The Council presidency and European Parliament representatives reached an agreement on the draft regulation on visa free travel for holders of passports issued by Kosovo. The agreed text now needs to be approved by the Council and the European Parliament before going through the formal adoption procedure.

The new rules would allow Kosovo passport holders to travel to the EU without a visa for a period of stay of 90 days in any 180-day period. This exemption from the visa requirement would apply from the start date for the operation of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) and in any case no later than 1 January 2024.

Background

Kosovo has made significant progress in all blocks of the visa liberalisation roadmap. On the basis of this assessment, the Commission proposed to lift the visa requirement for holders of passports issued by Kosovo. The exemption from the visa requirement will ensure that the whole Western Balkan region is under the same visa regime.

The Commission will continue to actively monitor the implementation of these requirements, including visa policy alignment, through the post-visa liberalisation mechanism.

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  This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.