Council Gives the Green Light to Visa-Free Travel for Kosovo

The Council has formally adopted its position at first reading on visa-free travel for holders of passports issued by Kosovo. The decision, taken in March 2023, is one of the final procedural steps before the exemption becomes law and marks the closing of the last visa gap in the Western Balkans.

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What the Council decided

Under the new rules, Kosovo passport holders will be able to travel to the EU without a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The exemption is set to apply from the date the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) becomes operational, or from 1 January 2024, whichever comes first. The text now needs to be adopted by the European Parliament before it can be signed and published in the EU's official journal.

A milestone for the Western Balkans

Speaking after the vote, Sweden's Minister for Migration, Maria Malmer Stenergard, said Kosovo had made great efforts to improve its security and migration management and to align its visa policy with that of the EU, expressing hope that the cooperation would remain fruitful. The Commission had proposed lifting the visa requirement after concluding that Kosovo had completed all blocks of the visa liberalisation roadmap, ensuring the whole region falls under the same visa regime. Brussels will keep monitoring compliance through its post-liberalisation mechanism.

What it means for travellers

Visa-free status removes the need to apply for a short-stay visa, but it is not the same as travelling without any checks. Once ETIAS is live, visa-exempt visitors will need an online travel authorisation before they set off. Our overview of how ETIAS works walks through what the pre-travel step involves.

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