EU Proposes Visa-Free Travel to Schengen Zone for Kosovo Citizens

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa (L) is welcomed by European commission President Jean-Claude Juncker prior to a meeting in Brussels, 27 April 2016. Photo EPA/BGNES

The European Commission has proposed to lift visa requirements for citizens of Kosovo for short-term travel to the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone.

The proposal was made to the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament on together with the Commission's confirmation that Kosovo has fulfilled the requirements of its visa liberalisation roadmap.

“The Commission confirms that Kosovo has met all the requirements of its visa liberalisation roadmap, on the understanding that by the day of adoption of this proposal by the European Parliament and Council, Kosovo will have ratified the border/boundary agreement with Montenegro and strengthened its track record in the fight against organised crime and corruption,” the EU executive said in a statement on Wednesday.

Kosovo citizens with biometric passports will be able to spend without a visa up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen zone for business, tourist or family purposes. EU citizens can already travel to Kosovo visa-free. The visa exemption doesn’t give Kosovo citizens the right to work in the EU.

Other conditions for entering the Schengen zone will remain in force, including the need to be able to prove sufficient financial means and the purpose of travel.

Kosovo has been recognized as an independent state by 23 of the EU’s 28 member states.

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