Spain Recognizes Kosovo Passports

(Patria) - Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Besnik Bislimi stated that citizens of Kosovo can travel to Spain without a visa, as official Madrid now recognizes Kosovo passports.

Bislimi announced on Facebook that this news was published by the Department for Migration and Internal Affairs of the European Union.

"As the visa-free regime started on January 1st, Spain has been added as a destination to the Schengen Area countries to which we can travel under the (visa) liberalization, while the previous obstacle was the non-recognition of our passports," Bislimi wrote.

Citizens of Kosovo who have biometric passports can travel visa-free to the 27-member Schengen Area from January 1st, after the decision on visa liberalization for Kosovo came into effect.

However, visa-free travel was not initially an option in the case of Spain.

Spain is among the five EU countries that do not recognize Kosovo's independence, including Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia, and Romania. However, these countries recognize travel documents issued by the authorities in Kosovo.

Visa liberalization allows citizens of Kosovo with biometric passports to stay up to 90 days within a six-month period in any of the 27 Schengen member states.

Visa-free travel is for tourist and family visits or similar purposes. However, visa liberalization does not include work permits or other benefits.

Kosovo was the last Western Balkan country whose citizens could not move freely within the Schengen Area until January 1, 2024.

Despite the European Commission confirming several times since 2018 that Kosovo had met the conditions for visa liberalization, some countries repeatedly expressed reservations.