Strasbourg, 19 April 2023
After many years of waiting, in a ceremony organized in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the decision to liberalize visas for Kosovo was officially signed. The decision was signed by the representatives of the two EU institutions, the European Parliament and the Council, respectively by the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola and Jessika Roswall, the Minister for European Affairs of Sweden. The first deputy prime minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue, of the Republic of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Donika Gërvalla, were also present at this ceremony.
The decision signed today will be published in the official gazette and will enter into force 20 days after publication. According to this decision, the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo will be able to move without visas in the Schengen area from January 1, 2024.
Visa liberalization was a long and difficult process, which was finally successfully concluded. Kosovo was the last country in the Balkans that still had a visa regime. Kosovo belongs to Europe and now our citizens will be able to feel European.
Last modified: April 20, 2023