How long will Kosovo citizens wait to be equipped with IDs

But he and many other Kosovo citizens have not been able to equip themselves with this document because of the lack of material to produce identification. There have been shortages in all municipalities.

With identification necessary, he was forced to apply again two months later to obtain this document. This time, however, he applied through rapid procedure.

On August 13th, I applied for ID. He's not out. Then I've been forced to apply in rapid procedure. When I went to the center of the recording, there was no material. I've been forced to pay an extra 50 euros to get ID”, he says.

Agon Hysa from Democracy Plus, tells Radio Free Europe that delays to be equipped with IDs and passports are causing problems for citizens.

Hysa says even expired passports cannot be continued and citizens can therefore not travel abroad.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has argued that the circumstances created as a result of the pandemic have not long managed to carry out procurement procedures for this supply. But this is not an acceptable reason, since the pandemic is even among us now and the literature supply and passports is a very sensitive issue and citizens cannot be penalised because of the institution”, Hysa says.

The tender for literature supplies and passports for 2020-2021 has already won the same company that has made the supply so far. The German company “Veridos”, which has headquarters in Kosovo, has been providing for several years.

Under the contract, the winning company will supply the ministry with 250 thousand electronic identification and 50,000 passports.

Over 1m and 200 thousand euros will cost the Ministry of Internal Affairs supplies with these materials.

Free Europe Radio has tried to get an answer from this ministry to learn when citizens will start receiving new IDs, but the same have not responded.

Earlier this month, Interior Minister Agim Veliu had said in the Kosovo Assembly that “in June 2019 have sought a budget from the Finance Ministry for documents, but that no budget sharing has been made”.

According to Veliut, the MPB required for additional budgets had made in February, but has not been approved.

Early last month, the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced citizens of the Republic of Kosovo that from the circumstances created as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Civil Register Agency has long failed to carry out all necessary procedures for providing sufficient materials for IDs.

As a result, many citizens of the Republic of Kosovo who have applied for identification have failed to be equipped in advance.