The Official Gazette of the European Union has published the Regulation of September 18, signed the same day by representatives of the European Union for the abolishment of visas for citizens of Kosovo holding passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate.
Following the new decision, Kosovo citizens with Serbian passports will be eligible to travel visa-free for short-term stays to EU countries, starting from mid-October, Schengen.News reports.
Regulation (EU) 2024/2495 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 September 2024 amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 as regards holders of Serbian passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate (Koordinaciona uprava).
The decree was signed in Strasbourg by the President of the European Parliament (EP), Roberta Metzola and the Minister of European Affairs of Hungary, Janos Boka.
It was also announced by the coordinator of the National Convention for Chapter 35, Dragiša Mijačić, in his “X” social network. Mijačić wrote that the signing of the decision related to the abolition of visas for passports of the Coordination Administration was scheduled for September 18, at 15.15in the building of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The new changes are set to become effective 20 days after being published in the Official Gazette of the European Union, and they will be applied in all EU countries.
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in the Member States in accordance with the Treaties.
Council Agreed to Abolish Visa Requirements for Kosovo Citizens With Serbian Passports in July
The European Union Council agreed to lift visa requirements for Kosovo’s citizens holding passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate in July this year.
The Council said the changes were applied to ensure the whole Western Balkan region is subject to the same visa rules.
Holders of Kosovo’s passports are eligible to travel freely to EU countries without being subject to visa requirements for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.
However, the European Commission, back in April 2023, when announcing visa liberalisation for Kosovo, made it clear that Serbian passport holders would not be eligible to benefit from this decision.
Citizens of Kosovo with passports by the Serbian Coordination Directorate in Belgrade were the only ones subject to visa requirements when planning to travel to the Schengen Area.