Council of the EU Lifts Visa Requirement for Serbs who Own Serbian Passports Issued in Kosovo

Brussels (Photo:PrintScreen YouTube)

The Council of the European Union (EU) adopted on July 22 a regulation to lift the visa requirement for the holders of passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate, which issues travel documents to Serbs in Kosovo, and the purpose of the Council’s decision is to ensure that the entire Western Balkan region is subject to the same visa regime.

The Serbs in Kosovo who own such passports were the only ones excluded from the visa-free travel regime to the EU, which otherwise applies to all Western Balkan countries.

The decision concludes the legislative process, coming into effect 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.

Holders of biometric passports issued by the Republic of Serbia have been exempt from the visa regime for travel to Schengen area countries since December 2009, but this exemption did not apply to the holders of passports issued by the Coordination D