The EU Council has decided to abolish visas for holders of Serbian passports from Kosovo

BRUSSELS- The EU Council has decided to abolish visas for holders of Serbian passports from Kosovo, issued by the Coordination Directorate of Serbia, thus concluding the legislative process on this issue in the EU. “The EU Council today adopted a regulation ensuring that the entire Western Balkans region is subject to the same visa regime, removing the exclusions that previously applied to holders of Serbian passports issued by the Coordination Directorate of Serbia,” the EU Council statement said.

With the adoption of this regulation, as noted, the legislative process concludes. This means that once the regulation comes into effect, which will occur on the 20th day after it is published in the Official Journal of the EU, it will begin to apply in all EU member states. The European Parliament voted on April 23rd for visa liberalization for holders of Serbian passports from Kosovo, issued by the Coordination Directorate of Serbia, at the proposal of MEP Matjaž Nemec, who was the rapporteur for the abolition of these visas in the previous EP term. Serbs from Kosovo, who hold passports issued by the Coordination Directorate, which operates within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia, were the only ones who still needed a visa to enter EU countries after visas were abolished for Kosovo citizens as of January 1, 2024.

The European Commission proposed in November 2023 to initiate a procedure to include citizens of Kosovo, who have passports issued by the Coordination Directorate of Serbia, in the visa liberalization process. (22 July)