Tourist Reveals Names of Corrupt Macedonian Border Guards

[Vangelovski]

Usually you just have to show them that you aren't scared of them and they back off.

I've found that. It goes for the police as well.

[Karposh]

I think it's important to stress that opportunistic scumbags exist everywhere and in every country and such behaviour is not the exclusive domain of the many Macedonian pigs that we have encountered in RoM while holidaying there. That said, I too have many disappointing stories of unethical behaviour demonstrated by some in RoM that left me with a very bad taste in my mouth. Whether one has been on the receiving end of such behaviour or simply observed it, it's still a disgusting sight to behold.

The rudeness, the arrogance, the disrespect, the lack of basic customer service are just some aspects of many of the prevailing attitudes by people employed in various sectors of the Macedonian economy. I mentioned these attitudes to a family member in RoM and I remember he tried to explain it to me by saying that these were the "old communist" attitudes when people had jobs for life and arrogantly treated people with disdain. Somehow, he believed things would change with time and that privatisation would force people to change their attitudes if they wanted to hold on to their current jobs. That was a while ago now and, sadly, many of these attitudes are still prevalent I think. The arrogant "Big Shot" mentality that many seem to thrive on in RoM is not seen as a human weakness but they wear it like a badge of honour. The perceived "respect" that they feel comes with belittling people, fleecing them through deceit or behaving like tycoons is a good thing in their eyes and not at all bad.

One thing I hate most about some of the prevailing attitudes in Macedonia is the old chestnut "Snajdi se pa zhivej". In other words, it's okay to lie, steal, deceive or basically do whatever it takes, so long as it allows you to survive another day. This is so narrow minded and simplistic, the consequence of which is that it corrupts the soul. Someone who is prepared to cheat his or her own family just to "survive another day" will have no problems with treating "dumb" tourists from Australia, the U.S. and Canada like scum. So it should come as no surprise when they kick our bags at the station (as Stojacanec experienced) or tell us that we haven't declared our sock and undies at customs.

Of the many unsavoury memories, one particularly comes to mind for some reason. There was a little restaurant near where I was staying in Bitola which I often passed by but never ventured into. So I decided to try it out one night. Looking at the menu, I was immediately impressed by how cheap the prices were. A quick head calculation and the "lovachka" worked out to be less than $10. The waiter, very politely and attentively, offered me a "luto piperche" to go with my meal and all seemed good. The lovachka and the luto piperche went down a treat. Then came the bill. Almost triple the cost of what was advertised on the menu. I queried it with the good waiter and he explained that the advertised price was just for the lovachka. It didn't include the price of the luto piperche and stale piece of bread I was given.

I remember to this day the look on the waiter's face as I turned around for one last look at the crime scene and seeing him smiling and chatting to a fellow waiter, no doubt regaling him of a job well done fleecing yet another dumb Aussie tourist. What that waiter will never understand is that, although he was $15 the richer that night, he will always remain a poor cunt in life. And I'm not just talking financially but spiritually as well. Once your integrity is gone so is your soul. Unless he and others in Macedonia see the error in their way they will remain unethical scumbags for life.

[Spirit]

I had an interesting experience when I went back in 2012 with the police in Bitola.
My first cousin took me to the police station in Bitola on my second day so I could inform them that I had arrived from Australia and to fill out any relevant paperwork.
We arrived at the police station and my cousin pointed out an officer who comes from our village and that he would look after me.
To test a theory I asked my cousin to wait outside whilst I dealt with the police officer.
I approached the officer and informed him that I had arrived from Australia the previous day and was making notification that I would be in Macedonia for 3 months but also within that 3 months I would be spending a week in Spain and a week in England.
The officer handed me out paperwork to complete and assisted me in completing it. With all that done the officer then turn around and said to me that I have to pay a 200 euro fee.
At that point I called my cousin in. You should have seen the look on the officers face when my cousin walked in and exchanged greetings with him.
The officer asked me what the connection was and I informed him that this was my first cousin from two brothers.
The officer then changed his tune in front of my cousin and said he was only joking about the 200 euro fee and that in reality there is no fee at all, he started calling "butka and brat" and said if I needed anything to come to him as our backgrounds are from the same village.
I had a feeling that I would tried to be scammed, hence why I asked my cousin to initially wait outside so I could test my theory.
If only the officer had tried to scam about 30 or 40 euro instead of 200 I might have fallen for it as this would seem reasonable for a fee if there was one. Idiot.

[Karposh]

I had an interesting experience when I went back in 2012 with the police in Bitola.
My first cousin took me to the police station in Bitola on my second day so I could inform them that I had arrived from Australia and to fill out any relevant paperwork.
We arrived at the police station and my cousin pointed out an officer who comes from our village and that he would look after me.
To test a theory I asked my cousin to wait outside whilst I dealt with the police officer.
I approached the officer and informed him that I had arrived from Australia the previous day and was making notification that I would be in Macedonia for 3 months but also within that 3 months I would be spending a week in Spain and a week in England.
The officer handed me out paperwork to complete and assisted me in completing it. With all that done the officer then turn around and said to me that I have to pay a 200 euro fee.
At that point I called my cousin in. You should have seen the look on the officers face when my cousin walked in and exchanged greetings with him.
The officer asked me what the connection was and I informed him that this was my first cousin from two brothers.
The officer then changed his tune in front of my cousin and said he was only joking about the 200 euro fee and that in reality there is no fee at all, he started calling "butka and brat" and said if I needed anything to come to him as our backgrounds are from the same village.
I had a feeling that I would tried to be scammed, hence why I asked my cousin to initially wait outside so I could test my theory.
If only the officer had tried to scam about 30 or 40 euro instead of 200 I might have fallen for it as this would seem reasonable for a fee if there was one. Idiot.

I didn't realise that it was a requirement to report your presence to the police. I can't say that I've ever had to do that. But I get your point. The scamming is ingrained and the actions are often excused or justified by "Oh, he's from Australia...He can afford it. No harm done." Subsidising their, admittedly, meagre wages and salaries through unethical methods such as the one you just described are a disgrace and there can be no justification for it. I don't think it can ever be weeded out though as it starts right from the top as everyone keeps pointing out here. It's really off-putting and ruins the Macedonian brand they are trying to promote as the sunny, friendly place where everyone has a heart of gold.

[Spirit]

Or how about this one, from a government level.
Apparently if you want to stay in Macedonia longer than 3 months you need a Macedonian passport (I can't remember the cost but it was a couple of hundred euro)otherwise you will pay a considerable fine when you leave, this is what I was told by my cousins when I was there in 2012.
Even though I had no intention of staying longer than I allocated I stated to my cousin that my 3 months should reset once I got back from Spain and England (as stated above I went to Spain and England for 2 weeks in the middle of the three months) should I decide to stay a few weeks extra. My cousin informed me to the best of my memory (and don't quote me on this) that my 3 months would not reset even though I was in another 2 foreign countries for 2 weeks and would only reset the following year. The gist of it is that you can only spend 3 months in Macedonia each year without a Macedonian passport. I don't know how true this is but it seems plausible given the level of blatant open corruption I saw there.
My point is, as I pointed out to my cousins, I have no need for a Macedonian passport as I have an Australian passport which basically allows me to travel anywhere in the world.
The point is, and if this is true, that this just goes to show the mentality of the bureaucrats in the country, let's fleece the foreigners, the diaspora out of a couple of hundred euros. My counter argument would be that if I wanted to spend a year in Macedonia obviously I've got the finances to do so, my spending would be pumping money into the economy and during that year I would obviously be spending a lot more money than the initial couple of hundred euro to get a Macedonian passport, as stated I do not need one as I have an Australian passport. The bureaucrats obviously can't see the bigger and longer picture and are thinking in the short term.

[DraganOfStip]

I didn't realise that it was a requirement to report your presence to the police.

If you're not a Macedonian citizen you must report your stay in the police. Things like how long you will be here and what will be the address of your stay are a requirement.

[Phoenix]

Or how about this one, from a government level.
Apparently if you want to stay in Macedonia longer than 3 months you need a Macedonian passport (I can't remember the cost but it was a couple of hundred euro)otherwise you will pay a considerable fine when you leave, this is what I was told by my cousins when I was there in 2012.
Even though I had no intention of staying longer than I allocated I stated to my cousin that my 3 months should reset once I got back from Spain and England (as stated above I went to Spain and England for 2 weeks in the middle of the three months) should I decide to stay a few weeks extra. My cousin informed me to the best of my memory (and don't quote me on this) that my 3 months would not reset even though I was in another 2 foreign countries for 2 weeks and would only reset the following year. The gist of it is that you can only spend 3 months in Macedonia each year without a Macedonian passport. I don't know how true this is but it seems plausible given the level of blatant open corruption I saw there.
My point is, as I pointed out to my cousins, I have no need for a Macedonian passport as I have an Australian passport which basically allows me to travel anywhere in the world.
The point is, and if this is true, that this just goes to show the mentality of the bureaucrats in the country, let's fleece the foreigners, the diaspora out of a couple of hundred euros. My counter argument would be that if I wanted to spend a year in Macedonia obviously I've got the finances to do so, my spending would be pumping money into the economy and during that year I would obviously be spending a lot more money than the initial couple of hundred euro to get a Macedonian passport, as stated I do not need one as I have an Australian passport. The bureaucrats obviously can't see the bigger and longer picture and are thinking in the short term.

I thought it was pretty much standard practice in most places around the world that a tourist visa is valid for 3 months...and I also thought that if you left the country and returned within that 3 month period that it would reset...

(I'm not suggesting for a moment that Macedonia fits any of the accepted visa conventions found in the civilised world...that would require following rules of law and suitably qualified individuals operating within the law...)

[Karposh]

I thought it was pretty much standard practice in most places around the world that a tourist visa is valid for 3 months...and I also thought that if you left the country and returned within that 3 month period that it would reset...

(I'm not suggesting for a moment that Macedonia fits any of the accepted visa conventions found in the civilised world...that would require following rules of law and suitably qualified individuals operating within the law...)

That kind of explains why I have been a little bit ignorant about this requirement to report yourself to the police when in Macedonia. Otherwise I would have clued up to it sooner or later I guess. My stays in Macedonia have always been 3 months or less, the amount of time my visa was valid for.

Just in regards to Spirit's encounter with the dodgy police officer, I can't stop thinking about that and it really pisses me off. The police, like all public servants, are employed by the state and receive a tax-funded wage or salary. If Australia is something to go by, public servants are there to serve the people and receive a wage/salary for those services from the government. They should not be charging fees from the public (i.e. naïve tourists) for every form they process or administer to subsidise their poor pay. That is their job and that is what they get paid for by the government. So my advice is to be aware of this when in Macedonia as I imagine the same rule applies for Macedonian public servants. People should be reporting these bastards. Once Macedonian public servants start losing their jobs over unethical behaviour then maybe they will learn the hard way that this is not on.

[Risto the Great]

China is a pain in the arse with all it's tracking of individuals. But every one of their customs entry points allows you to rank the officer letting you into their country from sad face all the way through to happy face.

I remember going into Macedonia once and being questioned thoroughly as to why I was going there. I told them my entire family had dedicated themselves to Macedonia and this was meant to be a visit to my homeland. I might as well have said because I am Greek and I want to go to your shit casino in Epinal. The response was some pathetic grunt and a stamp in the passport. Peasants.

[Niko777]

After reading all of your stories, I consider myself lucky. The only fee I had to pay at the border was 1 or 2 euros for the mandatory health insurance.

BTW Australian passport holders can visit Macedonia for 90 days within any 180 day period. Anything beyond that would require permission or a visa.

[Karposh]

I might as well have said because I am Greek and I want to go to your shit casino in Epinal.

Hey, what's your beef with the Bellagio of Bitola anyway? I'll have you know that Epinal is the pride of Bitola and we don't take too kindly to outsiders rubbishing our cultural treasures.

http://www.hotelepinal.com/

[Risto the Great]

The Bellagio of Bitola lol.
Maybe when the taps let go and a fountain is created .... sure!

My most distinct memory of that place was how pathetic the staff were when the Greeks gave them shit. One idiot parked his car (Greek number plates) right where all the cars needed access. He left it there and repeatedly told the staff where to go when they kindly asked him to move it.

My friend (Macedonian from Australia) threatened to burn the car and then he moved it promptly. A great night for all.

[Amphipolis]

Well, I had an unpleasant experience during summer when simply crossing the country by bus 4 times while traveling from Greece to Germany or Italy and vice versa. I was with a student team that participates in some international games.

Having read the dreadful stories about the director whose drone was confiscated, I was really worried, so I ran and ran and gathered all the necessary documents to declare our equipment and be fine. So we did.

Yet at the customs officer of both Macedonia and Serbia we were charged with a total of about 650-700 € simply for crossing the non-EU former Yugoslavian countries (Macedonia and Serbia). The legal pretext was that our equipment was too expensive; there was a danger that we’re smugglers (!) so we’d have to be followed throughout Yugoslavia by a car with state employees that would ensure we’re just crossing and exit the country and we’re not selling any of our equipment.

At first I thought this was a trick but it seems a car DID follow our van (at least for the part of Serbia). I was not with the equipment group, so I didn’t see the situation and the negotiations with my own eyes (it lasted around 3 or 4 hours) and didn’t manage to do anything from my phone.

The team did get receipts for all this and was also given bizarre alternatives when they protested that they are just students, they have all the legal custom documents and they don’t have much money.

For instance, they could pay less if they had accepted a state officer to travel with them IN the van (but the van had three students and three seats so they would have to leave one student out). The customs would also not receive money transfer, they would take only cash and it’s funny that the students had so much cash on them.

The whole blackmail worked fine since if they didn’t pay they would lose the games and they had no time to take a different route to Germany. Of course they would also have to pay an extra 700€ when returning so this time they made a full circle and returned to Greece through Romania and Bulgaria.

Has anyone heard something like this before? Do you think it is normal? Were we royally robbed or not?

As for the four times we crossed Yugoslavia by bus, it felt like passing through 100 checks. Each check meant a delay of 10-30 minutes and for each check the employees (police or custom officers) would take a bribe of 5 € and also anything else (ouzo, coffee, cigarettes, chocolates). I mean ANYTHING, there was an occasion they were bribed with fashionable empty plastic bags (I don’t know what they do with them).

The drivers were very experienced and accustomed with the situation and they knew how to handle each bribe but they also had their limits. For instance, in one case after handling 18 consecutive bribes they just flipped in the 19th one and they didn’t want to give extra money. That meant we delayed more and I believe it was the police who first stepped back and compromised with the 5€ instead of 10 or 15 they were asking.

The above refers to all border crossings (Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia) including European Union crossings. Usually there are four checks per border, a double check (police & customs officers) at exiting each country and a double one while entering the next country. That gives you an idea on the extra money you need if you want to cross Yugoslavia.

[Risto the Great]

Greece circa 20 years ago was about the same and still is in some regards along the border with Macedonia. No excuse for any of these countries to behave this way.

[Stojacanec]

Amphipolis, where were the signs saying "Welcome to Yugoslavia"?