North MacedoniaLevel 1/4

Level 1/4 — Exercise Normal Precautions, U.S. Department of State, retrieved on 13 October 2026.

• Is the whole country advised against? United States: no · France: no · United Kingdom: no · Switzerland: no (reading of 27 September 2026).
• Contractually, only an FDFA, FOPH or WHO advisory against the trip opens Module A (art. 18.1) — that is not the case today.
• Travel with international medical cover and the 24/7 number (+41 22 ••• •• ••) saved: here the risk is not the advisory, it is the hospital bill.
• We check these sources every morning and e-mail you the day one changes (Alerts button).

Sourcestravel.state.gov · updated 09.09 · read 13.10France Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 13.10DFAE · updated 14.09 · read 13.10207-country comparison

An area advised against does not rule out the country.

• Official answers: United States: no · France: no · United Kingdom: no · Switzerland: no.
• Keep your country of residence's advisory on booking day and on departure day: that is what your policy's clauses cite.

SourcesFrance Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 13.10Foreign Office · updated 13.08 · read 13.10State Department · updated 09.09 · read 13.10

The rules depend on the passport, not on the destination alone.

• French passport (France Diplomatie): French nationals may enter North Macedonia with a passport valid for at least 6 months or a valid French national identity card for stays under 3 months without a visa. To avoid refusal at the border, travellers should use a passport rather than an identity card with an expired validity date, even if French authorities consider it still valid. Overstaying the 3-month tourist limit risks a fine of approximately 200 euros, confiscation of travel documents, and a court appearance preventing departure until the matter is resolved.
• British passport (Foreign Office): British citizens must ensure their passport has at least 90 days validity beyond the arrival date in North Macedonia; otherwise entry will be denied. British nationals can visit North Macedonia visa-free for up to 3 months; for longer stays, contact the Macedonian Embassy in the UK. British citizens holding a UK refugee travel document must obtain a visa to enter North Macedonia or transit through it to Kosovo, applied for at the Macedonian Embassy in the UK.
• American passport: the requirements are on the State Department country page (travel.state.gov).
• Swiss passport: the FDFA refers you to the destination's embassy in Switzerland.
• Pick your passport at the top of Before you go › Entry: the official text that concerns you comes first, with its “In brief” summary.

SourcesFrance Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 13.10Foreign Office · updated 13.08 · read 13.10State Department · updated 09.09 · read 13.10

For a Schengen visa, yes: at least €30,000 of travel medical insurance (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, art. 15).

• Many other countries ask for it on entry or for a visa, case by case: check Before you go › Entry, with your passport.
• Subscribe: the named certificate arrives by e-mail on payment, with your name, dates and limits (CHF 1.5M medical expenses, unlimited evacuation and repatriation) — the ones consulates check.
• Attach it to the visa file; if in doubt about the format, write to us.

SourcesRegulation (EC) 810/2009, art. 15General conditions, policy 20 00 479

VIP Pack — $990 for twelve months, unlimited trips.

• CHF 1.5M emergency medical expenses, unlimited medical evacuation and repatriation, search and rescue CHF 50,000, cancellation or change CHF 5,000.
• One 24/7 number, +41 22 ••• •• ••: Maximum sends its direct payment guarantee to the hospital (art. 2.12).
• Network of 45,000 providers (art. 6.9); evacuation is decided, organised and paid by Maximum's medical team if the local facility is not enough (art. 6.2.2).
• Around Skopje, the nearest hospital read from OpenStreetMap: Студентска Поликлиника · 0.7 km · 071 392 991 · 24/7 emergency room.
• Named certificate by e-mail on payment, no medical questionnaire.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479OpenStreetMap · read 12.10

Six steps, in this order.

• 1. Call +41 22 ••• •• •• before paying anything, or have the front desk call: it is the condition for full cover (otherwise: reduced or refused benefits).
• 2. Ask for a hospital in the Maximum network (art. 6.9) — the nearest: Студентска Поликлиника · 0.7 km · 071 392 991 · 24/7 emergency room.
• 3. See a doctor the same day and leave with the certificate: without an on-the-spot finding, nothing is covered (art. 33).
• 4. Admitted for more than 24 h? The front desk calls Maximum: direct payment guarantee, no deposit (art. 2.12).
• 5. Book no ambulance or flight yourself (art. 6.2.2).
• 6. Once home, file within 30 days (art. 35.7).
• Local emergency services: single number 112 · police 192 · ambulance 194 · fire 193.

SourcesSpecial conditions 01.26General conditions, policy 20 00 479

Local emergency services: single number 112 · police 192 · ambulance 194 · fire 193

• Maximum, 24/7, before any payment: +41 22 ••• •• ••.
• France — Résidence de France (1.9 km) · +389 2 324 43 00
• Switzerland — Ambassade de Suisse en Macédoine du Nord (0.3 km) · +389 2 310 33 00
• United Kingdom — Ambassade du Royaume-Uni (2.0 km) · +389 2 329 9299
• United States — Ambassade des États-Unis (1.5 km) · +389 2 310 2000
• Save these numbers before leaving; in immediate danger, call local emergency services first, then Maximum.

SourcesEmergencyNumberAPI · Wikidata · read 08.10OpenStreetMap · read 12.10

At today's level 1/4, card by card:

• Amex Platinum — No area exclusion at this level — but three written limits: deductible and prior approval, 90-day cap, advance under conditions.
• Visa — No express area exclusion — but a €156,000 cap, 90 days, and the war/instability exclusion in the background.
• Mastercard — No exclusion in play at this level — but a €155,000 cap and 90 covered days.
• Three lines to read in your notice: the duration (often 90 days per trip), the settlement (reimbursement afterwards or direct payment of the hospital) and the area exclusion at level 4/4.

SourcesAmex Platinum France T&Cs, 01.2025 — general exclusion n° 11BNP Paribas Visa Infinite notice (policy PT7), 04.2025 — comFortuneo World Elite Mastercard notice, 01.2026 — art. 5.5 '

A health plan reimburses at home; here, the hospital asks for a payment guarantee before admission.

• Health plan — A health plan treats you at home. Here the hospital asks for a guarantee before admission — not a later reimbursement.
• Travel policy — No area exclusion at this level — compare cap, deductible and covered duration.
• A travel policy often has a territorial clause at level 4/4 and a 90-day limit per trip.
• Have your IPID number or the PDF of the terms and ask an expert to call you back: the answer is in the document, not in the brochure.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479

Around Skopje: 48 hospitals and clinics, 44 with a 24/7 emergency room, 40 pharmacies, 18 doctors' practices (OpenStreetMap, hospital list read on 06.10.2026).

• Type your city, hotel or beach: the map re-centres, 24/7 emergency rooms come first.
• Each row gives the phone when the source publishes it, the nearest street, directions and the Google Maps listing.
• The PDF briefing repeats the same places, numbered on a printable map.
• No customer reviews: OpenStreetMap has none, and we invent none.

SourcesOpenStreetMap (ODbL) · read 12.10

The sourced detail is under Medical network › Health: vaccines, diseases present, altitude, outbreaks.

• CDC (Travelers' Health), depending on the trip: Routine vaccines, COVID-19, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Measles, Monkeypox, Rabies.
• See a doctor or a travel clinic 8 weeks before departure (Foreign Office).
• Carry your medicines in their packaging, with a prescription using international non-proprietary names (France Diplomatie).

SourcesCDC Travelers' Health · read 10.10France Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 13.10OMS · read 13.10Foreign Office · updated 13.08 · read 13.10

2.9 physicians per 1,000 people (2022) versus 4.5 in Switzerland.

• 4.7 hospital beds per 1,000 people versus 4.4 in Switzerland (World Bank).
• With 2.9 physicians per 1,000 people (36% fewer than Switzerland), the nearest hospital does not always have the capacity for a serious case: evacuation to an adequate centre is the rule, not the exception — that is what unlimited evacuation and repatriation cover. Health spending of 639 USD per person (Switzerland: 11,784) goes with private hospitals that bill foreigners in hard currency and ask for a guarantee before admission: the direct payment guarantee is what avoids the deposit.
• When the local facility is not enough, Maximum's medical team decides the evacuation to a suitable centre, and pays for it (art. 6.2.2).

SourcesWorld Bank · read 10.10General conditions, policy 20 00 479

1.5 homicides per 100,000 people (2023) versus 0.6 in Switzerland and 1.3 in France.

• 5.1 road deaths per 100,000 people versus 2.2 in Switzerland (World Bank, WHO).
• The homicide rate is above Switzerland's, without being out of range. On the road, 2 times more deaths than in Switzerland: road crashes are the leading cause of death of healthy travellers (CDC) — seat belt, no night driving, a driver or a taxi from a rank.

SourcesWorld Bank (UNODC, WHO) · read 10.10UCDP

The nearest representations, by passport (OpenStreetMap):

• France — Résidence de France (1.9 km) · +389 2 324 43 00
• Switzerland — Ambassade de Suisse en Macédoine du Nord (0.3 km) · +389 2 310 33 00
• United Kingdom — Ambassade du Royaume-Uni (2.0 km) · +389 2 329 9299
• United States — Ambassade des États-Unis (1.5 km) · +389 2 310 2000
• Register before leaving: France: Ariane · Switzerland: Travel Admin · United Kingdom: Foreign Office alerts · United States: STEP.
• Two minutes, and in a crisis your country's authorities can reach you and count you in an evacuation.
• Pick your passport at the top of Contacts: your embassy comes first.

SourcesOpenStreetMap · read 12.10DFAE · updated 14.09 · read 13.10

No region is advised against by the official readings checked (Global Affairs Canada, Foreign Office and France Diplomatie): the national advice applies everywhere.

• Your point (Čair): country-wide vigilance.
• Maximum does not exclude these areas: the VIP Pack covers care and repatriation there (sanctions, embargoes and a country already at war at departure remain enforceable).

SourcesGlobal Affairs Canada · updated 09.10 · read 13.10Foreign Office · updated 13.08 · read 13.10France Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 13.10

Local laws apply to every traveller; here is what the official texts say.

• Carry valid identification or a photocopy at all times; keep a digital copy of your ID and travel documents. Authorities may request to see your ID at any time.
• Penalties for possession, use or trafficking of illegal drugs are severe, including prison sentences or heavy fines.
• You must carry an international driving permit and use daytime running lights. Penalties for drinking and driving include heavy fines or jail; police routinely stop vehicles for inspection.
• Declare to customs upon entry or exit if you have the equivalent of €10,000 or more in cash, cheques, money orders, traveller’s cheques or other convertible assets.
• Illegal drugs, including cannabis, carry severe penalties such as long jail sentences and heavy fines; airports use advanced technology to detect illegal items.

SourcesGlobal Affairs Canada · updated 09.10 · read 13.10Foreign Office · updated 13.08 · read 13.10

Every foreign ministry runs a 24/7 emergency line for its nationals.

• France — Crisis and Support Centre — French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs: +33 1 53 59 11 00. 24/7 emergency line, standard rate. First contact abroad: the French embassy or consulate.
• Switzerland — FDFA Helpline: +41 58 465 33 33 · +41 800 24 7 365. 24/7, 365 days a year — helpline@eda.admin.ch. Beware of scam calls spoofing these numbers.
• United Kingdom — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: +44 20 7008 5000. 24 hours, for British nationals.
• United States — Overseas Citizens Services — U.S. Department of State: +1 202 501 4444 · +1 888 407 4747. From abroad; the second number from the U.S. and Canada.
• On site, Résidence de France: +389 2 324 43 00.

Sourcesdiplomatie.gouv.fr · updated 15.09 · read 13.10eda.admin.ch · updated 14.09 · read 13.10

Emergency phrases, to show if pronunciation fails:

• Help! → Помош! (Pomosh!)
• Call an ambulance! → Повикајте брза помош! (Povikajte brza pomosh!)
• I need a doctor. → Ми треба лекар. (Mi treba lekar.)
• Where is the nearest hospital? → Каде е најблиската болница? (Kade e najbliskata bolnica?)
• Call the police! → Повикајте полиција! (Povikajte policija!)

SourcesMaximum Insurance

Keep the entry stamp, the invoices, the prescriptions and the medical report.

• File within 30 days (art. 35.7) from your client area, with the documents; the official forms are pre-filled.
• Costs advanced on site are reimbursed against receipts.
• Fever, persistent diarrhoea or a rash in the following weeks? See a doctor and say where you have been.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479

Cancellation or change up to CHF 20,000, special risk CHF 5,000 per person, crisis management and security, optional Kidnap & Ransom.

• Special risk (Module A): political event, attack, epidemic, natural disaster — opens when the FDFA, the FOPH or WHO advise against the trip (art. 18.1).
• Epidemic: assistance must be requested within 7 days of the WHO or FDFA qualification (art. 36.2).
• Crisis management and security: trip registration, monitoring, extraction, evacuation in case of riot, war, terrorism or disaster; Kidnap & Ransom subject to eligibility (art. 18.4).
• $2,290 a year, unlimited trips.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479