North Macedonia
Civil law
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North Macedonia is a civil-law country with a Constitution of 1991. It has a Constitutional Court, and the Ohrid Framework Agreement of 2001 gives special rights to the Albanian minority, including the use of the Albanian language.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Where the law comes from
- The Constitution of 1991, as amended, the highest law
- Codes and statutes, drawn on European models
- The Ohrid Framework Agreement, which led to constitutional changes in 2001
- Decisions of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court
The main courts
- The Constitutional Court, which reviews laws and protects rights
- The Supreme Court, and courts of appeal
- Basic courts, and a separate Administrative Court
Becoming a lawyer
A law degree, a bar exam and admission to the Macedonian Bar Association.
What may surprise you
- A peace agreement in 2001 changed the Constitution to give more rights to ethnic Albanians.
- Special voting rules in parliament protect minority communities on certain laws.
- A Judicial Council runs the careers of judges, separately from the government.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists North Macedonia as: Civil law. It names the systems in order of importance.
The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.
Other countries in the same family
Sources
Sources last reviewed: October 2026.
TheLawToKnow Tools’s Legal Families Atlas is an educational overview. It simplifies on purpose, and it is not legal advice. For a real legal question about North Macedonia, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
