EU approves visa-free travel for Kosovo citizens

European Union parliamentarians gave the green light for citizens from Kosovo to travel freely in Europe without visas from January 1, 2024, Report informs via RFI.

Kosovo, once a Serbian province in the former Yugoslavia, is the last territory in the Western Balkans without visa-free travel to the EU's Schengen travel area.

The reform was welcomed in Pristina as another step towards full recognition and a boost for the European ambition of a territory that won independence after a 1998-1999 war.

Serbia does not recognise the independence of its former breakaway province. Nor do five EU member states: Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia and Romania.

The move means that Kosovo’s citizens will be able to travel in the 27-nation Schengen passport free area, which includes most EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, for periods of up to 90 days every six months.

Citizens in the Schengen countries will be able to visit Kosovo without visas too. The former Serbian territory was the last country in the Western Balkans region not to have such travel arrangements with the EU.