CHAPTER I CHAPTER VI CHAPTER VII RECOMMENDATIONS ANNEXES 61 CHAPTER V 159 Law on Civil Registry, Republic of North Macedonia, The Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia Nos. 8/95, 38/02, 66/07, 67/09, 13/13, 43/14, 148/15, 27/16 and 64/18 and The Official Gazette of the Republic of North Macedonia No. 14/20, as amended 14 June 2023 160 Ibid. 161 Law on ID Cards, Republic of North Macedonia, Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia no. 08/95, 38/02, 16/04, 12/05, 19/07, 10/10, 51/11, 13/12, 166/12, 154/15 and 55/16 and Official Gazette of the Republic of North Macedonia no. 67/22 and 209/23), as amended 4 October 2023. 162 Law on registration of permanent and temporary residence of citizens, North Macedonia, Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia no. 36/92, 12/93, 43/00, 66/07, 51/11, 152/15 and 55/16 and Official Gazette of the Republic of North Macedonia no. 302/20, 67/22, and 209/23, as amended in 2023. 163 Law on Foreigners, North Macedonia, Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia” No. 97/18, “Official Gazette of the Republic of North Macedonia” No. 108/19, 294/21 and 284/23, as amended in 2023. 164 Law on Civil Registry, Republic of North Macedonia. CHAPTER IV The Government has also started to implement further legal changes since late 2023 to facilitate registration of homeless people or people living in informal settlements or housing, including allowing registration at the addresses of social work centres, health or social institutions and alternative places.164 People who are accommodated in a health or social institution can register that as their address. The new amendments also foresee several options for people living in ‘non-legalized houses’ or other settlements to document their ownership of the property and obtain an identity document. These amendments were made in response to many reported cases where former stateless people who have acquired Macedonian nationality could not register their residence and obtain a Macedonian identity card because they were living in ‘non-legalized houses’ or informal settlements, or were living in destitution. CHAPTER III Following this, amendments were adopted to the Law on ID cards,161 the Law on Residence162 (both in adopted in October 2023) and the Law on Foreigners163 (December 2023) to resolve any remaining challenges with access residence or ID cards. CHAPTER II Following the adoption of the amendments to the Law on Citizenship, it became evident that some individuals were still unable to apply for citizenship. This was because they had never been registered in the civil registry and, therefore, could not substantiate their claim to citizenship. This highlighted the need for amendments to the Law on Civil Registry, which were adopted in June 2023 to regularize the situation of these people, most of them children.159 The law requires that the birth of every child born within the territory of North Macedonia is registered within 45 days of birth, regardless of the parents’ nationality or immigration status. These amendments provided a simplified and facilitated procedure for birth registration to ensure that everyone identified in the public call was registered in the regular birth register by the end of 2023. There were also media campaigns urging stateless people to approach legal advice providers (including UNHCR’s legal partner MYLA) for support in submitting requests for naturalization and birth registration. Reports indicate that the new requirement is being implemented.160