

The procedure for issuing passports is slow and sometimes even takes several months. The most of the requirements come from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Malta and other European countries.

They will not be able to be counted in their country either because they have absent from Macedonia for several years and now they will not be able to enter the list of the diaspora.

Their registration will be conducted from March 1 to April 21 by registering on the website of the State Statistical Office. But, that will be impossible without a valid passport.

According to the 2021 Law on Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Macedonia, in addition to the citizens who are present in the country during the census, the citizens who are non-resident, ie those who are abroad during the census will also be counted.