As of 1 January 2024, Kosovo citizens are officially granted visa-free travel to European Union and Schengen countries, marking a landmark event in the region’s history.
Under the new policy, Kosovo passport holders can travel to EU and Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, without the need to obtain a visa in advance.
The road to this momentous day began when the European Commission proposed in 2016 to liberalise the visa regime for Kosovo. Following this proposal, Kosovo worked hard to meet the EU standards set out in the Visa Liberalisation Roadmap and successfully achieved all the targets by 2018. In the following years, the policy gradually took shape. In a decisive moment, the European Union formally approved the visa-free travel policy for Kosovo passport holders in April 2023, after being endorsed by the EU Council and approved by the European Parliament.
Before the EU cancelled the visa regime with Kosovo, its passport holders could only travel without a visa to 14 countries around the world.
Over the past few months, the government in Pristina has been conducting a public awareness campaign, urging people not to abuse their freedom of movement to seek employment in the EU.
The new EU visa-free travel policy is expected to significantly increase the Kosovo passport’s ranking in the Guide Passport Index, reflecting increased freedom of travel for its holders.
On the economic level, visa-free travel paves the way for increased trade and business interaction between Kosovo and EU countries. On a social and cultural level, the innovation promotes greater communication and understanding. By completing visa liberalisation for the Western Balkans, this step strengthens EU engagement in a strategically important region.
