This year about 4 thousand, 600 Kosovars gave up citizenship

Officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs say the main reason for giving up citizenship is not allowing two citizenships in different states, mainly the European Union, where many Kosovars have migrated.

Unlike 2020, when Kosovo's citizenship gave up about 3 thousand and 600 people, the number of Kosovars who were released from citizenship by the end of November of this year is evidently higher than last year.

Behar Hazirij, senior media official at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, in a proposal for Radio Kosovo, shows the number of those who for various reasons gave up their citizenship.

“During January period November 2021, from the citizenship of the Republic of Kosovo, 4 thousand and 594 people have been released. Of them, males are 2 thousand and 359, and 2 thousand and 235 are females. These are statistical data processed until November, while the month December is not complete, we don't have the data for this month”, he said.

The main reason that moves Kosovars to give up citizenship is to ban two citizenships in many EU countries, Haziray claims.

“Arsyet why these persons give up Kosovo's citizenship is because many European Union states do not allow two citizenships, including some states that are not part of the EU. Given that a large number of our citizens have been living for years in these countries, and a large number have also been born in these countries and, as a result, have earned the right to grant citizenship and are obliged to be freed from previous citizenship in case they want to gain citizenship of that country”, Haziray said.

During January, November 2021, Kosovo State has won 362. Meanwhile, according to MPB data from 2017 to 2020, 20 thousand and 113 Kosovars have given up their citizenship.