BELGRADE, Serbia — On Monday, the Council of the European Union approved a regulation that removes visa requirements for Serbian passport holders issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate. This change will take effect once it is published in the Official Journal of the EU.
The new regulation allows ethnic Serbs with passports from Serbia’s Directorate for Kosovo to enter EU member states without needing a visa.
Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Duric praised the decision on X, calling it a modest yet meaningful win for Serb human rights in Kosovo.
In contrast, Kosovo’s government has expressed strong objections. They argue that accepting documents from Serbian-run “parallel” institutions undermines Kosovo’s sovereignty and hinders the integration of the Serbian community.
Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani criticized the EU Council’s decision, asserting that it contradicts Kosovo’s constitution, laws, and EU rules. “Illegal Serbian passports issued outside Kosovo damage Kosovo’s citizens, its multi-ethnic nature, and the EU itself,” said Bekim Kupina, Osmani’s media adviser. Kupina also claimed that the EU’s recognition of these passports undermines efforts to integrate the Serbian community in Kosovo.
Approximately 18,000 Serbian residents of Kosovo with these passports will benefit from visa-free travel to the EU.
The new policy aligns the visa requirements for all Western Balkan residents. Serbian citizens with biometric passports have been exempt from visa requirements since 2009, but this did not apply to those issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate for Kosovo. The European Commission proposed this change in 2023.
Currently, Kosovo citizens can travel visa-free within the Schengen zone since January 2024, but this does not include passports issued by Serbia’s Kosovo directorate.