Kosovo citizens with passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate will now be able to travel visa-free to EU countries. Starting from mid-October, these citizens will be able to travel for up to 90 days in a 180-day period in the EU without any visa requirements. Read on to know more about this.
Kosovo Citizens With Serbian Passports To Travel Visa-Free To EU
The European Union Council has agreed to lift visa requirements for Kosovo citizens with Serbian passports. As per the Official Gazette of the European Union signed on September 18, representatives of the EU have decided to abolish visa requirements for citizens of Kosovo holding passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate.
According to Schengen News, these changes are set to become effective 20 days after being published in the Official Gazette of the European Union. These citizens will be eligible to travel visa-free for short-term stays in EU countries. The council had agreed to abolish visas for these citizens in July this year.
Also Read: These European Countries Are the Most Likely To Approve Schengen Visas For Indian Citizens In 2024
New Change Will Ensure Same Visa Rules For Western Balkan Region
As per reports, the European Union Council agreed to lift visa requirements for Kosovo citizens with Serbian passports to ensure the whole Western Balkan region is subject to the same visa rules. It is to be noted that Kosovo citizens, with the exception of the ones holding Serbian passports, were allowed to travel to the EU without a visa from January 2024.
In April 2023, the European Commission denied this visa liberalisation to Serbian passport holders of Kosovo. They were the only ones subject to visa requirements when planning to travel to the Schengen Area. Now, to ensure similar visa rules, they have been included in the list as well. They will now be able to travel 90 days in a 180-day period without any visa restrictions.
Also Read: Turkey Introduces New Tech Visa For Entrepreneurs; Benefits, Cost & All You Need To Know
We hope this information was useful for you all! Which European countries are on your bucket list? Let us know in the comments.
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva (representative image)