Prishtina, 14 March 2026
Good morning everyone,
Honourable Mr Sørensen,
Honourable Ambassador Orav,
Thank you very much for your visit to Kosovo and for your readiness, together with your team, to visit more frequently so that we can jointly address our challenges in the process of normalizing relations with our northern neighbor.
Dear citizens, as you have been informed dozens of times over the past two months, as of the 15th the full implementation begins of two important laws for our security, both individual and national, as well as for more efficient migration management and road traffic circulation. These are the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Vehicles, both fully aligned with European Union directives.
Starting from 15 January this year, we launched the first phase of implementation of these laws, a phase primarily oriented toward clarification, public information, and raising citizens’ awareness regarding the additional obligations and rights arising from the provisions of these two laws. At the same time, this phase was used to make the necessary preparations to ensure effective implementation. The list of activities undertaken and institutions involved is extremely long, and I thank each and every one who participated and contributed. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, as the lead institution in this process, has continuously kept both us and you, dear citizens, informed about the full spectrum of these activities and the preparations made.
Now that 15 March is approaching, I believe everything is ready for a good start. I am confident that we will all benefit from the implementation of these two laws, and I strongly believe that those to whom these laws are primarily addressed will benefit the most. In particular, foreigners who, thanks to the rules established by law, will enjoy greater security during their stay in the country, greater predictability, and greater efficiency in the processing of their applications. This especially applies to those who see Kosovo as an opportunity for a longer stay and as a suitable destination to secure their economic well-being.
Dear citizens, the implementation of these laws will also affect a considerable number of people who come to or stay in Kosovo from Presheva, Medvegja, Bujanoc, Vranja, and other cities in Serbia. Some of them are engaged in providing health and education services within the illegal parallel system financed by Serbia. I wish to emphasize that it is not in the interest of the Republic of Kosovo for the implementation of the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Vehicles to create obstacles to the provision of basic services to citizens.
However, I also wish to strongly underline that the position of the Republic of Kosovo remains firm: there must not and cannot be illegal mechanisms in Kosovo that are maintained and financed by a non-friendly state that does not recognize the Republic of Kosovo.
In this regard, the Government of the Republic of Kosovo has underlined the importance of fully incorporating the education and healthcare systems in municipalities with a Serb majority into the legal framework of the Republic of Kosovo. In practice, this legalization will translate not only into full enforcement of the law throughout the territory of Kosovo, but also into higher quality services, increased funding, greater institutional presence, and, consequently, greater security for citizens who receive these services. The ultimate aim of incorporation is therefore not the reduction of any rights, but their strengthening. Consequently, no citizen of the Republic of Kosovo has the slightest reason to fear this incorporation, but rather to welcome the benefits resulting from this process.
Naturally, we understand that the entire legalization process takes time. I also underline that this process will be carried out in close coordination with the European Union Special Representative for the Dialogue, as well as in continuous coordination and consultation with local Serbs. It is important to us that, during legalization, citizens of the Serb community trust both the benefits of the process and the obligations arising from the agreements reached in the Brussels Dialogue and from the legal framework of the Republic of Kosovo.
In this context, and in order to complete the legalization process while ensuring that there are no obstacles to the provision of basic services in education and healthcare, the Government of the Republic of Kosovo will begin incorporating the education and healthcare systems into the country’s legal framework. The Government will obtain from local leaders lists of academic and healthcare staff engaged in providing these services. These lists will then serve as the basis for issuing temporary residence permits to foreign citizens who apply to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo. Any discrepancies in individual cases will be verified by the competent authority.
The same applies to foreign students staying in the Republic of Kosovo for study purposes, for whom municipal leaders will provide full lists including detailed information on field of study and academic year. Following successful application procedures, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will issue temporary residence permits valid for 12 months, with the possibility of extension if studies continue. The same procedure will apply to new applicants enrolling in subsequent academic years.
In parallel, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, in continuous coordination with the European Union Special Representative and in cooperation with public service providers, will initiate the necessary procedures and determine optimal deadlines for full incorporation, including the licensing of institutions and engaged staff.
The Government of the Republic of Kosovo will also open a new three-month window enabling citizens of Serb nationality to register civil status facts that, until 15 March 2026, were recorded by illegal structures. During this period, applicants will be permitted to use, exclusively as a means of identification, ID cards issued by illegal structures. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will issue detailed instructions enabling the registration of these facts within the Central Civil Registry System of the Republic of Kosovo.
Dear citizens, this once again demonstrates the commitment of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo to the full exercise of sovereignty throughout its territory, to equal and non-discriminatory treatment of all our citizens, and to the provision of high-quality and standardized public services.
Thank you all!
