About the crossing
Blace is a border crossing between North Macedonia and Kosovo, north of Skopje, on route E65, which connects Skopje and Pristina. On the Kosovo side it is known as Hani i Elezit (Elez Han), about 120 km from Skopje. It is the largest and busiest of the several North Macedonia–Kosovo road crossings — a multi-lane checkpoint operating 24 hours a day that takes passenger cars, buses and freight, including a large share of goods bound for the Kosovo market. Neither Kosovo nor North Macedonia belongs to the EU or Schengen, so unlike the crossings toward Greece or Bulgaria, this is a border between two countries outside those frameworks — document checks are standard here, just without any Schengen dimension. For bus passengers, the check is often done without leaving the vehicle: an officer collects everyone's ID, checks it, and hands it back, a process that usually takes fifteen to twenty minutes. The crossing was briefly closed in July 2025 due to a fire but has been back in full operation since.