The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia officially renamed itself the Republic of North Macedonia on Tuesday, after the country's name change became law with its publication in the official gazette, according to Deutsche Welle.
Macedonian parliament approved the move last month after a historic agreement was reached between Athens and Skopje.
North Macedonia also formally notified the United Nations about its name change.
The country now faces a future of joining the NATO military alliance and the European Union after ending its long-running feud with its southern neighbor, Greece, which previously blocked attempts from Macedonia to join the bloc.
Athens argued against the inclusion since Macedonia has historical associations for one of its northern provinces, Macedonia, which has been associated with Alexander the Great for centuries.
Greece only allowed Macedonia to join the U.N. in 1995 by having the country go by: "The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia," a reference to the country's former membership of Yugoslavia.
The newly named country celebrated the day by hosting a flag-raising ceremony marking its long-desired accession to NATO.
Macedonian prime minister Zoran Zaev stood where workers were prepared to replace a Republic of Macedonia sign that was removed earlier this week, citing the "historic goal" of the agreement.
“Long live the Republic of North Macedonia,” the social democrat leader tweeted on Tuesday.
Zaev was able to broker the agreement with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, with both sides facing fierce opposition against the name change deal in their own countries.
But now the Balkan state will become NATO's 30th member once it is ratified by other signatories, a severe blow to Russian influence in the region.
Macedonian authorities now have five years to change the country's name both domestically and internationally, but that has not been easy for Zaev.
Athens' deputy foreign minister George Katrougalos said over 1,000 signs with the new name had already been ordered for Greece while noting: “Everything from official documents to passports will be changed."
One of the first signs to be changed will be the border crossing which North Macedonia shares with Greece.
“There will be changes on our side, too, but nothing like the challenge faced by them,” the Greek foreign ministry’s spokesman, Alexandros Yennimatas, told the Guardian. “A circular has been sent to [our] public and local administration informing them to adopt the new name.”
-WN.com, Maureen Foody