Preševo Border in Total Chaos!
Have you ever been stuck in a traffic jam stretching for kilometers, with vehicles barely moving? Well, that’s the reality now at the Preševo border crossing between Serbia and North Macedonia. Due to a system failure at the North Macedonian Ministry of Interior, vehicle entry into the country has been temporarily halted, and those who do enter undergo double mechanical checks. The result? Massive traffic jams and kilometer-long queues causing utter chaos at the border.
What exactly happened?
North Macedonia experienced a technical failure in its Ministry of Interior system, which disabled normal digital vehicle registration at the border. As a result, authorities had to implement manual checks, slowing down the entire process and causing huge delays. The National Border Management Center announced that vehicles are now registered individually, leading to a full-blown traffic collapse.
Extended working hours at other crossings
To ease the congestion, Serbia’s Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with Hungarian border authorities, decided to extend the working hours of the Bajmok-Bačalmaš border crossing during the summer season. However, this is not enough to solve the problem at Preševo, which remains the epicenter of the traffic chaos.
How does this affect tourists and travelers?
The summer season is in full swing, and border jams only complicate travel plans. Germany has increased border controls, further slowing international bus passenger transport. Meanwhile, the removal of border controls between Bulgaria and Greece eases travel in that part of Europe, but it does nothing for those stuck at Preševo.
Kilometer-long queues and border frustration
Cameras at the Preševo border show scenes that don’t look like a tourist season – people walking beside their vehicles in long, unmoving lines. These scenes cause frustration and anxiety among travelers, and the question remains: how long will this digital meltdown last?
What’s next?
Officials promise the system will be restored soon, but until then, travelers and drivers must brace themselves for waiting. Is this just the beginning of bigger problems with digital border control in the region? Time will tell.
Conclusion
The digital failure of North Macedonia’s Ministry of Interior system shows how far we still are from perfect digital border control. Instead of quick and efficient crossing, we get kilometer-long queues and frustration. If you planned to travel via Preševo, maybe it’s time to consider alternative routes or arm yourself with patience.
So, have you been stuck in these jams yet? Share your stories and experiences – maybe together we can figure out how to survive these crazy summer traffic jams!
