Holders of Serbian passports in Kosovo, issued by the Coordination Service of Serbia, can now travel to the countries of the European Union without visas, Serbian national TV RTS reported, quoted by BTA.
The visa-free regime for citizens of Kosovo came into effect on January 1, 2024. Until now, this decision excluded citizens who hold passports issued by the Coordination Service of Serbia, operating within the country's Ministry of Interior. These passports were not part of the visa liberalization for Serbia that came into force in December 2009, and Kosovo Serbs were the only ones in the Western Balkans who could not benefit from the visa-free regime for the EU.
The Visa Waiver Regulation published in the Official Journal of the EU on 23 September entered into force today.
„This regulation is fully binding and is implemented directly in the member countries in accordance with the treaties”, the document cited by RTS states.
Serbia does not recognize the independence of its former province of Kosovo, declared in 2008, while Pristina does not recognize Serbian passports issued by the Coordination Office, as it perceives it as an illegal institution.