EU Council Greenlights Lifting Visa Regime for Kosovo

European Council

The Council of the European Union adopted on March 9 in the first reading the stance on abolishing the visa regime for citizens of Kosovo, as of Jan. 1, 2024 at the latest.

Holders of Kosovo passports will be able to enter the EU without a visa, either as of Jan. 1, 2024, or when the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) starts to function, if that were to take place this year, the Council of the EU announced on March 9. Two weeks ago, it was announced that the start of work of ETIAS, the electronic system for authorizing entry into the EU, would be postponed until next year.

The new rules will enable holders of Kosovo passports to enter the EU without a visa for a period of 90 days, within any 180-day period, which places the entire Western Balkans under the same visa regime in the EU.

Before the new rules are signed and published in the EU’s official gazette, they have to be adopted by the European Parliament.

Maria Malmer Stenergard, the minister for migration in the government of Sweden, which is currently presiding over the EU, stated that Kosovo had “invested great effort” into improving migration management and into harmonizing with the EU’s visa policy, and that she hoped cooperation between the EU and Pristina in this field would “continue to be fruitful.”