MPB: passport application prices remain unchanged

A total of 51,365 Kosovo citizens have made first passports applications, with these application rates recorded only from June 1st to November 6, 1923.

Comparing data provided by the Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kosovars have submitted about 5.2 per cent more passport requirements than in the same period last year, with the number of applications that have increased from 48,791 to 51,365. Those under the age of two and 18 to 22 are mostly more common among applicants.

However, in an e-mail exchange between Schengen VisaInfo. com and the Interior Ministry press office, it denied there had been an increase in the number of applications.

According to the authority, the application fees for passports and ID cards -- two of the most important travel documents -- have undergone no changes since the adoption of visa liberalisation by the EU Council, despite less than two months, Kosovars will be able to travel visa-free to the Schengen area for the first time.

“The interest of citizens to apply for documents [passports and IDs] continues to be similar to past years, without visible changes”, the Kosovo Interior Ministry points out.

The same confirms that the time for processing requests for passport and identity documents remains unchanged, in proportion to the number of requirements, which they think is consistent with those presented in previous years.

“There has been no change in application processing, as there has been no apparent increase in application tariffs”, the Interior Ministry notes.

Authorities also dismissed claims concerning concerns about insufficient supplies and materials needed for the establishment of passports and documents a case the Interior Ministry faced last year.

Last year, there have been cases of Kosovo citizens who have waited up to two months to obtain the passport, while currently the time to process passport documents and identity documents is seven days.

As the free movement towards the EU increases, the risks of increasing the migration rate from Kosovo have emerged. However, a Schengen VisaInfo survey found that only 37.7 per cent of respondents plan to leave Kosovo in the coming years.

The survey also showed that many are interested in travelling to the EU, especially those who had not been able to visit the bloc before, but migration there is not the first choice for most Kosovars.